Social
Concerns
Summer Fellowship
La Posada Providencia
Site Address:
30094 Marydale Rd
San Benito
,
Texas
78586
United States
Website:
https://lppshelter.org
Volunteer Non US Citizen
Yes
Categories:
Language Preferences:
Location Details
Description
La Posada Providencia is a nonprofit shelter in San Benito, Texas, founded in 1989 by the Sisters of Divine Providence. We serve individuals and families experiencing crisis and provide a safe and caring environment while helping guests move toward stability, self-sufficiency, and integration into the community. Our work includes shelter and basic needs, but also extends to education, life skills, community-resource connections, wellness, employment readiness, and other supports intended to help guests build greater stability. La Posada also maintains relationships beyond the shelter, including ongoing engagement with families living in colonial communities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Student Role
We envision the fellowship as an immersive experience rather than primarily an administrative internship. A student would spend a significant portion of each week interacting directly with guests and participating in the daily life and programming of La Posada. Depending on the student’s academic interests, abilities, and the needs of our guests at the time of placement, activities could include: •Assisting with life-skills, educational, wellness, recreation, gardening, sustainability, and employment-readiness activities; •Supporting goal-setting, self-advocacy, and community-resource education under staff supervision; •Participating in meals, activities, conversations, and other appropriate opportunities for relational engagement with guests; •Assisting staff with program participation, feedback, outcome tracking, and evaluation; •Helping identify and map community resources related to housing, employment, transportation, healthcare, education, food security, and other factors affecting long-term stability; •Participating, when appropriate, in La Posada’s community activities and relationships in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, including our work with colonia communities; •And completing a defined project that provides lasting value to La Posada while complementing the student’s learning and Notre Dame’s research component. A typical week could include approximately 14–16 hours of direct guest engagement and programming; 8–10 hours devoted to a defined From Crisis to Stability project; 5–7 hours of community or partner engagement; 4–5 hours for research, evaluation, and documentation; and approximately 2 hours for structured supervision and reflection. We would maintain flexibility because the shelter environment and needs of our guests naturally change.
Work Schedule
The work schedule of the student will be dependent on the student. If they feel more comfortable or willing to work on the weekends, they will be able to. As long as they are meeting the sufficient hour requirements, and taking necessary 2 days of break, they can create their own 5 days a week/35-40 hours schedules.
Orientation
La Posada’s Guest Service Manager would serve as the student’s primary site supervisor and would be responsible for pre-arrival preparation, on-site orientation, coordination of the student’s weekly activities, and regular supervision meetings. The Executive Director would also be involved as the institutional contact for the partnership with Notre Dame and would meet periodically with the student and Guest Service Manager to review the overall experience and any larger project or institutional objectives. Before beginning direct engagement with guests, the student would receive orientation regarding La Posada’s mission and operations; guest dignity and appropriate professional boundaries; confidentiality and privacy; trauma-informed and culturally responsive engagement; safety and emergency procedures; mandatory reporting and safeguarding expectations applicable to the placement; and the appropriate use of photographs, stories, personal information, and social media. We would also establish clear boundaries regarding activities that require trained or licensed personnel. The student would work alongside and under the supervision of La Posada staff rather than functioning independently in areas such as counseling, clinical care, legal assistance, crisis intervention, or case management. During the placement, the student would also have opportunities to participate, when available and appropriate, in professional training offered to shelter and homeless-services personnel. These trainings may address topics such as trauma-informed care, substance-use awareness, homelessness and its contributing factors, mental health awareness, safety, and other issues relevant to working effectively and respectfully with people experiencing crisis and housing instability. If there is any training program that provides a certificate of completion or other credential, the student would have the opportunity to earn it. We believe this would complement the student’s direct service experience by helping connect what they encounter at La Posada with structured learning about the complex circumstances affecting the people and communities we serve.
Housing Information
We have a volunteer house on site that students can stay in. Bedding, bathroom, laundry services, and kitchen is included. If there are other visiting volunteers, they will also be staying in the house. The house has various rooms so the only accommodation they will be sharing is the kitchen.
Spanish Language Proficiency
Beginner Spanish
Drivers License
Yes
Student Preferences
We will welcome any student that is passionate about the kind of work La Posada does. We just need them to be open and willing to participate in all that we offer. They should be able to work independently but we will also be there to guide them in anything they need help with.
Start And End Dates
June 1st to July 27th, 2027. We are flexible.