Streets Team Volunteers Program

Team Work

DST’s flagship program is the Streets Team Volunteers Program which invites people experiencing homelessness to volunteer on Teams dedicated to cleaning streets, parks, and other public spaces while they chart a path out of homelessness. Teams provide meaningful structured daily activity that fosters community, kindles confidence, reaffirms dignity, and develops employment soft skills like punctuality, cooperation, and personal responsibility.

  • Weekly Success Meetings

    Essential to the momentum of the Streets Team Volunteers Program is attending Weekly Success Meetings where Team Members are able to share successes, challenges, support, resources, and a warm meal. These gatherings have been described by San Francisco Magazine as “part church revival and part 12-step meeting, with a little hiring hall and job fair thrown in.”

  • Shifting Perceptions

    To be a Team Member in the Streets Team Volunteers Program is to experience the support of an inclusive and supportive community formed by other unhoused neighbors and DST staff. It also means being able to effect positive change in the communities where DST operates. Local residents and business owners bear witness to the work of uniformed Team Members working diligently to clean up their shared neighborhoods.

  • Street Cred

    The Streets Team Volunteers Program earned a spot in the “Top 50 Innovations in American Government” from Harvard University’s Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation in 2009. Furthermore, DST’s model has been named one of only five “Evidence-Based Best Practices in Ending Homelessness” in the State of California, according to the 2018 Homelessness Task Force Report released by the League of California Cities and the California State Association of Counties.

  • Case Management

    All Team Members in the Streets Team Volunteers Program have access to individualized case management from trained DST Staff. Team Members and Case Managers work together to identify and remove barriers, which can be anything that poses an obstacle to self-sufficiency.

  • Barrier Removal

    Often barriers are things most people take for granted, like getting a driver’s license, getting prescription eye glasses, or signing up for medical benefits. Our Case Managers and Employment Specialists work with Team Members to assess their skill levels and needs, and develop an action plan that includes resume building, interview readiness, communication skills, literacy resources, and so on.

  • Incentives

    All Team Members receive a non-cash, basic-needs stipend that can be used to buy essentials like food, clothing, medicine, and transportation.

Want to learn more?

Would you like to attend a Weekly Success Meeting as a Community Visitor?

DST welcomes guests who want to learn more about our Team Members and the solutions DST provides to homelessness and housing insecurity in your community. Submit a request at the button below and a staff member from your local DST community will reach out to arrange your visit!

Interested in becoming a Team Member?

The first step is attending a Weekly Success Meeting. Find the location nearest you and show up at a meeting. Meeting dates and times can be found on our community pages. Find the community nearest to you on our locations page.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!