COORDINATOR (British, Female): Great to see so many new faces here to learn about our volunteer programme. The Fairview Homeless Shelter has been running for about, oh, 16 years now. We serve around 1,300 people per year, giving them a warm, safe place to stay and healthy meals. As you know, our city’s homeless problem is on the rise with increased unemployment rates and a rather tough economic environment. Um, so, our shelter is funded in part by the government, but we still have to fundraise to cover around 45 percent of our basic expenses. That means we are heavily dependent on volunteers who provide essential services that keep us running year after year. We have anywhere from 15 to 25 volunteers at any one time, and I’d say the average amount of time volunteers give is 5 hours per week.
MAN (British): Can I ask a question?
COORDINATOR: Sure.
MAN: Is there a minimum commitment for volunteers in terms of hours of service?
COORDINATOR: Yes, actually. We require 5 hours per month. But those hours can be spread out over the month. For example, one hour this week, three hours the next, and so on. We’re quite flexible as we understand that everyone has professional and personal obligations as well.
MAN: All right. Thanks.
COORDINATOR: Now, since you are all here because you’re interested in volunteering, let me start by telling you about some of the restrictions on who can volunteer. Uh, first, you must be 18 years of age. This is not our rule. It is the age requirement set by the government. This applies to any type of social service work, and really is in everyone’s best interest. Also, you do need to have completed secondary school. No post-secondary education is necessary, but at minimum you must prove that you’ve finished up your secondary education.
MAN: Another question, if you will. I’m most curious about what exactly we’d be doing as volunteers.
COORDINATOR: Right. That’s what I want to move onto next. We have a few different positions, or types of volunteer work. The most popular is serving food. This involves making sure that the food trays are well stocked and serving clients.
MAN: And cooking as well?
COORDINATOR: Uh, no. We hire professional cooks to make the food, and to ensure that our meals are prepared in accordance with health standards.
MAN: Oh, all right.
COORDINATOR: So, there’s food service, and there’s also general housecleaning. Every day we receive between 50 to 100 overnight guests, so the bed sheets must be changed and the rooms given a wipe over. The bathrooms as well. Sort of related, we do need people to put together guest packages every day, which include toiletries and a small towel. If we have three or four volunteers working on it, all of the packages can be put together in about two hours. This is a great option for those who don’t have a lot of time to offer, but want to help in some way. Uh, the last volunteer task is working the intake desk in the evening as clients are checking in for either dinner or to stay overnight. Two volunteers staff the intake desk each day, and it’s a really important job. People who do this work need to be people-oriented, have good manners, and know how to draw good boundaries with people who…well…who may be pushy. For this task we do require volunteers to undergo a one-day training. There are so many different situations you encounter at the intake desk, and you need to know how to handle them.
MAN: Is the training offered at specific times, or more on a rolling basis?
COORDINATOR: The training… happens every two weeks. So, if you are interested in that kind of work, it’s best to sign up for a training right away. OK, any other questions so far?