You help the men put away their laundry bags and line up the folded cots. In the morning you wake the men and help clean up. After that time you have no responsibilities until the morning other than to be in the shelter. You are free to sleep and study. In both shelters, there is a separate area for the volunteers to sleep in.
Volunteers vary in how often they stay over at the shelters.
Some volunteers choose only once or twice a semester whereas other volunteers are there once a month or more. It depends on your schedule only. Every night there has to be staffed by a Columbia student, so every night helps. Please visit our Related Links about homelessness in the city.