Students will work on the Key Campus in Phoenix serving individuals experiencing homelessness with the Keys to Change staff. The Key Campus is a seven-acre complex in downtown Phoenix designed to provide all the services a person needs to end their homelessness. There are 16 partner agencies who work together on the campus to provide an array of services to the 700 to 1,00 people who visit the campus each day. These services include emergency shelter, food and basic necessities, medical and dental services, behavioral health support, employment services, housing placement, and more. Visit their website to learn more about their services and impact to their community: https://keystochangeaz.org/.
The student will be assigned to one of the Keys to Change Programs based on needs of the organization. Most programs are on-site at 12th Ave and Madison Street, and there will be shadowing opportunities with off-site programs at transitional living facilities and on the street where individuals reside unsheltered in the community.
Students will:
- Gain an overall understanding of the homeless service system including:
- Direct clients service
- Available resources
- Interventions and long term solution
- Policy and regional planning
- Funding sources
- Assist clients in reconnecting with family, friends, and opportunities for housing.
- Assess client's barriers to housing and refer them to services for housing assistance.
- Triage clients into appropriate services such as shelter, mental health support, and crisis services.
- Learn how to engage clients with motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and crisis de-escalation.
- Work closely with Key to Change staff providing street outreach, engagement, crisis intervention, and housing navigation services.
- Work directly with the Welcome Center staff while engaging clients and learning about the Coordinated Entry System for clients seeking housing and shelter.
- Direct clients service
Program Placements (all students will have the opportunity to shadow each program and be assigned programs for the full internship):
- Welcome Center
- Bridge Housing (off-site)
- Housing Match (waitlist for housing and community wide-case conferencing)
- Street Outreach (off-site)- shifts start at 5 am and involve going out into the community to engage with individuals on the street and help them get connected to services they may need
- SOAR (SSI/SSDI application assistance)
- Respiro Shelter (95 bed co-ed shelter)
Homeless Court support (court is on Tuesday’s once a month) specialty court designed to assist individuals experiencing homelessness to overcome legal barriers by resolving misdemeanor cases/warrants
Looking for interns who have/are:
- Passionate about working with individuals who are experiencing homelessness who often may be in crisis
- Open to learning from staff who have lived experience of homelessness
- Comfortable in high-stress situations and large campus environments with many organizations and clients
- Able to take initiative to guide your learning
- Reliable transportation
- Able to obtain a fingerprint clearance card (student responsible obtaining card prior to start)
- Weekday availability Monday-Friday
Getting Started
If you are interested in this internship, please send your resume and a brief description of your interest to Amber Maiberger at amaiber1@asu.edu.