Severe Weather Network Livingston County

07/11/2022

https://www.whmi.com/news/article/severe-weather-network-livingston-homeless-shelter-closed?fbclid=IwAR0nHVzLUWSaBVx6KAcmsPggZQZkVLuMSdc8lPGpV2VBjHVPdWap-mrfz_k

The Severe Weather Network of Livingston County's Board of Directors unanimously voted to cease operations and dissolve the non-profit organization.

17/10/2022

Thank you to all who attended the Severe Weather Network Livingston County Homeless Shelter Trivia Night Fundraiser last night. The SWN Board is grateful and appreciative of your prayers, generosity and support.
A very special thank you to our host, Derek Kevra! Derek, you have such a gift! We have been so blessed to have you “in our corner” for so many years! You are so special to us!
And thank you to Whisk and Ivy for the beautiful charcuterie boards! Our Trivia Night participants truly enjoyed them!

04/10/2022

SUPPORT LIVINGSTON COUNTY'S ONLY ADULT WINTER HOMELESS SHELTER

TIME ONCE AGAIN FOR SOME TRIVIA!

16/09/2022

Severe Weather Network nonprofit officials say without funds, volunteers it won't open this winter

07/09/2022

The Severe Weather Network Livingston County (SWN) Board of Directors has unanimously voted to cease this winter’s operations of its seasonal homeless shelter unless substantial additional financial and volunteer commitments are confirmed by October 31, 2022. The Severe Weather Network, a 501 © (3) nonprofit organization, has provided emergency winter sheltering services to Livingston County homeless adult men and women since 2016. Prior to 2016, Livingston County had no congregate homeless shelter. Homeless adult men and women seeking emergency shelter had access to a limited amount of government funded motel vouchers from local service agencies, mainly The Salvation Army and the Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency. Due to funding limitations and restrictions on the number of hotel nights per voucher, homeless individuals had no options during the coldest months of the year but to shelter in automobiles, on the streets or in tents. Initially a grassroots effort, the Severe Weather Network was formed by caring, compassionate and empathetic individuals within the community who saw there was a great need for sheltering services.
Diane Duncan, Co-chairperson explains, “This is an urgent plea and our final request for financial commitments. Our organization serves approximately 60 homeless individuals each winter season. This number is expected to increase due to rental evictions and cost of living increases. We as a Board had significant and unique challenges the past two years while operating during the pandemic. In addition to our normal operating budget, we were forced to take costly measures to ensure the health and safety of our guests and volunteers which resulted in zero transmission of Covid allowing the center to remain fully operational. Unfortunately, the pandemic deterred the majority of our 450 volunteer team members from engaging with us which resulted in the need to hire paid overnight security and a team of part-time coordinators to help stabilize the operation, resulting in higher than expected operational costs. Given the lack of volunteers, The SWN Board of Directors has been “hands on” for the past two years volunteering hundreds of hours to the operation while also managing our own full time jobs. While we are incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished, we know we are personally not able to sustain these numbers of volunteer hours for another season. Without a volunteer base, we must hire a competent and dedicated team to operate the Severe Weather Center. The current monthly operating budget with a paid team is $34,000. In order for the Severe Weather Center to be fully operational this upcoming winter season, the Board needs to secure a minimum of $200K by October 31.
The Severe Weather Network has provided more than 6,500 nights of emergency shelter and is a much needed community resource in Livingston County. The organization, through case management efforts, connects guests to resources for housing, employment, mental health, and medical health. Financial contributions are utilized for facility rental space, meals, transportation, staff, overnight security, and Covid safety measures. One of the key goals of the organization is to aid guests in finding permanent solutions to end their homelessness. To this end, financial assistance is also used for guest assistance including down payments for rental leases, rental insurance, fuel, automotive repairs, and automotive insurance.
Ongoing fundraising and community volunteer recruitment efforts will continue through October 31. The organization is seeking to secure business sponsorships, engage county churches in mission work and expand community volunteer opportunities. The annual Trivia Night fundraising event is scheduled for October 15.
If interested in sharing your time, talent or treasure, please email [email protected] or visit our website at

Severe Weather Network (SWN) Livingston County Homeless Shelter The Severe Weather Network (SWN), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, partners with community organizations, agencies and faith communities to provide emergency, overnight refuge during the winter months for individuals experiencing ho...

25/01/2022

"100 Women Who Care is a group of women who are interested in supporting our local community in Livingston County by contributing to local charities together as a unit to increase the impact."

At the December, 2021 meeting, the Severe Weather Network was selected as the winner! We received a check for $9,775! We are incredibly blessed by this amazing, dedicated group of women in our community who truly make a difference!

24/01/2022

09/12/2021

*****WE ARE HIRING*******

PART TIME SHELTER COORDINATOR

$18-$20 Per Hour

The Severe Weather Network of Livingston County, a 501(c)3(b) non-profit organization has an immediate opening for a part-time seasonal Homeless Shelter Coordinator. The Severe Weather Network is a, community-wide, collaborative effort of non-profit agencies and churches providing emergency, overnight refuge to homeless adult men and women in Livingston County from November through April. The Severe Weather Center is from within a local church and staffed by trained community volunteers.
Responsibilities for the role include the following:
1. Management of Volunteers
 Recruit volunteers to serve at the Severe Weather Center
 Ensure volunteers have completed online training
 Maintain records for each volunteer including contact information, training class, completion and number of hours served
 Schedule volunteers to staff the Severe Weather Center
 Provide weekly communications to volunteers
2. Coordination of the Day to Day Operations of the Severe Weather Center
 Ensure correct number of volunteers are scheduled to staff volunteer assignments
 Ensure all supplies for the Severe Weather Center are available
 Attend Severe Weather Network Board of Directors meetings as needed
3. Manage Day to Day Activities at the Severe Weather Center
 Manage communications via phone and email.
 Greet and ensure volunteers are prepared for nightly assignments and understand policies, procedures and safety protocols.
 Coordinate transportation for guests to and from the center with contracted transportation companies.
 Greet incoming guests and ensure needs are met as based on program policies.
 Enforce guidelines and policies
 Maintain computer log book for nightly activities
 Connect guests with local non-profit service agencies as needed
 Maintain on call accessibility

JOB REQUIREMENTS:
• High School Degree/Associate of Arts Degree or Bachelor of Arts Degree preferred
• Experience working effectively with the homeless population preferred
• Experience working effectively with a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to follow and enforce program guidelines
• Ability to work with a diverse population that may present with challenging behaviors
• Ability to work weekends and some holidays
• Ability to be “on call” if needed
• Must provide proof of vaccination against Covid19

SUPERVISION:
The Coordinator reports to the Program Director. The Coordinator will meet with Program Director on a regular basis for supervision, review of work, observation of skills and planning purposes. Performance is reviewed through observation, monitoring of records and documents, and job performance reviews.
JOB TYPE:
The Coordinator is a seasonal part time position with the flexibility of working between 10 and 20 hours per week through April 30 with the possibility of a future year round position becoming available.
WORK SCHEDULE:
Work hours will be 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Sunday with an additional shift possible from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Work days may include holidays.
COMPENSATION:
Hourly pay range is $18.00 to $20.00 based on experience. There are no benefits offered with this position.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Please email resume to [email protected]
The Severe Weather Network is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, s*x, s*xual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.