Home » How You Can Help » Volunteer

After-Care Advocate Volunteer

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

Position:       After-Care Advocate Volunteer  

Contact Person:     Lucille Guinta-Bates, Volunteer Services Coordinator

Address:  P.O. Box 367, St. Cloud, MN 56302

E-mail:           LucilleG@annamaries.org

Phone Number:      (320)253-6900   

SUMMARY:

After-Care Advocate volunteers support former residents of Anna Marie’s Alliance domestic violence shelter in the transition to a healthy and self-sufficient life. Advocates meet with clients in their homes or at other safe places for up to one hour a week for up to six months.  Advocates keep clients connected to resources, provide ongoing support, talk about healthy relationships, and assist in developing a support network and/or reaching goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Come into the shelter for a match meeting before visits
  • Support former residents of Anna Marie’s Shelter through weekly visits at the client’s home or another safe place
  • Listen actively to the client and ask meaningful questions that help the client explore her situation, her vision, her strengths, and her challenges
  • Provide knowledge and tools to help the client reach her goals and to develop a healthy, nonviolent, self-sufficient lifestyle
  • Provide encouragement and acknowledge strengths
  • Become familiar with the Community Resource Binder and bring it along to all visits for use as a reference
  • Accompany the client to secure resources during some visits
  • Set up visits with client each week at a time when you are both available, either in person or over the phone
  • Confirm visits with client over the phone on the day before the scheduled visit
  • Respect confidentiality agreements
  • Turn in completed records of visits
  • Attend check-ins with supervisor and other volunteers every other week
  • Log hours in Volunteer Log Book
  • Submit mileage for reimbursement to supervisor
  • Participate in 3-month and final evaluations with coordinator via phone

REQUIREMENTS: 

  • Minimum of two years experience working with domestic abuse, mental health, chemical dependency, homelessness, social services, and/or community resources
  • Emotional maturity
  • Non-violent lifestyle
  • Patient, with good listening skills
  • Positive outlook, with the ability to see strengths in others
  • Accepting, non-judgmental
  • Focused on relationship-building, with good boundaries and awareness of the signs of dependency
  • Understands that the client must heal and empower herself, and that the volunteer can provide her with tools to this end
  • Holistic approach to well-being
  • Reliable transportation
  • Bilingual status can be beneficial
  • Parental status can be beneficial

TIME COMMITMENT:

  • Agency Orientation (2 hours) and After-Care Advocacy Training (9 hours)
  • One hour visit with client per week for up to six months, plus travel time and any preparation time
  • One phone call to client the day before each visit to confirm the appointment
  • Attend one check-in meeting with After-Care Advocacy Team at Anna Marie’s shelter every other week

BENEFITS TO VOLUNTEERS:

  • Satisfaction of supporting someone in finding empowerment and self-sufficiency
  • Achieving systems change to end domestic abuse by helping women to create healthy, non-violent lives for themselves and their families
  • Opportunity to gain experience or share skills in working with social services, domestic abuse, mental health, chemical dependency, self-care, and empowerment
  • Learning a about community resources and how to access tools and support for any situation
  • Visits can be scheduled whenever the volunteer and client are both available
  • Access to ongoing supervision and feedback
  • Access to in-service trainings and workshops
  • Agency-approved mileage is reimbursable

START DATE: ongoing

  • share