Volunteers
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Volunteerism Overview
We need your help! Volunteers just like you can help us to end homelessness in Pinellas County. There are many kinds of volunteer opportunities available--from meal service to data entry. Getting involved is safe and easy. Just follow these three steps:
- Review our current list of volunteer opportunities
- To create a volunteer project for a group (employees, congregation, Scout troop, etc.), please drop us a line to let us know about your availability.
- Select or create a volunteer project
- If you do not find the right opportunity in our listing, we will contact you to help you customize the best possible volunteer experience to fit your needs.
- Complete the Volunteer Interest Profile (VIP) Form below.
- After you submit your information, we will help you find the best match for your interests, skills and availability.
You can volunteer with confidence through the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless. PCCH is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that must meet federal government requirements to maintain our status. We accept volunteers without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religious orientation, sexual orientation, or age (some volunteer projects may be best suited for people within certain age ranges). PCCH provides liability insurance protection for its volunteers.
"Give a day. Get a Disney Day." This year, Disney Parks is celebrating the good things people do for their communities. In 2010, Disney wants to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization in their communities and celebrate their good works by giving each of them one day admission to a theme park at Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free. Go to
www.disneyparks.com to search for volunteer opportunities with PCCH or other organizations made available through HandsOn Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service!
Current Opportunities
Each year, on the last Monday in January, beginning at 4 a.m., scores of volunteers spread throughout Pinellas County to conduct a manual count and survey of homeless people. They count and survey people in traditional service locations such as meal sites and day labor sites and in “street” sites such as encampments, parks and along railways. In all, approximately 200 volunteers visit nearly 250 sites to insure that every homeless person is counted and their needs documented. Volunteer recruitment for the PIT count is conducted year-round, and training is provided in early January. Concerned individuals are encouraged to donate their time or resources to assist us with the PIT count. In 2010, the count will begin on Thursday, January 28 and end on Wednesday, February 3. There are a number of volunteer and donor opportunities available including:
- Conducting street surveys;
- Data entry;
- Collecting toiletries to be distributed to homeless people on the streets;
- Providing coffee and donuts for PIT volunteers;
- Providing gift certificates for survey respondents as incentives;
- Providing transportation for volunteers; and
- Organizing the Volunteer Recognition Reception in March.
Project Homeless Connect
Got energy, compassion, and a free Saturday? Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless is seeking just 700 good volunteers to provide one-to-one assistance to people participating in Project Homeless Connect on Saturday, January 30, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the St. Petersburg Coliseum, 535 4th Avenue North. Project Homeless Connect is a one-day service fair that will connect approximately 1,200 individuals who are homeless or at the risk of becoming homeless with health care professionals and other services in order to improve their lives and help them move closer to self-sufficiency.
The “Faces of Homelessness” Speakers’ Bureau is a cadre of 12 people who have or are experiencing homelessness and who have volunteered to speak about their experiences to groups throughout Pinellas County. These are real people, each with their own unique story. Through these presentations we hope to raise awareness about the true nature of homelessness and stimulate your group’s involvement in the fight to end homelessness.
Pinellas Hope is a temporary emergency shelter that provides street homeless men and women tent shelter, case management and housing placement assistance in an environment that assures privacy, safety and a strict code of behavior. Volunteers’ are needed to provide brown bag lunches for residents going to jobs or on job searches. Groups of volunteers are needed to provide and serve a comforting evening meal for between 200-250 residents. (Arrangements can be made for groups interested in meal service opportunities at other homeless shelters and meal sites in Pinellas County.)
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Volunteer Interest Profile (VIP) Form
