Volunteers
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Homeless Health Initiative. As a health care provider for the HHI program, you are helping children and families during a time of crisis by providing integral services.
Your services
As a part of the volunteer HHI team, you will provide one or more of the following services to the children in shelters and their families:
- Medical, nursing or dental care in the shelters
- Educational workshops for mothers in shelters
- Educational workshops for staff in shelters
- Hearing or vision screenings
- Interactive mother-child development focused activities
- Literacy activities
You are expected to attend the visits that you have signed up for, unless you notify us that you cannot attend. Please be sure to sign in at every visit and fill out relevant forms to ensure that service is given efficiently to children. Following your volunteer duty you will be asked to provide a written reflection of your learning through the experience.
Health education
The HHI program also conducts daytime educational presentations in the shelters to both shelter residents and shelter staff. The goal is to better equip the audience with the knowledge and resources needed to ensure the healthy mental, physical and social development of the children. Examples of topics include,"Understanding Ear Infections/Hearing Issues" and "Advocating for your Child's School Success."
These educational sessions are offered by Nursing and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellows including developmental pediatricians, speech and language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, audiologists, social workers and psychologists.
Primary care services are also provided through the 39th Street Primary Care site and the Primary Care Center at Cobbs Creek.
Getting there
The HHI currently offers services at the the People's Emergency Center, ECS St. Barnabas Mission and Lutheran Settlement House Jane Addams Place. You will receive an e-mail reminder about the upcoming shelter visits several days before the visit. On the day of the evening shelter visits, the team meets and car caravans to the shelter site leaving from the Wood Building at approximately 5:45 p.m. The visits usually last about 2 hours.
Contact Us
- 215-590-7646
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