The Landing Coordinator

Portland First United Methodist Church has a long-time concern for housing insecurity, having founded and operated the Goose Hollow Family Shelter in our building for 25 years, and having created the Portland Homeless Family Solutions, an independent non-profit which "graduated" from our space in the summer of 2018. We discovered many Portland State University students struggle to meet their basic needs. A recent survey covering a 12-month period found that: 44.6% of students responding experienced housing insecurity 16.1% were houseless 47% experienced food insecurity Black, Indigenous and People of Color students were found to have higher rates of insecurity. Portland First hopes to create and operate an overnight shelter providing safe housing, some food assistance and study space for at least 8 PSU students per night.

The mission of The PSU Landing at FUMC (The Landing) is to provide

a temporary safe-haven for housing insecure Portland State University (PSU)

students. More information can be found on our website:  https://fumcpdx.org/landing/ 

LOCATION: The PSU Landing at FUMC is located at the First United Methodist

Church (FUMC), 1838 SW Jefferson Street, Portland, OR 97201.

JOB DESCRIPTION:  The Landing Coordinator is primarily responsible for managing the

scheduling, training and work shifts of the volunteers for The Landing. This

includes but is not limited to:

• keep a record of all volunteer contact information
• ensure background checks are completed as needed
• ensure volunteers and staff are attending required trainings check in with volunteers and staff for ongoing feedback and on the job training as needed
• communicate with volunteers, staff and support team; identify workflow issues; resolve questions or concerns 
• manage records for appreciation and recognition activities
• work onsite

Volunteers and staff are recruited from various religious groups, community groups, PSU, social media and other sources.  Volunteers may sign up to be involved in one or more service points of The Landing. Resident Assistants are paid staff that manage the Landing overnight.

The Volunteer Manager oversees several service points:

% of Time        Duties

30%       Dinner Volunteers:

• Sign up to bring a full dinner for the total number of guests and staff of the shelter. This includes a complete and balanced meal.  It is encouraged that it is a home cooked meal.
• Meal delivery between 6:30pm – 7pm or by appointment. Meals are pre-made, ready to serve and not cooked on site

30%     Evening Volunteers

• Oversee multiple volunteer tasks
• Prepare or set out grab and go breakfast
• Shift hours are 6:00pm to 8:00pm

30%     Schedule and Support Overnight staff, who:

• Help guests pack up their pods and get sorted for the day.
• Ensure laundry has been removed from the washer and dryer
• Guest must be ready to leave by 7am each morning (except Saturday)
• Check rest rooms and kitchen for misplaced items; tidy up after guests leave

10%      Communication

• Bi-monthly meeting with Resident Liaison for updates and feedback
• Coordinate with Student Steward
• Updates Church Administrator 

BUDGET AUTHORITY:       None.  Participate in Budget Development

SUPERVISOR:   Church Administrator 

SUPERVISORY DUTIES:     Overnight Hosts; Volunteers

REQUIREMENTS: 

• Experience successfully with volunteer coordination or management
• Successful experience or education in social service field preferred 
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Collaborative leadership style; experience with group facilitation and/or conflict management
• Self-directive and creative individual
• Ability to organize a transient population of student residents
• Experience working with college students with limited funds (paid or volunteer)
• An understanding of “Safe Sanctuary” practices and principles
• Values diversity, equity, and inclusion and operates with compassion and awareness of current trauma informed care practices.

Rate of Pay:  $18/hr