Nature and Purpose
Pine Street Inn has a forty year history of meeting the needs of homeless individuals and today is the largest provider of emergency shelter, transitional services and housing for homeless men and women in New England. The Inn welcomes over 1,200 individuals daily to provide short and long-term solutions so that they can begin the journey to recovery and permanent housing. Each night in Boston, 1,000 people now find themselves with no place to call home. Many of these individuals turn to the Inn for help, and each one is welcomed as a guest. With help, some guests are able to move beyond shelter fairly rapidly. For many others, it takes some time to regain the skills needed to maintain stability. Staff work with guests to offer the tools needed to reconnect with work, housing, and the community. For more information about the Inn, please visit www.pinestreetinn.org.
Tasks
Men's Inn: PULSE students have the opportunity to interact directly with guests while they engage in a number of volunteer activities. Students will "shadow" a counselor in the Men's Inn during their shift. Students will have the opportunity to get to know their counselor and learn a great deal about working in the shelter environment. Some of the activities students may participate in involve assisting with dinner service, playing cards and checkers, helping check guests into the nurse's clinic, staffing the front desk at the main entrance, sorting mail and coordinating the nightly list of guest bed assignments. Students will be required to complete a mandatory training session in October.
Time Requirements
Students will be required to complete two 4-5 hour shifts. Schedules are flexible and weekend shifts are available. Students may split their time between the Respite Program and the Men's Inn so that they may complete an 8 hour shift once a week.
- One 8-hour shift per week, beginning at 11am or noon and ending at 7pm or 8pm.
- Two 4-hour shifts per week, beginning at 3pm and ending at 7pm
Supervisor
Coffie Fields, Volunteer Coordinator
Address
444 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
617-892-9187 or 9186
coffie.fields@pinestreetinn.org
www.pinestreetinn.org
Council Member
Scott Landay