Since 1999, Mary’s Place has helped thousands of women and families move out of homelessness into more stable situations.

Across five emergency family shelters in King County, we keep families together, inside, and safe when they have no place else to go, providing resources, housing and employment services, community, and hope.

Each day, our housing team works with families to address barriers and empower parents to build family stability, secure housing, and prepare for employment. Kids are connected with schools, participate in fun and enriching activities, and go on outings and adventures in Kids Club. In the evening, families in shelter eat dinner, do homework, spend time together, and prepare for the week ahead. Our families include two-parent families (pregnant or with children), single parents of all genders (pregnant or with children), extended families, and families with pets!

Still, capacity is limited and hundreds of families are outside each night in cars and tents.

Mary’s Place Seattle’s team of mobile outreach specialists work with unsheltered families where they are, bringing supplies and resources to help address barriers. With flexible funding, the team helps families move quickly into stable housing, bypassing a shelter stay.

But keeping families in their homes, preventing homelessness in the first place, reduces trauma, particularly among children, stops the cycle of generational homelessness, and is cost-effective.

Our Women’s Day Center in downtown Seattle provides meals, showers, laundry, access to resources, safety and relationship to over a hundred women each day for more than 20 years.

Our Mission

The Mary’s Place mission is to ensure that no child sleeps outside by centering equity and opportunity for women and families.

Our Values

Love — Love is at the heart of all we do. We are committed to creating a space where all are welcomed, respected, accepted, and loved for who they are.

Collaboration — We collaborate with others to ensure quality services, leverage and expandservices across the region, and amplify the voices of women and families experiencing homelessness.

Equity — We are committed to creating an inclusive environment and assuring equitable treatment, access, and opportunity for all regardless of age, ability, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, indigenous heritage, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or life experience.

Stewardship — We carefully steward all that is entrusted to our care: material and financial resources, human resources, and the lives and stories of our guests.

Accountability — Our board, staff, guests, and volunteers are accountable to what we say we will do.

Responsiveness — We recognize and respond to urgent needs in our community by being creative, adaptable, and persistent.

This practicum opportunity works directly with the Mary's Place Education Access Coordinator in working with families to coordinate support around their children’s educational needs. The education access practicum student will support enrolling kids in school, setting up transportation, and other McKinney-Vento supports quickly to minimize the number of days that children miss school. The student will work directly with parents in enrollment and will have the opportunity to learn and practice motivational interview skills.

The education access practicum student will work with their designated practicum supervisor and practicum instructor to review the NASW code of ethics and establish desired outcomes, trackable goals, and tasks to further their skills, experience, and knowledge. This work plan will be regularly revisited at 1:1 meetings throughout the practicum.

Assist families with school enrollment and establishing school transportation

Promptly enter and update data in Mary’s Place internal database to accurately track students’ school information

Create a system to track the needs of our Outreach guests and educational goals

Assist in developing educational targets for the Mobile Outreach population based on client needs

Model mature work behaviors to ensure a productive work environment

Ensure confidentiality of guest data, school data, and other member information

Provide crisis management and set appropriate limits as needed

Learn a thorough understanding of the McKinney-Vento law to share information with students and families

Evaluate our education related services at Mary's Place to ensure we are meeting the needs of clients and assess how federal and state laws impact local school districts and how policy is interpretated and varies among districts.

Skills/Qualifications

• Ability to model and guide youth and families in strengths-based problem solving and goal setting
• Demonstrated problem solving, conflict mediation, and crisis management skills
• Self-motivated, mature, energetic, and able to maintain clear and healthy boundaries with guests, families, and staff
• Resourceful, flexible, and possesses a positive attitude and sense of humor
• Strong, age-appropriate communication skills
• Displays good stewardship of program supplies and materials
• Exhibits compassion and empathy; works well with families and children from all ethnic, social, economic, and sexual orientation backgrounds

English

Email a resume to jsafley@marysplaceseattle.org