Site Description
Bethany House Services was founded in 1984 in response to the large population of women, children, and families experiencing homelessness throughout Greater Cincinnati. Bethany House Services reaches over 1,000 people a year by providing a full range of housing, education, and assistance programs and meeting other needs of homeless and disadvantaged women and children. Through an extensive community network of collaboration that includes the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, the Emergency Services Coalition, Cincinnatians for Affordable Housing, and others, this organization supports direct service and systematic change initiatives. Housing options provided by Bethany House Services include emergency shelter, transitional housing services, and permanent affordable rental housing. Educational services offered include life skills instruction, nurse/home care aide training, safety and wellness programs, child/parent connection classes, and problem-solving and organizational seminars for program participants. The Urban Health Project intern provides general help to the organization by working on family intake and administrative tasks, and assisting social service workers.
Job Description
- Plan and run educational workshops for children
- Assist in clerical work (answering the phone, monitoring the door, running the desk).
- Observe both the intake and exit processes.
- Observe case meetings to gain a greater appreciation for social service work.
- Develop meaningful relationships with women and children as a positive role model.
Intern Quote
“I start my day off between 9-9:30, and my day is quite flexible, ending anywhere from 3:30 to 7 PM. Often, I try to make two appointments a day with clients to grocery shop and cook, so I move from the main office of BHS to their other shelter in Sharonville, and this is where I will spend most of my day. When I am not working with clients, I assist Ms. Janice and the other caseworkers. Because they are moving and because a lot of my clients have left shelter at this point in the summer, most of my time has been spent organizing and shredding personal documents to prepare for the big move in September. Earlier in the summer, I also shadowed the caseworkers during client intakes, helped with donations, perused the net for housing, went on house inspections, and assisted them on client encounters. My summer at Bethany House Services has been fully immersive in almost every aspect of the emergency shelter process, giving me the best opportunity to learn what it takes to make self-sufficiency out of a generationally inherited homelessness.”
Trong Phung