Come-Alongside Volunteer

“Helping individuals and families settle in with their host family, and coordinating the details to make their stay successful for everyone has been a great role for me.” Serving B. Me, Retreat Home Volunteer since 2023

Support individuals and families in need through mentoring, facilitating and strengthening communication. Uplift and assist those around you—your involvement can inspire hope and create lasting change.

We (Retreat Home) partner with Social Workers in the community who refer guest families. We find the right match with a Host family. Then we have each family meet each other, and you are there to welcome this pairing to Retreat Home.

You help coordinate and run joint meetings (of Social Worker, Guest Family, Host Family, and you!) once a month.

You contact the guest family a couple times a month and ask them how they’re doing.

You contact the host family a couple times a month and ask them how they’re doing.

You help with the move-in and the move out of the host home, and into the guest family’s new home, after their stay is complete.

Retreat Home provides training, guidance, all paperwork, and connections. You just listen and encourage people, coordinate meetings and keep track of paperwork in this part of their journey.

Host Family

“

Host families provide space in their homes for a guest family’s temporary stay. The average time of hosting is 3 weeks. Three months is the maximum. You decide which months’ work best for you.

Host families have homes with “extra spaces”; bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas. “Shared spaces” work great too! Possibly kids have moved out, or you have a guest room or a “bonus room” that could be used by a family who desperately needs a warm, dry place to stay for a few days or weeks.

We put a time limit on how long a guest family can stay with you.

We provide background checks, connections, paperwork and structure that is needed for a successful temporary stay. You get to meet the family, and they meet you, and all decide if it’s going to be a good fit, before anyone moves in.

We help get your home ready, with supplies or furniture for a guest family to be comfortable.

You open your doors and provide hospitality for a special family.

Furniture and supplies Volunteer

Administrative Volunteer

‘

Periodically, we ask our community for gently used furniture for our guest families to use in their new homes. We pick up that furniture from the donor and deliver it to the guest family.

You contact the guest families to make sure they have what they need for their new home and help arrange (financed through Retreat Home) supplies that could help them with their new home preparation.

You contact those with furniture to donate, and coordinate the pickup, and deliver it to the guest family or to Retreat Home’s storage unit for future use.

Having a truck would be an added benefit to this role, HOWEVER, it’s not necessary.

We have a truck.

Right now, we have administrative volunteers in the roles of newsletter editor, grant writer editor, church liaison. We are looking for folks who can help with marketing, bookkeeping, grant writing, taking photos and recording our guests’ stories.