Volunteer Engaging with our Newspaper Vendors

As a Street Sense Media volunteer you’ll make an immediate difference in the lives of your low-income and unhoused neighbors! 4 hours a week in our office and you’ll have a volunteer experience that’ll impact you the rest of your life and make the world a better place.

We publish the famous DC newspaper ‘Street Sense’, part of the International Network of Street Papers. The paper enables our basic service, a low barrier employment opportunity to be a ‘Street Sense’ Vendor. No matter what you're going through, whether you’re unhoused or returning from incarceration, you can distribute our newspaper on the sidewalks of the DMV, keeping every dollar you collect. Flowing from this initial income opportunity is a robust set of services where you can build professional skills, find artistic self-expression, and connect with a healthy, caring community. We have a Vendor Lounge open five days a week with computers and a place to rest, at least one artistic or professional skills workshop every weekday, and we hold community events and arts showcases.

In this role, you'll engage directly with our Vendors on a daily basis. You’ll greet them as they arrive, check if they’ve earned money through our app or through being published, pay them out if they have, direct them toward other departments, and work with staff to keep good records and to deescalate occasional tense situations. You’ll be under direct supervision by a trained social services professional from whom you’ll receive on the job training in team-based de-escalation and emergency management with a focus on intertwining strong, clear boundaries with deeply empathic understanding. You’ll get to know Street Sense Vendors in a way you never would out in the world; you’ll find yourself in community with them and with other people who take joy in the same work.

To start, you’ll work one 4-hour shift a week. Shifts are Monday through Friday, from 9am – 12:30pm or12:30pm – 4:30pm. You can choose which fits your weekly schedule the best! And you can change this selection as needed with some planning.

Specific Duties:

• Greet Vendors arriving at the office and direct them to the appropriate department
• Be a first line of alertness to physical health or mental health issues
• Monitor hallway and Vendor Lounge, and control flow of activity in Admin Office
• Pay Vendors app and publication payments in cash using a computer to check accounts
• Perform full counts of money on hand and carefully record transactions
• Practice compassion while enforcing boundaries without escalation
• Maintain Vendor confidentiality
• Answer the primary Street sense phone line and transfer calls to appropriate departments
• Act as a general source for Street Sense operations information

Volunteer Qualifications:

• Must be able to communicate clearly in English
• Must have a basic understanding of Windows-based computers
• Must have math skills (counting, adding, subtracting) and cash handling skills
• Should be able to navigate a multi-floor office environment, including walking down hallways, and using an elevator or stairs
• Should be able to lift and carry at least 10 pounds over 100 ft or use a dolly
• Experience working with people experiencing homelessness or other at-risk populations is a bonus. A desire to do so is required! This position works directly with our Vendors, many of whom are people currently or formerly experiencing homelessness and/or poverty. Successful volunteers will demonstrate patience and understanding when dealing with people of diverse backgrounds, educational levels, and mental health.

You will be reporting to Thomas, Director of Vendor Employment.