Heat Response Outreach

The DTES Neighbourhood House is looking for volunteers to help us do Heat Response Outreach this summer on the very hot days. This is an unpaid position.

During the summers, the DTES Neighbourhood House (DTESNH) does Heat Response initiatives to support our community members who rely on public space. This includes the DTESNH operating as a cooling space, and also organizing outings to distribute supplies to those on the street.

The supplies we distribute for Heat Response Outreach typically include cold water, gatorade and juice, cold foods like yogurt, fruit and freezies, and sometimes other supplies such as hats, Emergen-C, fans, sunscreen, reusable water bottles, cooling bandanas, and more (depending on our donations that week). Teams of volunteers, staff, and/or practicum students will go out together to outreach--we will not send anyone to go out by themselves.

VOLUNTEER SHIFT: because outings are organized based on the forecast, we cannot provide you a set schedule. We are seeking volunteers who typically have some free time during the day, who we can onboard and train ahead of time, and then contact when we are planning an outing. If you have a slot of time free each week consistently (example: Thursday mornings), or if you don't have a set schedule and your availability changes, either of these situations can work for us. Outings will mostly be held on Weekdays during the Daytime, however we'll likely also organize some weekend outings.

VOLUNTEER DUTIES:
- respond to staff when we reach out about a planned outing coming up (let us know if you can make it or not)
- helping to load up the carts with supplies
- going out with other volunteers, staff, and/or practicum students to distribute the supplies to people who need it
- after returning to the DTESNH: cleaning the carts, throwing away trash, downsizing cardboard boxes, etc. until cleanup is complete.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS:
-	Must be able to walk long distances
-	Must be comfortable with street based outreach work and adhere to our code of conduct while out in the community
-	Understanding of, and adherence to the DTESNH philosophies
-	Treat all with dignity and respect 
-	Reliable
-	Familiarity with the DTES 
-	Must be able to commit to volunteering throughout July and August
-	Must be ok with being outside in the heat
-       Great communication skills
-	Watch the required training videos and read training material before starting to volunteer

ASSETS (helpful but not required):
-	Ability to lift 40lbs 
-	Lived or living experience, relation or kinship with DTES community members or their experiences
-	Naloxone Training
-	First Aid Certification
-	Food Safe
-	Volunteer or work experience in the DTES
-       Being multilingual (especially Chinese language skills)
-	Sense of humour is always an asset :)

APPLY: Our application, screening and onboarding process includes: 
1. Email volunteer@dtesnhouse.ca letting us know which position you are applying for, a bit about yourself, and why you want to volunteer. 
2. Applicants will be sent volunteer forms to fill out  
3. Once we have received your completed forms, we will schedule a 15-30min phone interview/screening call, OR we can schedule a time to meet in person at the DTESNH. The call is to ensure that the role is a good fit for the volunteer, answer any questions, and if both parties agree to move forward with the placement, then we will also go over a condensed volunteer orientation. 
4. After the phone call we will ask the volunteer to review some Kitchen Safety Training Materials and 6 pages of our Volunteer Handbook before they come in for their first volunteer shift.

ABOUT THE DTES NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE: 
Our mission is to provide opportunities for residents to meaningfully engage with and contribute to their community in an equitable atmosphere of sharing and learning. The secular, grassroots Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTES NH) embraces people of all ancestries, genders, ages and descriptions; annually welcoming almost 9,000 DTES residents in a community where 70% of our neighbours have low‐incomes, 700 are homeless and 5,000 are under-housed.  
Those who built the DTES NH put the Right to Food at the heart of our work, as nutritional vulnerability was a theme familiar to all. Our goal around the Right to Food is to reform the nutritional impact, quality, abundance and delivery of food in the DTES in consultation with residents, community food providers, non‐food community organizations, healthcare professionals, policy makers, growers/suppliers, food/beverage industry professionals and researchers. Learn more about our organization & programs at dtesnhouse.ca The DTES NH acknowledges and honours the fact that our community lies within the Unceded Territory of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.