COLD WEATHER SHELTER VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Transcription

1 1 COLD WEATHER SHELTER VOLUNTEER GUIDELINES/RESPONSIBILITIES Shelter site location: DAMASCUS ROAD CHURCH 1048 State Ave. Marysville, WA Contact: Shelter Director is Zoe Wlazlak Cell phone: (530) Sponsored by: Hungry and Homeless Organization, AKA Marysville H2O, Marysville Area Pastor s Association (MAPA), and community groups. SHELTER OPENING NOTIFICATION PROCESS: Determination of opening the shelter shall be made by the shelter director, Zoe Wlazlak. The shelter director will contact the church coordinators several days in advance who will contact their team members. The shelter should be staffed by a minimum of 3 adult volunteers at all times when guests are present including at least one male volunteer or at least one female volunteer. One person is to be designated as the on-site manager. Volunteers younger than 18 must be accompanied by their parent at all times. NORMAL HOURS ACTIVITIES: 6:30 PM Cooking Team arrives and begins meal preparation 7:00 PM - Shelter Team arrives, meets for coordination and set-up assignments Volunteers sign in to evening notebook. Registration area, shelter rules and sign-in forms set up and kept in notebook. Sleeping mats, blankets, sheets, cleaning kit/first aid kit brought in from trailer. Cooking crew preparing meal. 8:00 to 9:30PM Open for registering guests Registration form filled out and Shelter Rules document reviewed and signed. Guests are assigned a mattresses, sheet, and blanket. 8:00-9:30 PM Dinner and preparation for sleep Food for men provided in men s area. Food for women provided in women s area. 10:00 PM - Lights turned off in sleeping area. 5:45 AM - Lights turned back on in sleeping area. Meals and beverages made available. Food for men provided in men s area.

2 2 Food for women provided in women s area. 7:00 AM Guests leave. Shelter is cleaned up. SHELTER CLEANUP: Guest log completed assuring all guests accounted for. Trash from meals etc. bagged and placed in dumpster. DO NOT CRUSH OR TAMP DOWN TRASH TO AVOID POTENTIAL INJURY FROM CONTAMINATED SHARP ITEMS! Mats wiped down with provided DISENFECTANT WIPES and stowed in trailer. Used bedding gathered to be laundered, placed in trailer. Bathrooms cleaned. Floors swept and/or mopped if needed. Supplies including children s activities kit and notebook put away in trailer. All shelter related supplies except kitchen items must be stowed in trailer every morning. Volunteers sign out. OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION: 1. Volunteers must receive confirmation from a coordinator that they will be staffing a shift before going to the shelter (7 PM -11 PM, 11PM -3 AM, or 3 AM -7 AM). Volunteers who are not on the list will be politely denied entry with the exception of the shelter director. 2. During setup, guests may help bring supplies to the door of the church but will be asked to remain outside until volunteers are ready to open for the night. 3. All volunteers will wear name badges and guests will be asked to wear name tags as well for ease of communication. 4. Volunteers may partake in dinner if there is enough food for everyone and are welcome to bring in other snacks or beverages as needed for overnight comfort. 5. The box of children s supplies is for use at the shelter only, please do not give away these items! 6. Men may set up mattresses on the carpeted area in the foyer and on the wood flooring on the south side of the sanctuary. Women may sleep in the room across from the kitchen. Women with children under 18 may be given rooms in the nursery area. No guests in the sanctuary, please. 7. Women may not block the windows of their sleeping area; volunteers must have clear visibility at all times. 8. Each volunteer will carry a walkie talkie while at the shelter for safety purposes. 9. If a guest wishes to exit the shelter after signing in he or she may not come back in. 10. If a guest (who has not previously exited on the same night) wishes to enter the shelter after the doors are locked, please let him or her know that they must have a police escort. If they wish to wait call (360) and press 0. State your name, that you re from the shelter, and that you need a police escort for a guest.

3 3 HANDLING DISPUTES: We would rather resolve disputes quickly and with as little tension as possible than have to resort to asking a guest to leave or create lasting tensions among volunteers. If a dispute should occur between guests, between a guest and a volunteer, or between two volunteers remember to first stay calm. Ask to move the conversation to a quiet place or enlist the help of another volunteer to split up a tense situation. Remember that both guests and volunteers may be under a lot of stress or pressure and try to be empathetic toward all involved. If in the course of a dispute a guest refuses to cooperate with the shelter manager s requests then they will be asked to leave of their own accord. Should the guest refuse to leave then the police will be called at (360) to escort them out. If any such dispute between guests or volunteers occurs please notify the shelter director Zoe as soon as possible at (530) For any major issues that require immediate police assistance please call 911. HANDLING EMERGENCIES General Emergencies 1. Remain calm 2. One volunteer only should talk calmly to the guest. 3. Evaluate the seriousness of the emergency. (Remember it is better to err on the side of caution). 4. Provide a safe environment for the guest having the crisis. 5. Provide a safe environment, as needed, for the other guests. 6. Contact emergency services if necessary, 911 for ambulance or police. 7. Contact Shelter Director anytime 911 is called. Seizures 1. Common symptoms: unresponsive, glassy eyes, body convulsing, possible vomiting. 2. Stay calm, and turn guest on their side to prevent choking. Call Remove all dangerous items/furniture near guest. 4. Once guest is responsive, do not give them anything to eat or drink. 5. Try to time the episode (both time of onset and duration) as this is helpful to the medical personnel. Heart Attack 1. Common symptoms: severe chest pain often radiating down left (or both) arms, pain can radiate up into jaw, shortness of breath, a feeling of pressure on the center of the chest. 2. Stay calm and try to keep the guest calm. 3. Call Have guest lie down and remain quiet. 5. Elevate feet and keep warm. 6. Do not give anything to eat or drink. 7. Have a volunteer remain with the guest until medical help arrives.

4 4 Psychotic Breakdown 1. Common symptoms: bizarre behavior, unreasonable paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, potentially violent behavior. 2. Isolate the guest as much as possible (dimly lit room with minimal noise) and call Acknowledge that you understand that the guest is frightened; reassure them in a calm voice that the shelter is a safe environment. Use an even tone and avoid yelling or lecturing. 4. Maintain a comfort zone at least an arm's length between yourself and the guest. Do not back the guest into a corner or against a wall, and do not allow yourself to be backed into a corner or against a wall. Do not touch a potentially violent guest. 5. Help the guest focus on the here and now, tell the guest our location, ask for the guest s name, etc. 6. Help the guest focus on breathing to promote relaxation. 7. Only one volunteer should talk to the guest. UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS Universal precautions are infection control guidelines designed to protect workers from exposure to diseases spread by blood and certain body fluids. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has developed the strategy of "Universal Precautions" to prevent contact with patient blood and body fluids. These precautions stress that all patients should be assumed to be infectious for blood-borne disease, such as HIV Aids and Hepatitis B. All bodily fluids should be handled with Universal Precautions and these precautions should also be applied when it is difficult to identify the specific body fluid or when body fluid contains visible blood. Precautions to Take Barrier protection (gloves) should be used at all times when coming into contact with blood, or body fluid. As a general safety precaution, any body fluid should be considered contaminated and barrier protective gloves used. Gloves should be worn when there is a potential for hand and skin contact with body fluids, other potentially infectious material, and/or items and surfaces contaminated with these materials such as when cleaning up mats in the morning and any time handling used laundry. Have a pair of gloves on your person in readiness for quick use. Wash hands (or any skin surfaces) thoroughly and immediately if there has been any contact with potential contamination, and also after removing gloves. Gloves should be disposed of immediately.

5 5 COLD WEATHER SHELTER POLICIES Marysville Hunger and Homeless Organization, H2O As we offer emergency cold-weather shelter, it is our goal that no one freezes to death this year. With that in mind, we will be flexible and tolerant, insofar as safety is not compromised. 1. Absolutely no alcohol or illegal drugs are allowed on the premises. No smoking in the shelter. Once checked in guests are not allowed to go outside to smoke. If they do so they will not be allowed back in. 2. Men sleep in the designated men s area. Women sleep in the designated women s area. Families with children will receive consideration of a room. Everyone has their own sleeping space. No coupling. No sexual activity of any kind. 3. No guests who refuse to register or unscheduled volunteers will be allowed in. Volunteers must be approved first by the coordinator, must carry identification in the form of a shelter badge, and must display it at all times while in the shelter. An exception will be made for police officers. Members of the media may be admitted with prior arrangements. Reporters must obtain permission from guests for interviews or photos. 4. Food should be prepared on site, using safe food-handling practices. Ideally, at least one person should be on site that has a Food Handler s card. Food and beverages are served in the sleeping areas. 5. Names of guests will be held in confidence and will not be divulged to anyone who calls or shows up asking for someone. An exception can be made for law enforcement officials. In all other cases, get contact information from the inquirer, which can be passed on to the individual being sought. At no time will an inquirer be told that the person they are seeking is at the shelter. This is important to protect those who may be fleeing a domestic violence situation. 6. We reserve the right to refuse admittance to anyone who is clearly intoxicated, belligerent, uncooperative, or who violates one or more of the shelter rules. No one will be discriminated against because of race, gender, national origin, age, or religion. Those with disabilities or medical conditions may be relocated for their own safety or the safety of others, as needs dictate. Registered sex offenders will be dealt with according to state law. 7. Marysville Hungry and Homeless, H2O, Damascus Road Church, MAPA, or staff, are not responsible for loss or damage to guests possessions. Neither are we responsible for guests medication. If a medical need arises, 911 will be called. 8. Sufficient staff means at least 3 people throughout the entire time period including one male volunteer or one female volunteer. One person will be designated by their church coordinator as the on-site manager for the night or in shifts.