PARTNERING WITH LOCAL CHURCHES

Building- whether you utilize your Church building or another, the building needs to adequately provide these specific areas:

1. Sleeping area for men- an area that the women/others do not have access to.
2. Sleeping area for women- an area that the men/others do not have access to      (preferably with a door).
3. Sleeping area for family (women with children)- an area that men/others do not have access to (separate from other women if possible, with a door).
4. General gathering area- a space large enough for all the guests and volunteers to gather for the evening before going to sleep. This area may also be the same area for meals if space is large enough. Try to provide a more comfortable environment for this space, provide cards/board games/television/ etc. as your church is able.
5. Kitchen/Dining- you may designate a separate area for eating if your church is able, it is not required. A full kitchen is not required and is at the church’s discretion on whether guests are permitted to utilize it. 
6. A Volunteer Only area- a space that only the volunteers have access to for use. In this space you will store the items supplied by The Refuge for your time of hosting: 1. the travel bag (contains guests cigarettes and important forms) 2. A first aid kit (contains basic supplies for first aid) 3. A clean up kit (contains supplies necessary for cleaning up spills/bodily fluids).
7. Smoking area outside- this space should be an area that can be visible by the      volunteers while guests are outside smoking during scheduled smoke break (smoking time schedule supplied by The Refuge).

In the event you find your Church building does not provide adequate areas for the above listed, please reach out to The Refuge Church Coordinator. There are other options available to ensure that your Church can partner in the ministry of The Refuge, we are more than happy to assist you.

Volunteers- you will be responsible for gathering all the necessary volunteers for each day of hosting The Refuge. You will need volunteers for each of the following categories:

1. Transportation- a volunteer will transport The Refuge guests to and from The Refuge location each night/morning to and from your church location. No special license is required and the driver is covered under the insurance of The Refuge. A 15 passenger van is provided by The Refuge. This will require both an a.m. volunteer and an evening volunteer each day of hosting.
2. Meals- a volunteer will provide a dinner each night and a breakfast each morning to The Refuge guests.
3. Supervision- both a male and female volunteer will provide supervision/ministry to The Refuge guests during time of hosting. Volunteer shifts will run from 6:30pm until 8:00 am the following morning. A breakdown of shifts is up to each individual church, however, you can utilize samples provided by The Refuge.

Rules/Policies- all volunteers are required to read and sign a volunteer agreement form (available online) at least once. Training is available online or in person by request. 

Please be sure to read the available materials online in regards to more detailed information on Host Church Volunteering and any other sample documents that may assist you.

In the event you are unable to gather all of the necessary volunteers for your time of hosting, please reach out to The Refuge Church Coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to your hosting time. We are happy to assist you with your needs. 

The Refuge may hire an overnight security guard when applicable, please be aware that this will be one individual that is not involved with The Refuge that can provide overnight supervision from 12am to 6am only. 

During a possible pandemic- please note that The Refuge is required to follow all guidelines set forth by the CDC. Please visit our website for further information.