The Need to Give and the Need to Receive: Volunteerism in Homeless Shelters

Abstract

Seventy-eight homeless shelter administrators from across the United States completed a phone survey to discuss the needs of homeless shelters and to assess volunteer activities. Shelters value and rely on volunteers to meet a wide array of residents' needs and shelter operations. Though volunteers generally meet the needs of homeless shelters and their residents, they are not always aware of the more developed needs of the homeless and active communication between the giver and receiver produces activities that better match shelters' needs. Responses to open-end questions provided information on common shelter needs, helpful and creative volunteer activities, and factors that can promote a mutually beneficial relationship between volunteers and shelters.

KEYWORDS:

• Homeless shelter
• volunteerism
• coordination
• needs assessment

Notes

The following students are thanked for their contribution to this work: Arnow, J., Beuhler, A., Daines, A., Demong, E., Faber, E., Gauger, C., Hall, C., Hardy, C., Lambert, M., Lepinske, B., Marshall, E., Mccurdy, K., Miranda, E., Oaks, L., Scadden, C., Taylor, J., Venegas, S., and Zitting, S.