Social
Concerns
Summer Fellowship
Boston Healthcare for the Homeless
Volunteer Non US Citizen
Yes
Categories:
Language Preferences:
Location Details
Description
The mission of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) is to ensure unconditionally equitable and dignified access to the highest quality health care for all individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our community.
Student Role
The student’s primary role will be safe discharge from respite/inpatient care. Working under the guidance of an experienced social worker, the student will support the team in developing safe discharge plans for patients. This encompasses a wide range of tasks from needs assessments to gathering critical documentation (ie., Social Security cards, state ID, birth certificates, etc.) to accompanying patients to outside appointments and much more! Students can expect their problem solving skills to be utilized on a daily basis, and to do these things in accordance with principles of Harm Reduction and Trauma Informed Care. Students can further expect daily, in-depth interactions with patients, social workers, doctors and nurses. The student may also be asked to assist in various other tasks as needed.
Work Schedule
The schedule will be regular business hours, Monday through Friday. Though it is unlikely, students may be asked to work on a weekend or evenings. In those cases, the student will flex their hours to keep the weekly commitment in the 35-40 hour range.
Orientation
Zoom orientation will be with other summer interns and will describe the history of the organization, HIPAA, expectations, dress code, safety/precaution issues, etc. In person orientation will be a tour of the facility and surrounding neighborhood.
Housing Information
Students are responsible for arranging their own housing. Previous students have stayed in student housing at both Northeastern University and Boston University.
Drivers License
No
Student Preferences
We value intellectual curiosity and a sense of teamwork. The student should be able to take initiative but also know when to escalate issues or otherwise seek support/assistance. A sense of humor and optimism is helpful! More than anything, the student should understand that we work with an extremely traumatized population. They will see people in profound medical and behavioral distress. Open drug use in the immediate vicinity of our office is common. The students will see things they may find shocking. They must be prepared for this and be willing to ask for and accept help in handling this reality. Through it all, the students must also be prepared to show grace and kindness to our patients.
Start And End Dates
Eight consecutive weeks between May 17 and August 16, 2026.