Volunteer Procedures
(the Shrine)

 

Bashor Homeless Men’s Night Shelter

At The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

 

Volunteer Procedures

 

Overnight Volunteers

6:00 pm Arrive at Bashor Homeless Men’s Night Shelter. The Street Crew person or Trainer will let you in. Please bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and any toiletries you might need.

  • NO SMOKING is allowed in the shelter by anyone at any time. And no food is to be given out ever to people coming to the door.

  • NO WEAPONS are allowed by anyone.

  • The Street Crew person will let in the Clean-Up Crew to lay out mats. Other duties of the Clean-Up Crew:

    • The Clean-Up Crew will make the coffee in the large pot. Use 1 ½ foam cups of coffee. Fill the water to 40 cups. Plug in and turn on.

    • The Clean-Up Crew will replenish the sugar and creamer jars and salt and pepper shakers.

    • The Clean-Up Crew will set up the tables and chairs for dinner. Volunteers are welcome to help them.

    • Replenish the bathrooms and showers: toilet paper, soap, shampoo, razors, shaving cream, deodorant.      



  • The Trainer will make you aware of the location of the fire extinguisher and emergency exits and show you around the shelter, explaining the Overnight Volunteer job.

    • Familiarize yourself with the Volunteer Register for the evening. Fill in the names of the overnight volunteers, as well as the group who brings the food.

    • When it is time to check in the guests, the Street Crew may ask for the assistance of a volunteer.

    • Elect or appoint a Captain of the overnight volunteers. Decide on stay-awake shifts for the night.

  •  Extra supplies are in the storage room. The Trainer or Street Crew person will show you the combination for the lock box where the keys are located. Be sure to ask, if you are not shown.

7:00 pm The Street Crew person will admit the guests. Station a volunteer at the door to welcome the guests and to help him/her with any problems. 

  • Station a volunteer near the parking lot door and kitchen door until 7:15 pm to prevent anyone letting in an unregistered Guest through these doors.

    • Note the Clean-Up Crew members (maximum of 4). Note any special wake-up times and where that guest will be sleeping.

    • Do not admit any guest before his name is recorded.

 

7:15 pm The Street Crew person will close the shelter for the night. No guest is to be admitted after 7:15 pm for any reason. Do not answer the door after 7:15 pm, unless you know that volunteers are arriving late. 

  • All guests are to eat at the tables unless the Street Crew person has given them permission to eat at their mat.

  • Ask the Guests for a volunteer to ask the blessing. Be sure and eat a dinner yourselves.

After Dinner, leave extra food on the pass-through. The Clean-Up Crew will put away the food.

  • Be sure all ovens are OFF!

After the Street Crew person and Trainer are through for the evening, use two volunteers for safety and lock the two gates between Central Presbyterian Church and the Shrine Rectory (the Street Crew person might do this). Then lock the parking lot gate.

 

Showers: Each guest may take a shower. One of the Clean-Up Crew usually monitors the showers. They also wash the towels following the showers, including the kitchen towels. NOTE: Much as we’d like, we cannot wash the guests’ clothes. Please be sure the towels get washed.

 

8:30 pm Lights out, except the TV viewing area.

  • If not prepared already, prepare bagged lunches using sandwiches from the freezers upstairs and items we keep to add in. Please make an extra bag for each member of the Clean-up Crew.

 

11:00 pm Turn off the TV. If there is a game on, wait until it is over. The overnight volunteers may want to leave the TV on all night with the sound turned off. 

 

______am Volunteer Shift Change

______am Volunteer Shift Change

 

______am Special wake-up time for a Guest who needs to leave early

 

______am Special wake-up time for a Guest who needs to leave early

 

5:30 am Lights on

  • Unlock the parking lot gate. 

  • Station a volunteer at the parking lot door. All Guests must exit through this door. As each Guest leaves, hand him a breakfast/lunch bag.

 

6:00 am All Guests, except the Clean-up Crew, should be gone.

  • Supervise Clean-Up Crew: Maximum of 4 inside. Mats put away, floor mopped, bathrooms and showers cleaned, dining area cleaned and tables and chairs put away, trash taken out. Once outside, cigarette butts picked up around the church. Give lunch to the Clean-up Crew as they leave.

  • Volunteers must leave the kitchen and volunteer space clean.

 

6:30 am Close all windows, Turn off all lights. Lock all doors except the kitchen and main door (see next item). ASSURE THAT GAS TO THE STOVE IS OFF. 

  • Lock all doors and turn off all lights. 

  • Leave the keys in the lock box. If you forget this step, bring the keys back TODAY!

  • **After the last person has left the parking lot, please lock the gates with the padlock.

  • Sometime later in the day, please call shelter director Cathal Doyle to report any problems. Or GREAT things that have happened! See phone numbers below.

  • Thank you for volunteering!

 

IMPORTANT ITEMS

  • Excused absences: any guest requesting an excused absence needs to tell the Street Crew person so it gets into the computer system. Overnight volunteers can no longer write notes–e.g. “M. Brown will be out tomorrow and back the next night.” The Street Crew and Trainers will be sure the Guests know this.

  • Late arrivals: Unless it is documented and the Street Crew or Trainer tells you, NO ONE MAY COME IN LATE!

  • Keys: PLEASE be sure the keys are placed back in the lock box!

 

PHONE NUMBERS

  • Emergency: 911 Your location is The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, on the corner of MLK and Central Ave. The entrance is on Central Ave. 

  • Shelter at Shrine: no direct phone service–please give your cell service.

  • Shelter Directors

    • Cathal Doyle (678) 330-4589

    • Jessie Bashor (404) 291-3865

  • Overnight Volunteer Coordinator

    • Sue Briss (678) 570-3262

  • Food Coordinator

    • Kathy Masters (470) 270-9231

    • Molly Roberts (404) 580-7044

  • Trainer Coordinator

    • Colleen O’Rourke (404) 606-2086

  • Services for Homeless Friends

    • Gateway Center (404) 215-6600

    • Central Outreach and Advocacy Center (404) 659-7119

 

DIRECTIONS

The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

48 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Atlanta, GA 30303

 

Follow the general directions to the Shrine at this link.

 

Food Volunteers: You are welcome to park in the Shrine Parking lot. 

 

Overnight Volunteers: If there is room in the Shrine Parking lot, you may park there. It is location on Central Ave., between the Georgia Education building and the Shrine church. You may remain parked in the lot until you leave the shelter. 

If the lot is full, please park at Underground Atlanta, located diagonally across from the Shrine, on the corner of MLK and Central Ave. Access is from Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr and the fee is $20.

**Please be sure and account for all cars in the Shrine parking lot. Occasionally, overnight volunteers from Central will park at the Shrine parking lot and forget to tell you. On more than one occasion an overnight volunteer’s car has been locked in the Shrine parking lot after the volunteers from the Shrine have left.

 

SHELTER ENTRANCE

The entrance for volunteers is from the Shrine parking lot, through the doors on the side of the church building. If the door is not open, knock and someone will let you in.

 

If you need assistance, and cannot reach someone at the shelter, please call one of the coordinators.