Volunteers & Interns

The responsibility of this role is to complete tasks that help our program run effectively. This may include cleaning, putting away new supplies, organizing supplies, dropping off recycling, and completing general program tasks as requested by staff. All volunteers are required to support with general help.

The responsibility of this role is to work with clients to help meet emotional and basic needs. This may include checking in with clients to help them obtain access to personal hygiene or cleaning products; spending time with adult clients and/or their minor-aged children to provide emotional support, play games, watch movies, or go on a walk; helping clients pack or move; and communicating information between clients and full time staff.

The responsibility of this role is to provide emergency crisis intervention to MSU Safe Place clients and their minor-aged children. This may include coordinating last minute emergency transportation logistics; meeting with clients who are in crisis during volunteer shifts; helping with shelter intakes of new clients; helping staff during unexpected emergencies that involve clients; and providing support by staffing crisis chat shifts.

Please Note: When selecting crisis intervention as a service area, volunteers will be added to an on-call list with staff and interns where they will be included in planning logistics for shelter intakes and client emergencies. Additionally, when selecting crisis intervention, volunteers providing this service will be required to provide crisis chat support once a week, once the crisis chat program begins (estimated start date October 2022).

Transportation services may be fulfilled by volunteers or interns who are serving in varied roles, or there may be volunteers who are on-call to only fill transportation needs. The responsibility of this role is to provide transportation to assist in meeting program needs using the University-owned vehicle. This option is only available to volunteers and interns who have valid driver’s licenses and have been pre-approved to drive the Safe Place van through MSU Risk Management. Examples of transportation services often provided include taking clients to do laundry, court, the PPO Office, or to medical appointments; helping clients move belongings into, or at exit from, shelter; transporting clients to pick up or drop off children from school; or picking up food, clothing, furniture or other donations.

Please Note: You must be an MSU-student, staff or faculty with a valid driver’s license to be able to operate the University-owned vehicle. Click to access MSU's Vehicle Usage Policy.

The responsibility of this role is to help provide childcare to MSU Safe Place clients as needed. This may include providing childcare for clients during support groups, individual counseling or other appointments, job interviews, or while clients are studying for finals. This service is also provided to offer parents a break for self-care or provide recreation and support to children. Those providing childcare may be asked to engage in mentoring older children, help youth complete homework, or take them on outings or special events with parental pre-approval. Childcare may consist of spending time with an individual child, or small groups of children.

The responsibility of this role is to help reach out to campus communities to increase awareness about relationship violence and stalking, and the resources available to survivors. This may include acting as an MSU Safe Place representative by attending tabling events and resource fairs, facilitating outreach presentations, putting up fliers around campus, creating social media posts pertaining to relationship violence and stalking, and providing drop-in hours around campus to expand relationships with campus units and minoritized populations. Some outreach services may include providing crisis intervention and referrals, since event participants may disclose their own experiences of abuse and need immediate support. 

The responsibility of this role is to help maintain the operations of the donation room. This may include contacting donors to coordinate donation pickups; washing, folding or hanging clothing donations; organizing the donation room and taking unwanted donations elsewhere; keeping inventory; helping clients obtain clothing; and assessing the needs of clients.

This service area may only be provided by MSU Safe Place Interns.*

The responsibility of this role is to provide counseling and support group services to clients at varying levels of engagement depending on level of education.

• 2^nd year MSW interns are able to provide counseling and support group services independently.
• 1^st year MSW interns, BSW interns and summer interns are able to co-facilitate support group services with 2^nd year MSW interns or full time staff members.

*Some interns choose to later become volunteers after their internships have ended, these volunteers are able to continue to facilitate support group services under supervision of full-time staff.