good neighbor network

Local Creative Community

The Artist Ally is a volunteer at Housing Matters who fosters equitable access to the local creative community for our program participants. The Artist Ally has a background in creative arts and is enthusiastic about helping our program participants, in a group setting, to achieve one or more of the following:

1. Long-term community integration, such as membership in a local artistic community 
2. Professional development, like grant writing or exhibition planning
3. Ongoing mutual support through creative self-expression projects, which may include:
   • Storytelling/creative writing  
   • Visual art
   • Music 
   • Dance

The Volunteer Experience

Artist Allies work with the Volunteer Program Manager to bring ongoing opportunities for creative self-expression to the Housing Matters community, keeping in mind the three main goals listed above. 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Mental health or social services experience a plus; understands how to maintain healthy boundaries in a social services setting
• Friendly and patient
• Understands the basics of Trauma-Informed Care; previous knowledge and experience a plus, but not required
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Understands the importance of confidentiality

The Rebele Family Shelter

Book Buddies volunteer in the Rebele Family Shelter (RFS) to inspire a love of reading in some of our youngest shelter residents. RFS provides emergency shelter for up to 28 households with children (approximately 90 individuals) on any given night. Families reside in the shelter for an average of six months while working toward obtaining permanent housing. 

The Volunteer Experience

Book buddies volunteer on the first and third Monday of each month from 3:30-4:30 pm. Young readers at RFS range in age from elementary school through middle school. 

There are at least three volunteers working together during each Book Buddies group and parents are never out of sight, so it’s a supportive environment for RFS families as well as volunteers. Book Buddies meet in the RFS Dining Room and on the RFS playground.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Patient and kind
• Loves to read
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Childcare experience is a plus, though not essential
• Maintains respect for privacy and confidentiality at all times
• Is sensitive to the impact of trauma on children and families; is interested to learn more about trauma-informed care
• Is motivated to maintain healthy boundaries; is interested to learn more about how to set healthy boundaries in a social-service setting

The Housing Matters Campus

Housing Matters welcomes about 150 shelter guests on any given night at our Coral Street campus. We operate three unique shelter programs: the Recuperative Care Center, Rebele Family Shelter, and The Loft. We also welcome about 80 people onto our campus daily to access Day Services like our mailroom, showers, and bathrooms.

The Volunteer Experience

Campus Companions greet guests in public spaces on the Housing Matters campus and offer friendly conversation to enhance our guests’ sense of purpose and belonging.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Friendly and patient
• Loves to listen
• Understands how to maintain healthy boundaries in a social services setting; mental health or social services experience a plus
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• A desire to learn about the array of resources and supportive services available  throughout Santa Cruz County for people experiencing homelessness

Housing Matters Day Services

Each year, more than 2,500 of our neighbors experiencing homelessness access Day Services at Housing Matters, including hot showers and bathrooms open seven days a week. We offer towels and toiletries to all of our shower program participants and are able to do so because of the generous donations of personal hygiene supplies received from generous community members and organizations.

The Volunteer Experience

The Day Services Assistant helps our DSCs (Direct Services Coordinators) to operate the Hygiene Bay where Housing Matters offers showers and bathrooms to our guests. The Day Services Assistant may also help DSCs with light cleaning/organizing, meal delivery, and laundry support for shelter residents.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Maintains patience and kindness while serving guests who may be stressed as they are navigating the crisis of homelessness
• Customer service experience a plus
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Understands how to maintain healthy boundaries in a social services setting
• Enjoys tidying and organizing
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision

The Front Desk

Our Front Desk is the first stop for visitors to our administrative offices and is located on the ground floor of the Rebele Family Shelter. Our Front Desk is also a hub of information for community members calling Housing Matters in search of shelter options and other essential services. It’s open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. 

The Volunteer Experience

Front Desk volunteers greet visitors with a kind smile and answer calls from community members. Callers are often seeking information about shelter program eligibility and other essential services offered by Housing Matters and partner organizations. This position is supervised by our Front Office Coordinator.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Friendly and patient in person and on the phone; customer-service experience a plus
• Respect for privacy and maintains confidentiality at all times
• A desire to learn about an array of shelter and supportive-services providers throughout Santa Cruz County 
• Maintains patience and kindness while receiving calls from community members who may be stressed as they are navigating the crisis of homelessness
• Comfortable with downtime when the phones are quiet; feel free to bring a book

The Gratitude Group

Each year, about 1000 compassionate community members give financial support to help sustain Housing Matters programs and services. When our donors receive a personal thank you call, they are significantly more likely to give a second gift and to make it larger than the first. With help from volunteers, our Development Team and Board of Directors work together to complete thank-you calls throughout the year to make sure donors understand the significance of their impact.

The Volunteer Experience

Gratitude Group volunteers gather via Zoom with Development staff for thank-you call parties. Development staff get this party started by setting motivation and discussing strategy with volunteers. Next, volunteers turn off their cameras and hit the phones for about 40 minutes. Finally, the whole group returns to the Zoom meeting to debrief and celebrate the meaningful connections they have made with Housing Matters donors over the phone.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Friendly and patient; customer service experience a plus
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Must have a working phone
• Understands the importance of confidentiality

The Housing Matters Kitchen

Housing Matters welcomes about 200 shelter-program participants on any given night at our Coral Street campus. We operate three unique shelter programs: the Recuperative Care Center, Rebele Family Shelter, and The Loft. Our guests enjoy meals in the Dining Hall or on The Patio, an open-air dining space. Our full-scale kitchen offers a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day of the week, to all of our shelter guests.

The Volunteer Experience

The Kitchen Server greets shelter guests at dinnertime and serves them their meals in a cafeteria-style line. After dinner is served, volunteers help kitchen staff to clean the kitchen and wash the dishes.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Maintains patience and kindness while serving guests who may be stressed as they are navigating the crisis of homelessness
• Customer services experience a plus
• Maintains standard hygiene and safety protocols while working with food; food-service experience a plus
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Understands how to maintain healthy boundaries in a social services setting
• Must pass criminal background check

The Housing Matters Mailroom

Without a physical address, receiving important mail can be challenging, at best. More than 1,300 individuals experiencing homelessness use the Housing Matters Mailroom to receive important mail, such as letters confirming Social Security, housing vouchers, and other government benefits, which are often an important part of someone’s pathway back into permanent housing. We provide mail accounts as well as stationary, envelopes, and pens to those experiencing homelessness at no cost. We are open to the public from 10:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday; 6:00am to 8am on Tuesdays; and 4:00pm to 6:00 pm on Thursdays. 

The Volunteer Experience

Mailroom volunteers help sort the mail and manage our community message board and program information board. Mailroom volunteers work under the direction of the Mail Services Coordinator. 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Friendly and patient
• Enjoys detail-oriented work
• Respect for privacy and maintains confidentiality at all times

Neighbors for Neighbors

Housing Matters is proud to offer community education opportunities for the general public on solutions to homelessness, free of charge, every month of the year.

Neighbors for Neighbors is an educational program hosted in partnership with Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Our monthly in-person library meetups feature expert speakers on topics pertinent to homelessness and housing justice. Past topics have included: Shelter programs in Santa Cruz County; What’s working in other places; and Safe parking programs.

The Volunteer Experience

The Neighbors for Neighbors Greeter manages the welcome table where attendees sign in before joining our meet up. The Greeter is often the first point of contact for attendees. They offer a welcoming smile, collect accurate attendance information, and do their best to answer questions that may arise.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Maintains patience and kindness while managing the check-in process
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Available the 4th Tuesday of each month from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm

Neighbors for Neighbors 

Housing Matters is proud to offer community-education opportunities for the general public on solutions to homelessness, free of charge, every month of the year. 

Neighbors for Neighbors is an educational program hosted in partnership with Santa Cruz Public Libraries. These monthly in-person library meetups feature expert speakers on topics pertinent to homelessness and housing justice. Past topics have included: Shelter programs in Santa Cruz County; What’s working in other places; and Safe parking programs. 

Housing Matters receives ongoing requests for remote access to library meetup content. Our goal is to offer a publicly accessible online archive of Neighbors for Neighbors meetup content, sharing the expert knowledge shared by guest speakers. 

The Volunteer Experience

The volunteer video editor works in partnership with Housing Matters Community Engagement staff to create a uniform collection of educational videos, using raw footage our staff has collected from the Neighbors for Neighbors program. 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Experienced video editor 
• Available monthly, ongoing
• Works well collaboratively 
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision

Special Events

Housing Matters invites our community at large to come together for special events with opportunities to help resolve homelessness in Santa Cruz County. Housing Matters special events provide education around the issue of homelessness and opportunities for community engagement and fundraising. 

The Volunteer Experience

Volunteers help make special events runs smoothly through their event-day roles and responsibilities. Examples of event-day roles include:

• Event set-up
• Guest check-in
• Beverage tender
• Dessert tender

Volunteer Qualifications

• Friendly and patient
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Flexible and willing to lend a helping hand when needed
• Specific qualifications vary depending on day-of assignment

The Good Neighbor Network

The Good Neighbor Network is a diverse group of community members engaging in volunteer projects around a shared mission: to reduce homelessness and promote housing justice in Santa Cruz County through education, advocacy, and compassion in action.

The Volunteer Experience

The Volunteer Program Coordinator works primarily with new applicants to the Good Neighbor Network, offering program support in the following areas:

• Answering questions about Housing Matters, the Good Neighbor Network, and current volunteer opportunities
• Calling references listed on applications
• Volunteer orientation scheduling 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Organized
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Interested in learning more about Housing Matters and our many volunteer opportunities
• Experienced user of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Zoom
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Available 1-2 hours weekly 

The Welcome Home Program Partnership

The Good Neighbor Network is partnering with Wings Homeless Advocacy to help expand its Welcome Home Program. Wings is a local nonprofit whose Welcome Home Program has offered furniture and baskets full of household essentials to newly housed individuals and families, since 2010. This program helps our newly housed neighbors to achieve stability during this critical transition period when their experience of homelessness has just ended. 

Good Neighbor Network Volunteers are helping Wings to expand the Welcome Home Program by delivering additional move-in baskets to newly housed neighbors every month. 

The Volunteer Experience

After attending Housing Matters’ Volunteer Orientation, Welcome Home Delivery Drivers are connected with Wings to schedule their Welcome Home Program training. After training with Wings is complete, the Delivery Driver’s name and contact information is shared with the Wings Dispatcher. The Dispatcher receives requests for Welcome Home Kits from case managers throughout Santa Cruz County and sends these delivery opportunities out to all Delivery Drivers. Volunteers claim the deliveries that work with their personal schedules. Once delivery details are set, volunteers drive to Wings’ storage shed, load the items for each order, and deliver baskets with household essentials to newly housed neighbors.

Delivery Driver volunteers aren’t just delivering essential supplies; they are a warm smile, a vote of confidence, and a pair of helping hands offering a sense of dignity and increased stability to our newly housed neighbors during this critical phase of change in their lives. 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Reliable vehicle and valid driver’s license
• Able to lift up to 25 lbs.
• Friendly and patient
• Understands healthy boundaries 
• Communicates comfortably with people of all ages and backgrounds
• Willing to complete a criminal background check

The Welcome Home Program Partnership

The Good Neighbor Network is partnering with Wings Homeless Advocacy to help expand its Welcome Home Program. Wings is a local nonprofit whose Welcome Home Program has offered furniture and baskets full of household essentials to newly housed individuals and families, since 2010. This program helps our newly housed neighbors to achieve stability during this critical transition period when their experience of homelessness has just ended. 

Good Neighbor Network Volunteers are helping Wings to expand the Welcome Home Program by delivering additional move-in baskets to newly housed neighbors every month. 

The Volunteer Experience

Volunteers work within their networks to collect brand-new household essentials to be included in Welcome Home Baskets. Donations Collectors typically choose one area from our inventory list to focus their efforts, such as cleaning supplies, kitchen essentials, or linens. They are then provided a list of specific items to collect. 

Donations Collectors work with the Volunteer Program Manager to develop a collection plan. Help with problem-solving is available every step of the way. Some volunteers choose to leave collection bins in key locations, like churches and classrooms, with signage supplied by Housing Matters. Other volunteers choose to travel door-to-door inviting neighbors to make a commitment to support their donation goals over the coming weeks. Once donations are collected, volunteers bring their Welcome Home supplies to Housing Matters. 

Volunteer Qualifications

• Self-starter
• Works well without direct supervision

Special Skills

We love to match volunteers with special projects based on their skillsets. Whether you are experienced with data entry, event planning, legalese, or anything in between, we want you! You can help end homelessness by doing what you do best.

Volunteer Qualifications

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Specific qualifications vary depending on special projects