North Helpline is a non-profit organization based in North Seattle, Washington. It primarily focuses on supporting individuals and families who are facing financial hardship, food insecurity, and other challenges. The agency works to help people meet their basic needs, ensuring they have access to essential resources like food, and emergency financial assistance.

Key services provided by North Helpline include:

Food Assistance: North Helpline operates a food bank, offering groceries to individuals and families who are struggling with food insecurity. The food bank is designed to help meet the nutritional needs of the community, providing fresh produce, canned goods, and other essentials.

Emergency Financial Assistance: Client Services sector offers short-term financial assistance to help people pay for urgent needs, such as rent, utilities, or replacing Identification cards, to prevent homelessness and financial instability.

Community Support: We emphasize building a strong sense of community, helping to connect people with resources and support networks. This often includes connecting clients to other community resources, such as housing support, employment services, or mental health care. Supporting neighbors in navigating these social services to create a path of self-sufficiency and to improve their overall well-being.

North Helpline is known for its commitment to serving those who are marginalized and working to reduce poverty in the North Seattle area.

North Helpline is dedicated to supporting marginalized individuals and addressing poverty in the North Seattle area. Through our work in the community, we strive to fulfill our mission: We believe that all deserve adequate food, housing, and respect. We assist our neighbors in obtaining basic needs that affirm their human dignity and worth. And North Helpline relies on donations, volunteers, and community partnerships to carry out its mission.

The micro level of the Client Services Intern placement description focuses on the individual responsibilities and interactions within the role and how the intern will engage directly with clients and internal team members at North Helpline. Here, the focus is on personal tasks, client-facing work, and specific duties that contribute to the day-to-day operations of the organization. The micro level includes Client Interaction, Support Services, Food Bank and Resource Coordination, Community Engagement.
In essence, the micro level focuses on the intern's direct interactions with clients and staff, the completion of specific, tangible tasks, and the daily functions required to support individuals seeking assistance. This hands-on involvement allows the intern to gain practical experience while directly impacting the community they serve.

The mezzo level of the Client Services Intern placement description focuses on the group-level interactions and teamwork that occur within North Helpline. It emphasizes the intern’s involvement in working alongside teams, collaborating with other staff members, and contributing to organizational goals. This level looks at how the intern supports the Client Services team and engages with community groups to facilitate service delivery.
The mezzo level focuses on collaboration with the Client Services Team to support operations, ensuring clients are connected to all necessary resources, and support communication efforts. And the internship will be exposed to how the organization interacts with and coordinates volunteers
In summary, the mezzo level of this internship emphasizes the intern’s collaboration with various teams—both within North Helpline (staff, community connectors, food bank managers) and in the broader community (volunteers). The intern’s work will help bridge individual client needs with collective organizational efforts, fostering teamwork and community support.

The macro level of the Client Services Intern placement description focuses on the broader systemic and organizational context in which the intern operates. It emphasizes the policies, structures, and larger social systems that influence the work done by North Helpline and the intern's role within that framework. This level involves understanding how the organization addresses community-wide issues, such as poverty, food insecurity, and access to social services, and how the intern contributes to larger-scale solutions. At the macro level, the internship is directly tied to North Helpline's broader mission of providing essential services (food, housing, financial assistance) to individuals and families facing hardship in the North Seattle area.

At a community level focus, the intern’s role supports North Helpline in reaching marginalized groups and addressing community-wide social issues. By assisting clients in securing access to basic needs, the intern is contributing to the broader goal of improving the community’s overall well-being and quality of life. The intern will learn how to navigate and contribute to the larger social services ecosystem, which includes partnerships with other agencies, government programs, and non-profit organizations. Along with understanding how the neighbors are connected to community resources, the intern will be exposed to how policy decisions, resource allocation, and community planning impact the availability and distribution of services to vulnerable populations.
In summary, the macro level of the Client Services Intern role emphasizes the larger-scale issues impacting the community, the organizational structures that drive service delivery, and the systemic challenges that North Helpline seeks to address. The intern's work helps contribute to these broader efforts, equipping them to understand the intersection of individual client needs, community-based services, and systemic social issues.

1. Previous Experience or Coursework in Related Fields:
• Social Work: Experience or coursework related to social work, which can provide foundational knowledge in client assessment, case management, and social service systems.
• Human Services: Exposure to human services can offer insights into providing assistance to individuals and families in need.
• Other Related Fields: Coursework or experience in areas like sociology, public health, or community development can also be beneficial.
2. Experience in Client Interaction:
• While not mandatory, any prior experience engaging with clients in a professional or volunteer capacity, especially in social service settings, would be advantageous. This includes:
• Assisting clients with intake processes
• Providing referrals or resources to individuals in need
3. Volunteer or Work Experience in Community-Based Organizations:
• Prior involvement in community organizations, non-profits, or volunteer programs can be valuable for understanding how social services are delivered and how community outreach efforts are structured.
4. Experience with Administrative Tasks:
• Familiarity with record-keeping, data entry, or managing client information in a confidential and organized manner. Administrative skills like scheduling, documentation, and report preparation are often helpful in non-profit work.
5. Understanding of Social Services:
• Basic understanding or experience with case management, resource coordination, or food distribution programs can help the intern effectively support the organization's services.
6. Cultural Competence:
• Experience working with diverse populations or exposure to cross-cultural environments is crucial. North Helpline values the ability to work effectively with clients from various backgrounds, making cultural competence an important skill.

While these experiences are valuable, North Helpline typically emphasizes a commitment to helping others, a passion for equity, and a willingness to learn rather than requiring extensive previous experience. Applicants are often encouraged to apply if they have relevant coursework or a desire to gain hands-on experience in social services.

Proficiency in any language beyond English is valuable within our organization, the top five languages spoken by neighbors at North Helpline are Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Amharic, and Chinese. While it is not a requirement for the position, fluency in these languages would greatly enhance effective communication for conveying our resources.

Client Services Manager: Saul Temno
Email: saul@northhelpline.org
Phone Number: (206) 367-3477

Apply by the end of the day: April 28, 2025