• Must be at least 18 years of age for all positions except the Event Volunteer position. People under 18 wishing to volunteer will need to have a parent or guardian who is able to sign a liability release on their behalf.

• All positions must complete a Volunteer Orientation before beginning to take shifts. Some additional trainings may be required depending on the position.

• Most positions require that you complete Community Advocate Training (CAT) before starting your shifts.

  • CAT is a 20-hour training offered through Steps three times a year. It is spread over three days and includes 5 hours of self-paced pre-work. There is no cost to volunteers wanting to participate in this training.

  • Once complete, CAT grants you VT Victim and Crisis Worker Privilege, which allows you to hold crisis information confidential under most circumstances.

  • When you submit a volunteer application, you will automatically be added to the notification list for when the next round of CAT registration begins. While there are some limited ways to get involved before completing CAT, you will not be able to volunteer in a direct service capacity (i.e. on Hotline or with our Children’s Program) before you have completed this training. Please keep in mind that this means there may be a 3-4 month wait before you are able to engage in direct service.

The next CAT will be held in person in August of 2025. Please visit this page for more details. Email izzyl@stepsvt.org with any questions.

1. Review the open positions below.

2. Submit a Volunteer Application. Please note that the application lists a variety of volunteer positions, some of which we may not be actively recruiting for if we are at capacity for that program. Refer to the list below for our most up-to-date volunteer needs!

3. The Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to you with any questions or to schedule next steps, including CAT and a volunteer orientation.

This position staffs our 24/7 hotline and provides direct service to those affected by Intimate Partner Violence by providing emotional support, safety planning, and connection to services such as our emergency housing, housing retention, legal, or youth programs.

Responsibilities:

• Answer hotline, chatline, and emails: provide information, advocacy, support and referrals, and crisis management and intervention as needed.

• Maintain call records and record services provided in our electronic database.

• Foster a supportive community in the shelter by maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.

Training Requirements:

• Complete our 20-hour Community Advocate Training to obtain Vermont Victim and Crisis Worker Privilege before answering any hotline calls/chats/emails.

• Complete at least two shadow shifts and two reverse shadow shifts as well as training on our electronic database before taking a solo shift.

• Complete 3-hour mandated reporter training before answering any hotline calls/chats/emails. (NOTE: If you are already a documented Mandated Reporter in the state of Vermont, you do not need to repeat the training).

Time Commitment:

• 2 hotline shifts/month; 3-month minimum commitment.

• Shifts are available Monday-Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm. Each shift is typically 4.5 hours long; however, if you are only able to do 2.5-3.5 hour shifts we still encourage you to reach out!

This position helps supervise and facilitate the numerous groups that our Youth Program offers to our service users and their children! Ranging from movement group to arts and crafts to a group just for tiny tots, with offerings changing and expanding in response to need, having an extra set of eyes and hands for each group ensures that children who have been exposed to Intimate Partner Violence continue to have access to these spaces as they navigate a time of deep and often traumatic transition in their lives.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the youth program staff to set up for and co-facilitate children’s playgroups at the shelter.

• Interact kindly, compassionately, and professionally with children of various ages from a wide range of backgrounds.

• Maintain service user confidentiality and abide by Vermont mandated reporter requirements.

Training Requirements:

• Complete our 20-hour Community Advocate Training to obtain VT Victim and Crisis Worker Privilege.

• Complete 3-hour Mandated Reporter Training. If you have documentation that you are already a mandated reporter in the state of Vermont, you do not need to go through the training again!

• Shadow at least one group with the Youth Program to get familiar with our residents, their children, and Youth Program protocols. More shadow shifts may be required for those with no or minimal experience working with children.

Time Commitment:

• Multiple groups are held each week, Monday-Friday.

• We ask that you commit to helping with at least one group a month.

• We also welcome your own thought, creativity, and innovation. If you have an interest, skill, or expertise that would lend itself well to a new group, our Youth Program can work with you to start a new group and add to our current offerings!

• Most groups are held between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm, with the exceptions being groups that are held in the evening time to accommodate school and work schedules. These groups may involve dinner and are held less frequently. Most groups are held after school and the kids get off their buses by 3:40 pm. On days off from school, groups may change to accommodate those hours.

This position is designed to help spread the word about Steps and the services we offer! You will be tabling at outreach events, setting up for fundraisers, helping out with group clean up projects, and making sure our annual social runs smoothly!

Training Requirements:

• Attend a volunteer orientation in order to get familiar with the shelter, the services we provide, and general volunteer policies and protocols.

This position would learn to co-facilitate one of our long running peer support groups. Following the peer support model, this position is only open to folks who have lived experience with Intimate Partner Violence.

If you are interested in running a group but do not have lived experience with IPV, please check out the skills based group description below!

If you are interested in this position, please fill out a volunteer application below and we will send you information to register for Community Advocate Training!

If you have a skill—such as cooking, yoga, or budgeting—that you want to bring into shelter, let us know! We can help arrange a workshop for our residents to attend.

If you are interested in this position, please fill out a volunteer application below and we will send you information to register for Community Advocate Training!

This role is designed to support children or youth (ages 5 - 18) who have moved out of Steps emergency housing by providing a safe adult outside their family with whom they can build a relationship.

Research has shown that having safe and stable relationships with trusted adults is a protective factor for children and youth who have experienced trauma; mentors will connect with their mentees by listening, learning about their interests, and spending time with them in community.

While this is not a skills-based mentoring program, if a mentee expresses a desire to work on certain skills (for example, homework or college or career prep), that can certainly be incorporated into the mentoring relationship. Mentors must be 21 years of age or older.  

Training

• Complete 20-hour Community Advocate Training to obtain VT Victim and Crisis Worker Privilege 

• Complete VT Mandated Reporter Training 

• Complete mentorship training and onboarding 

• Onboarding includes a background check, reference check, and interview 

Time Commitment 

• If matched, mentors will work with their mentees for a period of one year 

• Mentors must be able to commit to spending at least four hours a month with their mentee, with at least one meeting a week 

• Mentors should also expect to have regular check-ins with program staff  

Application

The mentorship program has a separate application to our volunteer application. If you are interested, you can find the application here. If you have any questions, you can email izzyl@stepsvt.org.