Opportunities From: Metro United Way's Volunteer Connection

Phone Desk and Supplies: (8 AM-4 PM, Daily except on Wednesdays 8 AM to 12:30 PM and holidays it is 8 AM- 2 PM)  Automated Phone System: To better serve our community and ensure calls are directed efficiently, we have implemented an automated phone system. When callers contact the organization, they will be guided through a directory to connect with the appropriate staff member or department. Please be aware of the following options provided to callers: Press 1 – Housing (Anna Walsh)Press 2 – Donations (Jim Fulkerson)Press 3 – Volunteer Coordinator (Keesha Gardner) ext. 128Press 4 – Mail Inquiries (Mailroom) ext. 151Press 5 – Birth Certificates and IDs (Kirby) ext. 113Press 6 – Accounts Receivable (Traci Profitt) ext. 118Press 9 – All other matters Press 0 – To speak with a staff member (available during business hours)This system helps ensure that inquiries are handled promptly and directed to the appropriate team member. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to improve our services. When answering the phone, please, say, “St. John Center, and state your first name.   If a guest receives a phone call: Put the caller on hold by pressing the hold button on the phone screen. Page guest name with microphone in the drawer by the phone. If the client presents, hit the resume button and let the caller know you will transfer them. Hit the transfer button, the extension you’re transferring to, 115 or 125 and hit transfer again and hang up. If the client doesn’t answer the page, hit the resume button on the screen and offer to take a message. At no time do you confirm to the caller or check with the sign in volunteer if the client is a guest or have checked in for the day. That is a violation against SJC confidentiality policy and will not be tolerated. If the caller wishes to leave a message, please take the message, and give it to the sign in volunteer to record on the client sign in roster, so the client will get the message when they check in. If they’re not a client, please shred the message.  If a staff member receives a phone call, transfer the call to the appropriate staff member by taking the  following steps:  Looking for the staff member on the side panel and transferring the call by pressing the button next to the staff member's name or hitting green transfer on the screen, entering the extension number and green transfer again. Then hang up when it says the call has been transferred. If you’re unsure which staff member to transfer the call to, please check the Volunteer Reference Handbook  located at the phone desk or seek out a staff member. You’re welcome to hand out in-kind donations located at the phone desk.  Socks, underwear, ponchos, handwarmers, etc.  Please do not go into the storage room to get more supplies.  SJC doesn't have a clothing closet, therefore no clothing of any kind should be given out at the front desk. If a client needs emergency clothing (for a biohazard, or not properly dressed for the elements) please seek out a member of the safety and service team to assist the client.

Sign-in: (8 AM-4 PM, except Wednesday 8 AM to 12:30 PM and holidays until 2 PM)  Each time a guest enters St. John Center for the day, please do the following:  Ask the client  for their  first and last name. Scroll or type the client's name in the search box. Check the box next to the client's name. Ask where they stayed the previous night, change if different.  Choose from the list of overnight accommodations from the dropbox. Check if there are any alerts, such as “see staff”, “barred”, “has an apt.”, etc., on the daily roster. If the guest is barred for any reason, get a member of Safety & Services or a staff member.  If the guest has not been to St. John Center during the last 60 days, the computer automatically removes his name from the daily roster, so, a new intake will need to be completed by a staff member. Please have guests enter their first and last name,  time of entry, and where they stayed the night before on the intake clipboard located at the front desk. Guests can take a seat in the waiting area and a staff member will complete an intake as soon as possible. If there is any information in the “Alert” or “Barred Status” columns, share that with the guest. If the guest has any disagreement with any information shown, refer to a staff member.  Alert a staff member immediately if a guest’s safety is compromised or is overly disruptive.  When a law enforcement officer enters St. John Center, refer to Safety and Services.  Volunteers may not confirm or deny if a guest’s name is on the roster.  When donations arrive at St. John Center, ask the donor to come around to the back door (if the donation is large). Contact staff and have the donor fill out a donation receipt form, located in the blue file folder at the Sign In desk. The donor receives the yellow copy.  Keep the white copy for St. John Center and place it in the blue folder at the front desk.  When someone enters St. John Center and requests to speak to a guest, have the person wait at the front desk while the guest is told that a visitor is waiting for them at the front desk. If the guest does not respond, do not give out any information about the guest.  If the visitor leaves a message for the guest, click on the + sign by the client's name on the digital roster and notate the message.  When a staff member is requested, ask the phone volunteer to call the staff member’s office extension to alert them that they have a visitor waiting at the front desk.  If the staff member does not answer, page the staff member with the microphone located in the top drawer.

Laundry Room/Shower: (8 AM-2 PM Daily, except Wednesday and holidays until 12 PM)  There are five showers, including the wheelchair-accessible shower.  When a shower is ready for a guest: Use the microphone to page the clientSay the guest’s name slowly and clearly, and announce that there is a shower available for them now. If the guest does not respond, page him one more time.  If the guest does not respond to the second page, cross his name off the list and call the next person on the sign-up list, following the above procedures. When a guest responds to the page, do the following tasks:  When a guest goes to the shower, write the time he entered the shower next to their name on the sign-up sheet. When a guest returns from the shower, they place the towel and washcloth in the laundry basket underneath the door and cross the name of the sign-up list.  The last call for a shower should be made by 1:45 p.m. or 11:45 a.m. on Wednesdays and holidays, so the guest will be finished and return the towel and washcloth before closing. During your shift, please:  Please wear gloves at all times.Respond to guest’s needs for personal care items, such as cotton swabs, deodorant, lotion, etc., by giving them these items to use from the personal care item basket or in the cabinet. Razors are given daily upon request.  (1 per client). Guests are asked to use items, such as spray deodorant, aftershave/cologne, foot powder, etc., while at the laundry room door. They need to use the item and return it immediately.Replenish the basket of personal care items as needed with most items being found in the cabinets. If you cannot locate a requested item, ask a staff member for assistance, and notify the Volunteer Coordinator if any supplies are running low.The First Aid cabinet has items that may be given to guests as requested. We do not distribute any aspirin, ibuprofen, or any medication.  Let the client know they can go to Phoenix Health Center 2 doors down from the shelter. Launder, dry, and fold towels and washcloths, as needed, following the instructions displayed on the washer. Only use 1 cup of detergent and bleach in each load.At the end of the drying cycle, fold all of the towels and washcloths, and put them away on the shelves. If there are less than seven towels in the basket do not start another load but leave them for the next day and alert staff.No personal items of the guests are to be laundered.  At the end of your shift, do the following tasks:  Make sure that the personal care supplies have been replenished in the basket.Straighten up the area. If you are working the afternoon shift, make sure that any loads of laundry that need to be washed and/or dried have been started. ALL supplies have been neatly put away in their appropriate place. Alert staff members of anyone still in the shower and the status of the laundry.