Join us
We are actively recruiting dedicated, passionate students to join our team. Some project teams and fellowships may offer stipends for team members' work. All other opportunities are strictly on a volunteer basis. All positions are filled on a rolling basis. Check this page periodically for updates.
For general inquiries or issues with joining Slack, email housingequity@stanford.edu.
Become a Project Member
- Fill out the Join Us application to be added to our SHEP Slack Workspace.
- View our project listings below. Once you find a project you're interested in joining, fill out the linked Google Form. The project lead(s) will be automatically notified by your submission.
- Optional: Send an email addressed to project lead(s) with subject title SHEP: [INSERT PROJECT NAME] and introduce yourself and/or add tell us any more relevant information!
Digital Literacy Project
The disparities in technological access/literacy among unhoused individuals are increasingly significant and impact all aspects of their lives. To address this, SHEP has successfully secured a grant with The United Effort Organization aimed at promoting technological equity in the Bay Area. This project will aim to develop and provide digital literacy workshops, along with technical support, to supplement The United Effort’s mission of providing case management services and helping clients reach self-sufficiency. This project is an incredible opportunity to work with a dynamic, interdisciplinary team to help address a pressing disparity and make a direct impact in people’s lives.
Community Partner: U.E.O
Project Leads: Harrison Zhang (hgzhang@stanford.edu); Devon Lee (devonlee@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Improving technological access/literacy among unhoused individuals
Ideal Skills & Experience: Previous experience not required
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: Flexible, 2-5 hours/per week
Eyeglass Equity Project
Access to eyeglasses represents a critical tool most folks need to effectively live, learn, and work in their communities. Unhoused folks face extensive barriers to receiving eyecare and access glasses for reading or prescription purposes. This project centers around organizing eyeglass distribution clinics that connect unhoused individuals to free eyeglasses and local resources to receive an eyeglass prescription.
Community Partner: U.E.O, Zenni Optical
Project Leads: Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu), Jeffrey Do Huynh ( jdhuynh@stanford.edu), Shiv Sethi (shivs@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Conduct reading eyeglass exams
- Distributing 500 free eyeglass vouchers to UEO’s unhoused clients
- Identify creative ways to make eye prescriptions and health exams more accessible
Ideal Skills & Experience: Prior experience as a case manager with UEO or similar organizations (highly encouraged)
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: Flexible, 5-10 hours/per week
Training Volunteer Case Managers
United Efforts Organization (U.E.O.) is a 501(c) non-profit fully operated by volunteers (many with backgrounds in law, medicine, and social work) and dedicated to assisting unhoused individuals navigate systemic barriers. U.E.O. offers intensive case management every week to dozens of clients who utilize food pantry/shower services at Hopes’ Corner (Mountainview, California) and RV residents throughout the Bay Area.
Community Partner: U.E.O
Project Leads: Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Develop training materials to streamline the training of case manager volunteers at UEO and various partner organizations/groups
Ideal Skills & Experience: Prior experience as a case manager with UEO or similar organizations (highly encouraged)
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: Flexible, 5-10 hours/per week
MED 219 Course Co-Instructor
This course offers undergraduates and graduate students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience assisting United Effort Organization's case managers who work one on one with our unhoused neighbors in Mountain View. Our class also dissects the causes and consequences of becoming unhoused and highlights the importance of interdisciplinary, community driven solutions to the housing crisis.
Community Partner: U.E.O
Project Leads: Devon Lee (devonlee@stanford.edu), Mike Mayer (mmayer@stanford.edu), Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu), Erin Su (erinsu@stanford.edu), Kerrigan Hall (kando18@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Oversee all administrative and logistical aspects of the 10 week course
- Lead 2-3 didactic sessions offering a snapshot of the housing crisis
- Facilitate 3 panel discussions unraveling the causes and consequences of the housing crisis
Ideal Skills & Experience
- Teaching Assistant Experience (highly encouraged)
- Prior experience as a case manager with UEO or similar organizations (highly encouraged)
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: 10 hours/per week
Weekly Community-Led Case Management
Interested in serving on the frontlines of the housing crisis? Gain first hand experience supporting our neighbors’ path to secure long term, safe housing by supporting United Efforts Organization’s approach to community led case management. Join UEO at Hope's Corner in Mountain View on Saturday mornings from 8am to 10:30am. Over time you will have the opportunity to lead clients’ search for housing and other essential benefits.
Commitment: 3-5 hours/wk, 10 week (1 quarter) commitment minimum
Partner: The United Effort Organization (UEO)
Project Leads: Devon Lee (devonlee@stanford.edu), Tony Liu (txliu@stanford.edu), and Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Voter Registration Drives
With so many decisions around housing policy and solutions stemming from the decisions made at the voter booth, it is essential that unhoused folks’ voices are heard through their vote. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, only 1 in 10 unhoused individuals vote in the general election. We are a project team dedicated to working with our addressing the critical barriers to voting for our unhoused neighbors.
- Develop relationships with various community partners
- Design & Implement Voter Registration Drives
- Identify and/or design voting information resources for local and national elections
- Train volunteers to run voter registration drives
- Collect and implement feedback
Commitment: flexible, no more than 10 hrs/wk.
Partner: LifeMoves Shelter Sites [Various Locations across the Bay Area]
Project Lead: Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Experience: No relevant experience necessary.
Technology As a Lifeline
Smart phones represent a critical lifeline for folks navigating applications to resources that can support their path to permanent housing. Smartphones today can also be a critical touch point for accessing healthcare and information in an emergency.
- Project Objectives:
- Develop relationships with various community partners or partner organizations in the community to collect new or gently used smartphones, sim cards, and phone cases
- Design & Implement Donation Drives
- Research and create protocols for properly preparing smartphones to be distributed
- Train volunteers to run drives
- Collect and implement feedback from community partners
Partner: The United Effort Organization (UEO)
Project Lead: Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Ideal Skills & Experience: No relevant experience necessary
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: flexible, no more than 10 hours per week
TAGS: Volunteer (unpaid positions), remote work options, high impact
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Health Outcomes
The Principal Investigator and co-Founder of VHHP, Dr. Cheryl Ho, conducted a research survey assessing the health and wellness of individuals living in Permanent Supportive Housing properties in San Jose. Dr. Ho is requesting support in going to speak with formerly unhoused individuals who are now in permanent housing to ask about changes in their health.
Commitment: 3 hrs/wk (typically not across consecutive weeks); Minimum two quarter commitment
Partners: Valley Homeless Healthcare Program, Dr. Cheryl Ho, & PSH Complexes in San Jose
Project Leads: Mike Mayer (mmayer@stanford.edu), Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu), Kerrigan Hall (kando18@stanford.edu)
Ideal Skills & Experience: No prior research experience required (transportation to housing sites can be arranged)
Recovery Incentives Project
We're partnering with LifeMoves, the largest provider of shelter services in Silicon Valley, to support and improve substance use care for their clients. LifeMoves estimates that 70% of their clients have untreated substance use disorders, which often poses a major barrier to securing and keeping housing. We've rolled out a "Recovery Incentives" program across 4 shelter sites, with about 50 clients currently enrolled to receive monetary incentives for engaging in substance use counseling services and for negative urine drug tests. The program is still enrolling clients, and we've received quite positive early feedback on improved engagement and positive health behaviors.
Project Objectives:
- Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of program
- Program development
Community Partners: LifeMoves Shelter Sites [Various Locations across the Bay Area], Recovery Services organizations (El Centro de Libertad, Caminar)
Project Lead: Tony Liu (txliu@stanford.edu)
Ideal Skills & Experience: Qualitative (ethnographic) and quantitative (data analyses of populations over time)
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: flexible, no more than 10 hours per week. Remote work options.
Writing Team
Assist with drafting and revising policy briefs, grants, literature reviews, and articles to promote housing equity in the Bay Area.
Commitment: 3 hours/wk
Partners: LifeMoves, Stanford Center for Poverty and Inequality
Project Leads: Mike Mayer (mayerm@stanford.edu), Erin Su (erinsu@stanford.edu)
Harm Reduction Expansion
The relationship between substance use and homelessness is both causal and consequential. There is a critical need to expand best practices in supporting unhoused individuals struggling with substance use disorders, access care and harm reduction measures.
See here for full project description
Community Partner: LifeMoves, Santa Clara County
Project Leads: Devon Lee (devonlee@stanford.edu), Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Conduct needs assessment amongst LifeMoves staff/residents/Overdose Prevention Team
- Partner with Santa Clara County Harm Reduction Efforts
- Evaluate and research current best practices in harm reduction (i.e. Narcan training, fentanyl test strips, etc) across different shelter sites in the Bay Area
- Implement feedback and/or new best practices
Ideal Skills & Experience: Prior experience working with county/regional organizations. Prior experience managing harm reduction projects or research highly encouraged.
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: flexible, 5-10 hours/per week
Housing Advocate Fellowship
Oversee affordable housing initiatives by maintaining accurate client data on Apricot, and informing volunteers of open waitlists. Collaborate with local housing authorities, homeowners, and nonprofits to seek out affordable housing opportunities for clients.
Community Partner: U.E.O
Project Leads: Erin Su (erinsu@stanford.edu), Devon Lee (devonlee@stanford.edu), Soneida (Sonni) Deline Caballero (soneida@stanford.edu)
Project Objectives:
- Stay up to date with affordable housing availability in the area
- Build relationships with local housing authorities and NGOs
- Work one on one with UEO clients to achieve housing goals
Ideal Skills & Experience: Prior experience as a case manager with UEO or similar organizations (highly encouraged)
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: Flexible, 5-10 hours/per week