AmeriCorps VISTA in Iowa City, Iowa at Shelter House - Iowa City

You go to work everyday. Make the commute, clock in, do your job, clock out, and head home.

What if what happened in the middle changed everything?

At Shelter House, your work saves lives. Not just sometimes; every single day. Whether you help provide emergency shelter, support your colleagues with daily operations, assist shelter guests with finding and financing an apartment when they leave shelter, help clients find jobs, or provide support to individuals who left the streets after experiencing chronic homelessness and are now tenants in a supported apartment, your work advances the lives of people in crisis.

Commute to work. Change Lives. Head home.

That's the job. Join us.

Shelter House offers a robust continuum of programs and supports focusing on emergency, stabilization, and long-term interventions in the areas of housing, employment and mental health recovery. In doing so, we help hundreds of men, women, and children each year to overcome difficult barriers in their lives and move beyond homelessness. VISTA members provide crucial and important roles in the organization, and community as a whole, to increase the capacity and breadth of services available to the most vulnerable. We are thankful for our VISTA members who commit a year supporting our organization and dedicating themselves to our mission to end homelessness. We seek VISTA members who are driven and dedicated, always putting in good-faith effort to perform their job duties. We encourage our AmeriCorps VISTA members to go out into the world and absorb the lessons it has to offer! Their service year is an opportunity for personal growth and awareness building. Therefore, we strongly encourage participating in trainings, webinars, outreach, and educational courses. Applications are reviewed immediately after submission, with a quick response time.

The following are AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) positions offered at Shelter House:

Data & Compliance Specialist VISTA

The Data & Compliance VISTA position is designated to build Shelter House's long-term organizational capacity by strengthening systems for data collection, analysis, and reporting. The VISTA will focus on improving the infrastructure that supports effective service delivery and accountability. The VISTA will support community-wide capacity-building efforts to establish a Community Information Exchange (CIE) in Johnson County by assisting with coalition coordination, including meeting logistics, agenda development, maintenance of partner contact lists, and support for sustainable coalition structure and processes. In addition, the VISTA will assist the Director of Data Analytics and Compliance with program monitoring and grant compliance activities, helping to develop tools and processes that increase organizational efficiency, data quality, and long-term sustainability beyond the VISTA service term.

Health Services Coordinator VISTA

The Health Services VISTA is intended to build capacity by developing relationships with existing community partnerships and sustaining connections with professional partners who provide primary behavioral health and health services. The VISTA will research other Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and emergency shelter health programs across the nation to build a network of agencies who can mentor our agency. Additionally, they will develop an organized system for patient access and record-keeping of health services provided. Finally, the VISTA will organize VISTA events as they arise and attend various weekly/monthly meetings with staff, community members, and clients.

Housing Stability Coordinator VISTA

The Housing Stability VISTA will design and implement a new program for Shelter House that will provide furniture and essential household items to individuals and families that have recently moved into permanent housing after experiencing homelessness. In a new collaborative effort with Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity, this position will design, implement, and provide oversight for the furniture distribution program. In addition, this position will develop ongoing, research-based processes to collect data and report on outcomes from programs within Shelter House; ultimately leading to future development of additional services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Volunteer Coordinator VISTA

The Volunteer Coordinator VISTA will continue to support the recruitment, development, and management of the Shelter House Volunteer Program. Responsibilities include the recruitment, orientation, and training of new volunteers to perform a host of job responsibilities within the organization, including shelter support and employment lab. Additionally, the Volunteer Coordinator VISTA will refine the documentation and reporting process for the Drop-In Center and assist with major fundraising events throughout the year. This project alleviates poverty via its components that support Shelter House’s anti-poverty work[JF1] . Shelter House almost exclusively serves individuals with extremely low incomes, earning between 0-30% of Area Median Income. The Volunteer Coordinator VISTA strengthens Shelter House's capacity to serve neighbors experiencing housing instability and poverty by recruiting, training, and retaining dedicated volunteers. These volunteers help secure, organize, and distribute essential resources, including seasonal clothing, shoes, toiletries, and pantry items, ensuring individuals and families have access to basic necessities. The Volunteer Coordinator VISTA also supports employment resource labs for community members who have limited access to technology. Volunteers assist participants with completing job applications, accessing important employment and housing documents, and applying for benefits such as SNAP and Medicaid, helping remove barriers to employment and stability. In addition, the Volunteer Coordinator VISTA recruits and coordinates volunteers for Shelter House fundraising events. These events generate critical funding that sustains the organization's programs, services, and resources, expanding Shelter House's ability to support individuals and families experiencing poverty throughout the community.

Full Volunteer Assignment Descriptions (VADs) for each position above are available upon request. Please contact HR-Staff@shelterhouseiowa.org to request that information.

Requirements:

• Proficiency in Windows-based computer environment and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Good written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team, prioritize multiple tasks, and be flexible in job duties and schedule.
• Be 18 years of age or older (no upper age limit).
• Hold one of the following citizenship or legal residency statuses: US Citizen, US National, Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e., Green Card Status), and persons legally residing within a state. Examples of persons legally residing within a state may include those holding the following classifications: refugee, asylee, temporary protected status throughout VISTA service, and holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

Benefits of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program:

• LIVING ALLOWANCE: Receive a modest bi-weekly living allowance to cover basic expenses
• END OF SERVICE REWARD: Choose between a $6,000 Education Award to pay for a range of educational expenses or a $1,800 lump-sum cash stipend
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Attend professional development opportunities and trainings
• NON-COMPETITVE ELIGIBILITY (NCE): Quality for NCE, a unique hiring path that makes it easier for federal agencies to hire you

Shelter House is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a United Way Agency. Interviews with qualified candidates will occur on a rolling-basis until the positions are filled.

If you have any questions about the positions listed above, please reach out to HR-Staff@shelterhouseiowa.org for more information. If you have questions about AmeriCorps VISTA, please click here or visit this website to learn more: https://americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-vista/