Volunteer Opportunities at Safe Alliance

Court Advocates accompany survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to civil and criminal court in order to provide moral support and information. Requires daytime availability.

Additionally, we are always seeking assistance from attorneys interested in providing pro-bono representation for domestic violence victims applying for 50B Domestic Violence Protective Orders through our Legal Representation Program. Email Ryan Stage, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, for details.

Qualifications: Ability to relate to and advocate for a variety of clients; ability to grasp the complexities of the civil and criminal courtroom situation; ability to maintain an appropriately supportive and informative role throughout court proceedings; ability to provide own transportation; ability to actively listen and support while allowing decisions to be made by client. Requirements include accurate completion of application and background check. The courtroom environment is extremely intense and can be disturbing. To prevent revictimization of domestic violence survivors and assist with appropriate boundary setting, survivors must have been out of the relationship for a minimum of 2 years. Volunteers must have a conversation with the VACP Outreach Coordinator before being admitted to the program.

The Clyde & Ethel Dickson Domestic Violence Shelter offers 80 beds and provides triage services in addition to longer-term care. We encourage you to participate in collection drives (pdf) to assist our shelter residents. We have volunteer opportunities in these areas:

• Kitchen Volunteers - Prepare, serve, and clean up after meals (3 per day). Kitchen capacity is 4 volunteers per shift.
• Children's Volunteers - Assure children in our shelter receive necessary support.
• Activity Visits - Bring supplies & people and host activities for residents. Up to 10 people.
• Groundskeeping & Beautification Volunteers - Assists with grounds beautification in addition to basic custodial tasks.​​
• Supply Mart Volunteers - Serve shelter residents by operating the weekly store where they shop for needed toiletries and supplies. 

Rape Crisis Companions form the principal component of our rape crisis response service by:

• Providing emergency hospital accompaniment to survivors at Mecklengburg County hospitals.
• Providing crisis intervention, advocacy, and information/referrals to our clients.
• Helping members of staff with communtiy engagement and education efforts.

Addtionally, administrative volunteers are always needed for administrative support duties, including greeting and checking in clients as well as assisting with admin support.

Qualifications: Ability to listen and communicate with empathy and to maintain non-judgmental attitude. Availability of a telephone and transportation to area hospitals.

​​NOTE: All general STRC volunteers must complete some basic training in HIPAA/client confidentiality and child endangerment recognition.

Has domestic violence or sexual assault touched your life? Do you want to raise awareness of these issues and help others in the process? Consider our Speakers' Bureau. In collaboration with Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, we recruit, train, and schedule speakers who share their life experiences with groups in our community. Learn more about becoming a speaker.

Volunteers are always needed to assist with setup, breakdown, and tabling at third party events.