Team Member Resources

How Can Downtown Streets Team Help You?

Downtown Streets Team wants to support you as you forge a path out of homelessness. Consider becoming a Team Member in the Volunteer Work-Experience Program.

By volunteering for community projects, you’ll receive non-cash stipends to help pay for your basic needs. You’ll also receive access to case management, system navigation, and employment placement services from the trained staff at Downtown Streets Team.

Start your journey by locating the DST community nearest you and attending a Weekly Success Meeting there. That’s the first step in becoming a DST Team Member.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Becoming a DST Team Member

  • Click the link above “Find Your Local DST Community” to locate the community nearest to you.

  • Come to a Weekly Success Meeting where you can meet DST Staff and current Team Members. Meeting locations and meeting times vary from community to community, so check the Location page for Meeting details.

  • Adults (18+) are welcome to apply for membership regardless of race, gender expression, religion, or immigration status.

  • Some Teams have waitlists, and it might take a few weeks before you're able to join the Team. Ask at the Weekly Success Meeting about the waitlist for that community.

  • Team Members volunteer their time in shifts working on a structured daily activity such as picking up trash and litter, cleaning community shelters, volunteering at food banks, etc. In general, shifts last 4 hours long. All cleaning supplies are supplied by DST. Team Members have flexibility in choosing the amount of shifts taken per week. Team Members are also expected to attend Weekly Success Meetings, where Team Members learn about opportunities and share their experiences.

  • Non-cash stipends: In exchange for volunteering, Team Members receive a non-cash stipend in the form of gift cards. Stipends are meant to cover your basic needs. Team Members can choose what kinds of gift cards they receive and in what amounts. Stipend amounts vary depending on hours volunteered per week.

    Individual Case Management: Team Members and Case Managers work together to remove barriers that keep you from attaining your goals. DST understands that everyone’s situation is unique and that everyone has different needs. We can help you in the ways you need.

    For example, we can help Team Members sign up for medical benefits, fill out housing applications, build job resumes, navigate the justice system, and recover vital legal documents like social security cards and birth certificates.

    Community: Team Members gain a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community formed by other Team Members and DST staff, all working to help Team Members feel safe and empowered.

  • Team Members are part of the Volunteer Work Experience Program. All Team Members receive a non-cash stipend to cover essentials. It is not a job in the traditional sense, however DST Employment Specialists can help you reach your employment goals. Graduates of this program are eligible to join the supported employment program for a living wage. Visit the Our Work page for more details.

  • DST is an individualized program so we encourage you to take it at your own pace. Typically, Team Members can be on the Team for up to a year but can be extended if they're making significant progress on their goals.

  • Some DST Teams allow dogs to come to Weekly Success Meetings.

  • Click the link below to meet other Team Members and learn about their experiences with DST.

    Click Here

 You’re in Good Company

Meet Some of Our Team Members

  • Robert

    Robert was a Veteran and entitled to benefits that could help him exit homelessness. But without access to a computer, a stable address…

    Read Robert's Testimonial

  • Tommy

    Tommy struggled with his sobriety, but not alone. His case manager helped enroll him in an addiction treatment center. While he was busy overcoming his addiction…

    Read Tommy's Testimonial

  • Chris

    Chris has been experiencing homelessness for 11 years but with the help of his case manager, he and his dog now have a home and Chris has a full-time job.

    Read Chris's Testimonial

Team Member spelled with a capital T and a capital M!

Why do we call our clients ‘Team Members?’

Homelessness is an experience, not an identity.

To use the word “homeless” to describe unhoused neighbors reduces their identity to one aspect of their current material condition.

Homelessness takes many forms: living on the streets, living in vehicles, sleeping in shelters, sleeping on couches, and so on. For this reason, we avoid the sweeping term homeless when referring to people experiencing homelessness.

At DST, Team Member is a proper noun spelled with a capital T and a capital M. Team Members play an essential role in changing the perception of homelessness in their communities. We consider Team Members to be stakeholders in all aspects of DST programming. They play an active role in determining their own experience and the health of their community.

2021 Team Member Survey

Downtown Streets Team conducts optional and anonymous surveys to ensure the needs and goals of Team Members are being met.

Here are some of the results from our 2021 survey:

95%

of Team Members feel respected and heard by DST staff

81%

of those with a mental health diagnosis have continued or sought treatment since joining DST

95%

have health insurance

 Interested in learning more?

Attend one of our Weekly Success Meetings near you.