Various (homeless)
LOCATION
SCHEDULE OPTIONS
Semester availability
FallSpring
Service hours
MorningAfternoon
Weekend
Available days/hours
Depends on the service chosen. Hours can be flexible based on student availability and organizational needs.
Interns can help with the same service a couple times a week, or help with different services. Our preference is that students commit to a regular schedule. But because we offer some services simultanteously, the student can still get experience with either one service or several services.
Showers are offered Mon-Thurs and Sat from 1:00-3:00, expect to stay until 3:30PM.
Clothing closet: Mon, Wed, Thurs 10:00 AM - Noon, or Sat 1:00 - 3:00 PM.
Laundry: Mon, Tues, Thurs 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM, or Sat 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Pascente Office helping guests make free phone calls, recieve toiletries and/or blankets, and other services: Mon -Thur 10:00 AM - Noon & 1:00-3:00 PM, and Sat & Sun, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Soupline: Sat-Thurs. Prep for full time staff members often begins in the morning and continues through the afternoon. Most interns help from 3:00 - 7:30 pm.
REQUIRED/DESIRED SKILLS
Compassionate, but able to enforce boundaries.
Good organizational skills.
Creativity and an ability to think on your feet.
A desire to "get your hands dirty."
CATEGORIES
AdultsHomeless
Hunger / Poverty
Social Services
COMMUNITY PARTNER
Andre House of Arizona
ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP
Duties
Interns can help with any or all of the following services we offer:
- Distribute clothing. Help in our clothing closet in which guests can receive a complete change of clothes every two weeks.
- Monitoring showers. We have 3 individual shower stalls which our guests can use to bathe. Guests can be in the private shower room for 10 minutes. We need someone to monitor the showers: giving people towels & soap as they go in the shower, let them know when their time is up, call the next person in for the shower, and clean up after the showers are finished. We usually provide showers for ~30 people each day.
- Laundry. We offer laundry services for guests. They drop their clothes off and we wash, dry, and fold the clothes for our guests to pick them up the same day.
- Pascente Office: Distribute toiletries and offer phone services. Guests can make long distance phone calls with us for free, as well as receive toiletries, blankets or boot vouchers through our office. This can be a busy office with lots of direct interaction with guests. We also provide information about local resources.
- Soupline: Shopping for, preparing, serving and cleaning up after a meal for people who are poor or homeless. We serve between 600-750 meals a night.
Population served
We serve people who are homeless or nearly homeless. As much as they would like to, for one reason or another they cannot make it on their own. We are here to help.
Andre House predominately serves single, adult, homeless individuals. We serve both men and women. Our population consists mostly of Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American and Native American Individuals. We do serve some families at our evening meal as well. Andre House does not discriminate, we welcome anyone in need of services.
Community need/impact
The homeless population of the Phoenix area has drastically increased over the years. Many people in our neighborhood are homeless living in the shelters nearby. Others are nearly homeless and need help making ends meet.
Most people who come to André House seek food, clothing, shelter or other basic necessities. For some, André House is literally a lifesaver. But the most important service provided is not nearly as tangible as a plate of food or a warm bed. This assistance comes in the form of a listening ear or a companion to share in one's joys and sorrows.
We always get more than we give when we serve the Lord through serving others.
Our guests who have used our services have thanked us for saving their lives - giving them a place of hope, a place where they feel their dignity respected, and a place where they can get basic needs met. We cannot help everyone, and that is hard. But we can help many make it through another day feeling loved and respected.
We find that when people lose hope, that is when they fall easy prey to acts of violence (either as perpetrator or victim), as well as succumb to addictive behavior. We try to provide a place where hope lives and desperation is defeated. In turn, this creates a better community for all.
