Project PLASE is a homeless housing organization working to bring hope, restore dignity, and end the cycle of homelessness for clients and their families.
Website: http://www.projectplase.org
Job Descriptions
Project PLASE (People Lacking Ample Shelter and Employment) is a homeless housing organization working to bring hope, restore dignity, and end the cycle of homelessness for clients and their families. Project PLASE seeks the following positions to help provide quality service to residents and to help them access stable housing and resources.
(A) The Advocacy Counselor at the transitional housing facility is geared first toward addressing the needs of the residents and second toward assuring the smooth operation of the facility. The transitional housing facility is a temporary residence focusing on assisting homeless residents to move past their current crisis into a more stable situation. Volunteer duties include orienting new residents; conducting intakes; providing support and counseling; assisting with the daily operations of the shelter, including meal preparation and medication monitoring; assisting clients in learning acceptable behaviors; helping clients in reaching needed resources; coordinating donations; and dealing with emergency situations.
Requirements include dedication to persons and their needs and to social justice, daily ability to empathize, ability to work with a variety of people and situations, flexibility, and the ability to work in a non-structured environment. Preference would be given to someone who has a degree, training, and/or experience in human services, but this is not required.
(B) The Maintenance Assistant helps the maintenance supervisor with various duties to ensure the upkeep of the facilities and the program. Duties include basic upkeep of buildings and surroundings, basic carpentry, painting, lock repair, floor and gutter clean-up, transportation of donations and supplies, and communication with program staff and contracted companies.
Requirements include flexibility, capability as a self-starter, a driver’s license, and willingness to do a diversity of tasks.
(C) The Office Assistant assists in the main office of Project PLASE and serves in a number of support roles to improve the clerical management and administration of this office. Duties include serving as receptionist to greet clients and visitors and to direct calls and inquiries, sorting mail and distributing newsletters, making phone calls, helping to create an internal staff newsletter, assisting with the drafting of reports and proposals, helping organize office files, and entering data.
Requirements include pleasant working style and personality, sense of humor, flexibility, basic computer and typing proficiency, willingness to support the organization and work with diverse populations, and capability as a self-starter.
(D) The Central Intake Counselor seeks to ensure that transitional housing beds are filled each day and is the first point of contact for potential, new, or returning clients and other support service professionals. Duties include processing messages left on the transitional housing line, contacting the PLASE facilities to update daily bed listings, engaging in active outreach to the community in order to fill empty beds, soliciting referrals or following up on previous referrals, interviewing clients for beds and services and offering support, and completing intake forms.
Requirements include professionalism, flexibility, sensitivity and dedication to clients’ needs, the ability to empathize, and the ability to complete work in a timely fashion. Preference would be given to someone who has human service training, experience, and/or a degree, but this is not required.
(E) The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for recruiting and coordinating students and volunteers to assist with PLASE’s programs, services, special projects, and office operations. The coordinator maintains close relations with volunteers and works to serve clients’ needs, to represent PLASE in the community, and to organize social /educational events. S/he is also responsible for training staff on the support and management of volunteers and for maintaining the database lists of the new volunteers and supporters generated through his/her recruitment activities. The coordinator works closely with PLASE staff to identify and provide for their volunteer needs and coordinates with all needed parties. The coordinator reports directly to the director of development. S/he will represent PLASE at various community events.