Job Description of Support Teams

Identify two or three persons with enough emotional maturity to be supportive of a family in crisis who has been homeless. This family will be pre-screened by Kitsap Community Resources or Youth for Christ and have a caseworker that checks on them regularly. The caseworker and the support team will have regular contact.

These persons will go through an initial two hour training session with additional training to follow.

The team makes a minimum of a 3-month commitment to make weekly contact with the family in their emergency shelter. Some of these may be phone calls.

The team may meet the family in their unit, in a restaurant, or invite them to their home or church. The emphasis is on friendship. No professional background is needed, just the ability to care and listen.

If the relationship is good, the team is encouraged to continue with the family when they leave the shelter and move into their next unit.

Ideally, these teams have prayer and support backup from a small group, Sunday school class, etc.

If emergency needs arise (like diapers) the team may supply that out of their own pocket. If they can’t, they next go to their church benevolence or back to OCOF funds.