Each night has a normal schedule and typical roles for volunteers. The instructions below reflect what is generally expected. In unusual circumstances it may be necessary for volunteers to perform non-typical tasks. For example, overnight volunteers may need to assist in preparing and serving the evening meal if not enough meal volunteers are present. Please be reasonably flexible, as our guests depend on you and each task is important.

Timeline

Prior to Guest Admittance

Guest Admittance

After Guest Admittance

Notes

Night Shelter Home

Timeline

6:00 pm Volunteers are admitted to the shelter
7:00 pm Guests are admitted to the shelter
7:15-8:00 pm Dinner is served to guests (with the exception of Wed when it is served at 7)
7:30-8:30 pm Showers available to guests
8:30 pm Lights out
5:30 am Lights on, guests depart
6:00 am Guests should have cleared out
6:30 am Cleanup is complete and shelter empty

Prior to Guest Admittance

The Street Crew

• Be at the churches by 6:00 p.m. to admit the Trainer, Volunteers, and Cleanup Crew into the shelter areas.
• Communicate between shelters if one shelter is lacking in supplies or volunteers.

• Verify that adequate volunteers are showing up for meal and overnight duties.
• Oversee meal preparation and service
• Appoint a “captain” of the overnight volunteers to be in charge when the trainer leaves.
• Familiarize overnight volunteers with shelter procedures related to:
  • Shelter keys
  • Emergencies
  • Coffee preparation
  • Shelter windows being open/closed
• Answer any volunteer questions

Overnight Volunteers

• Prepare a nametag for yourself so the guests (and your fellow Volunteers) can address you by name.
• Take out and arrange the mats in the sleeping area; make sure there's open, easy access to all emergency exits (no mats across fire escape doors, or blocking easy access to same).
• Set up tables, chairs, and place settings in the dining area for guests.
• Prepare coffee.
• Become familiar with the shelter layout, including:
  • Sleeping area for Guests
  • Guests' restrooms and showers
  • Volunteer lounge and restrooms
  • Kitchen area
  • Supply and dry goods storage
  • Light switches
  • Clinic area at Central Pres. (only)
  • Fire extinguishers, [fire alarm panel at Central], and emergency exits [and remember: NEVER use the elevator at Central if there's a fire, or the possibility that there's a fire, or other electrical emergency]
• One volunteer should assist the street crew person with admitting guests.
• Ensure that towels are washed and dried each night.
• The “captain” of the overnight volunteers’ (appointed by the trainer) sets up the shifts for staying up and sleeping and briefs the second-shift Captain, if the first-shift Captain doesn't stay all night;
• Using, and encouraging Volunteers to use the log book to record any comments about the experiences of the night. 
  
  

• Prepare the meal for the guests
• When setting up for the evening meal be sure to consider how a particular meal is best served: guests seated and served by volunteers seems to work the best.

• A person from the street crew greets the guests and admits them. Guests will be admitted by name from the previous night’s sign-in sheet, or from the list of approved referrals. All guests must have picture ID, or proof of application for same. The Trainer, the volunteer captain, or a volunteer will work with the Street Crew to admit the guests in an orderly fashion. The guests will sign-in by giving their name to a volunteer, who will enter the name into the notebook Guest Register. Volunteers should never admit guests, as this is the responsibility of the Street Crew.
• The Trainer or an overnight volunteer should ensure that each guest has a mattress.

• Arrange for someone to say grace.
• Serve plates of food to guests. It is important that serving be organized to ensure that all guests receive meals and none receive second servings prior to others receiving first servings. If children are serving plates to the guests, it is especially important that adults make sure all guests are served in a systematic manner so no one is overlooked.
• Serve leftovers to guests when they line up for seconds (after all have been served firsts).
• Cleanup the kitchen. Remember: with limited storage space, perishable food not served should be taken home by the volunteers; if you leave anything to be served the next night, be sure to leave a note in the log book for the next night's volunteers and label each leftover with the date it was prepared. HELP US KEEP OUR KITCHENS CLEAN AND CLEAR.

• Assist with serving the meal if necessary.
• Dispense medications from the medications cabinet as requested by guests.
• Prepare sack lunches to be dispensed to guests in the morning. If freshly made sandwiches are not available, use frozen sandwiches from the freezers in the shelter kitchen at Central Presbyterian.
• Have one or two persons awake throughout the night.  This should be done in shifts.
• Awaken and escort guests out if they need to leave earlier than the 6:00 am wakeup time.
• Dispense sack lunches to departing guests in the morning.
• Oversee morning cleanup efforts by the cleanup crew.  The cleanup crew is a group of 4-5 guests who assist with cleanup each morning as well as other tasks, depending on the need.
• Lock the shelter and ensure that shelter keys are hung in their place.
• The captain of the volunteers may call Katie or Mark Bashor (404-373-8486) in the morning to pass along any relevant information about the night to the shelter coordinators.
• Record comments about experiences during the night in the log book.

• Try to finish the showers by lights-out (8:30 p.m.), or very soon thereafter, so that sleeping guests are not disturbed.
• Do not do personal laundry for guests, and do not let guests do personal laundry.  (Sometimes the cleanup crew may assist with washing the shelter towels.)
• The Shrine shelter does not have a washer and dryer. At the Shrine the dirty towels should be left in a bag on top of the freezer by the back door of the kitchen. The Street Crew Person will take the towels over to Central for washing/drying, and will bring clean towels to the Shrine each evening.
• Rarely--but occasionally--a meal doesn't show up at Central or the Shrine or both! Blizzards seem to bring this out the most! Fear not...for just such emergencies we have at Central canned loaves and fishes and spaghetti and stuff that can be quickly opened and served. Worst case: thaw some sandwiches from freezers at Central, whip up some stone soup, and/or declare a night of spiritual growth through fasting. Occasionally the opposite occurs--two meals show up...But that's a different story!