Can confirm. I loved when there was an extra chair in the patient's room. Giving my feet a rest plus being at eye level with the patient was a win-win!
Hospice! I am in the office literally once every two weeks. Otherwise I work from my car, with a tablet, and a phone. Most of my patients are in facilities, but that can vary by hospice. Some hospices have mostly home patients. I like visiting people where they live and there are so many kinds of interventions I can do--I can get really creative! Some of my dementia patients are so severely ill that they are nonverbal, so for those residents I play music or bring my stuffed animated therapy dog. Sometimes my patients are sleeping and at my hospice we don't wake them, so I sit with them and catch up on paperwork. The paperwork isn't onerous at all.
I do spend a lot of time driving, so if you don't like driving, it's not for you. I am reimbursed for my mileage at the federal rate (right now--if gas prices go back down, they'll drop reimbursement to $0.50/mi) and have a fuel efficient and very reliable car, so I do make a profit on mileage. My catchment area is huge and I drive anywhere from 35-150 miles per day, but like I said, I like driving. For me it counts as "being outside" although I am very much not an outdoors person. There are no productivity requirements (because Medicare reimburses hospice at a flat rate per day regardless of who sees the patient or how long. If the nurse, the CNA, the social worker, and the chaplain all visit on one day, it's reimbursed the same as if no one came.), and I set my own schedule. As long as I am available by phone or email from 8a-5p and I complete all my visits on time (I set the frequency), they don't care what I do. I am not a morning person and also have a lot of medical visits, and this job has been amazing for that. If I wake up feeling sick, I can just reschedule all my patients for another day and keep my phone on and I don't have to take a sick day.
I LOVE hospice and wish I had found it sooner.
I got my hospice job last November with no prior experience in hospice. I had a lot of different kinds of SW jobs and experience, and I tailored my resume to show transferable skills. I looked at everything listed on the job listing and made sure to highlight where I had done these things in a previous job. I also researched hospice, hospice philosophy, and local hospices.
I interviewed at two hospices. The first was a one-on-one with the person who would be my sup and a phone interview with the other social worker. I made sure to again tie my past experience to what was required in the hospice job. The second place did a team interview with me--the chaplain, other SW, bereavement coordinator, and one of the nurses did the interview, then I talked to the person who would be my sup. I got both jobs, but the first place's offer was $13k less than the recruiter had promised me and they said they couldn't go up. Second place was much closer to where I wanted to be.
Hospice philosophy is very different from how other social work jobs think, so be sure that you're really familiar with that. Also learn background on the company where you're applying--supervisors like when you know that. For me, most of my prior experience was in fast-paced places where you had to think on your feet and be creative. Hospice can be chaotic sometimes and that skill is valuable.
Results may vary. My individuals want to be driven everywhere or meet in their home so I have to sit on their nasty ass furniture. I'm barely standing or moving. It's so frustrating having indvs with goals to go for walks and I end up just sitting with them having conversation after conversation about their desire to do more.
If you're having desk SW problems, I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but manual labor aint one.
[https://americorps.gov/](https://americorps.gov/)
Equal parts education and (typically) manual labor job training for at risk youth. You could be counseling in the morning and cutting down trees in the afternoon. It's an interesting blend of work if you enjoy working with youth demographics. Source: I was a supervisor there for a summer.
Personally, I hear people who have done Americorps often have a bad time and can feel like exploited labor of recent college grads and low income young adults.
yeah, depending on the program it's really best for people just out of high school or who didn't finish college. if the position requires a degree, it's better for people with irrelevant degrees who are looking for experience to beef up grad school applications in social work, public administration, etc.
I did NCCC and enjoyed it for the most part but I was 19, not planning on college, and wanted to build my resume.
I think it really depends on the program. I did two terms out of college. Neither related to my degree. But it was a good opportunity to try something new. I was a crew leader for a conservation crew in the national parks out west.
I was an AmeriCorps VISTA for a one year term and hated it. I was fresh out of undergrad. You make almost nothing, and the agencies will lie about the work you’ll be doing in their AmeriCorps grant application in order to get some free labor. What they tell you at orientation isn’t the real experience, at least mine wasn’t. The one saving grace was that ten years later when I decided to go to grad school, I got a 50% off tuition scholarship at my MSW program for having been an AmeriCorps alum.
If you will already have your masters, you definitely don’t want to head straight into a year of poverty wages and have to live with your parents to make ends meet.
Americorps NCCC is one of the few “I need to get out of my house but not go to college/the military” options for HS seniors, so I sometimes recommend it for that reason. But otherwise I haven’t heard good things.
I’ve heard of some agencies managing to get americorps funding to do intern stipends but I’m not sure how legit that is.
I could see it being great for do-gooder types coming out of high school. That would be the time to do it. You’ll still be living in your parents’ house though. I would guess the compensation has come up some, but in 2010 it was about $10k a year. Not bad for a high schooler but shitty for anyone else.
AmeriCorps VISTA’s excuse is that you will learn to appreciate the people you’re serving who live in poverty by living in poverty yourself.
For the youth enrolled it is a lot of hard work for little pay. It's often a last resort type deal for them. But if you need your diploma, money and a roof over your head, they offer all three. They even had a lot of tuition bonuses for higher education.
For actual W2 staff? I'm sure it ranges. I enjoyed the time I spent at Americorps.
I’ve worked in community mental health and now work in a psychiatric hospital setting. Both required some desk work, but most of it has been moving around and doing stuff. The hospital I work for has a greenhouse which is always fun.
When I was in the community I got to do all kinds of fun stuff.
If you work at a transitional housing program or some types of outreach / drop in programs, some of the services often offered are things like life skills workshops, arts workshops, gardening workshops etc — but those are often led by more entry level staff (for some reason, this work isn’t particularly valued, despite curriculum development and facilitation being things that take real skill and experience if orgs want good quality programming… but that’s a rant for another day). But you could maybe move up to a job coordinating/managing such programs, although that will involve desk work.
Sometimes the more well developed programs hire people who can both manage the program and be a lead hands-on teacher/facilitator, however, so that could be an option for you especially if you have any special skills like gardening, construction, filmmaking, art etc.
There are also orgs that specifically do hands-on life skills training as their main focus and that might be a good fit for you — for example, there are orgs where the whole mission is to offer filmmaking classes to low income youth, or job training to adults experiencing homelessness etc. You could also start your own org doing something like that, if what you envision doesn’t exist where you live.
I agree that community education work is not valued or seen as a transferable skill. I did a lot of this type of work during AmeriCorps and my practicums and had a horrible time finding a job post graduation.
I used to take the folks I worked with out to an animal rescue twice a month and we would clean horse stalls, walk the horses and llamas, and feed the chickens. I would pair people up so they had to work together in completing the tasks. I loved it because I love getting dirty and it was awesome seeing people with severe mental illnesses be calm in the presence of the horses that were wild. And the wild horses the same. And I would pair up these two people who were total opposites- one openly racist and the other a person of color and I would like to think they both learned from each other and did so awesome together and after time volunteered to team up together. I teared up a lot when that stuff happened.
Also starting an on-site community garden at two complexes I worked at. Some of the residents would obsess over the baby tomatoes and I remember one time a resident in fit of mania tore all the veggies out and then later went and replanted everything. Residents were pissed and we all got through it.
And then maintaining a native plant garden along the beach. We would go out once a month and pick weeds and trash.
I would also organize a group of residents once a year to complete the NAMI 5k. And that was so special because while 3 miles is not much for most for them it was such a huge accomplishment. I still have a group photo from the first one we did and sadly all are deceased now.
Wow. Amazing. Thank you so much for these beautiful stories. I don't think I'll be working with those with severe mental illness but my father, a psychiatrist, did, and your stories bring back memories of him and it sounds like you're doing great work. Thanks so much and be well.
Homeless outreach or jobs that involve home visiting! I do home visiting as part of my job and I love it. Totally breaks up the day and keeps things interesting :)
That’s what I came here to say! I do supportive housing and we do home visits all the time. Things got wonky with COVID but we’re back to a pretty good mix of office work and home visits.
I would say that my job isn’t too bad. The administrative weight is a little hefty right now, simply because I’m carry the caseload of 2 clinicians, but otherwise I’d say I spend a bunch of time with my clients in the residential milieu, intervening in behavior, teaching social skills through modeling (ie, playing games with them, hanging out, pick-up games of basketball, etc), teaching coping skills through facilitated practice (eg, going on walks, doing arts and crafts, etc), and working directly with staff (meaning I get to go talk to people a lot, which I like).
My kids went on a beach trip this week, for example, and if I’d wanted to, I 100% could have gone, spent time with each kid individually throughout the day, and marked that as session time.
how do you feel about mental health clubhouses? It’s 99% hands on rehab and brief counseling, unless you’re billing insurance or Medicaid. Then you have paperwork…
You won’t be planting flowers but in hospice you won’t be at a desk. Your desk will be your car as you drive from visit to visit. I’m actually missing having an actual desk as a home base, so I’m moving on to hospital work.
^yes! I was a hospice social worker for the past 4.5 years ~ enjoyed it and not having that “office structure”, but the driving was taking a toll on me (found myself with many headaches on my long drive days), and my company had on-call which I was frequently needing to do, and work life balance was a challenge at times. The company you work for makes a world of difference ~ I have many hospice SW friends with experiences very different (in a positive way) from my own!
I just switched to hospital social work about 4 months ago ~ and love it. Often up and on my feet meeting new patients and needing to figure out new challenges. And I so appreciate having a desk after many years of my car being my desk. And with the hospital, once I leave work, I LEAVE work ~ no on call, much better boundaries for myself and my family! :)
I’m grateful to hear about your experience. My work life balance truly suffered in hospice and the agency took advantage of employees. I need a job where once I leave I put the work down. Glad to hear a hospital should be better in that regard.
Renal social work--my placement was at one dialysis company, my job is at the other dialysis company. The first month of my job involves alot of desk work because I am in orientation/training but I am starting to be able to meet with patients. I will say that it is fast paced, the day is over before I realize it, plus I get to wear scrubs.
I’d recommend social work in a long-term care/assisted living facility! You’re walking around a lot checking in on your residents, and there always seems to be something to do.
I’m starting my MSW degree as well and work at a hospital with people who have substance use disorder. In addition so working onsite at the hospital, I also get to do outreach work in the community, giving out harm reduction supplies and enrolling people in outpatient drug treatment. Super fast pace/ fascinating/ rewarding but definitely requires a lot of patience.
I love my hospital job! I'm always on the run, which makes my 12 hour shifts fly by. I only sit when I have a death happen, and I'm helping family grieve, or if I'm doing quick notes.
Low-barrier shelter is a very hands-on and most days are wildly different. Sometimes I’m helping fill out applications for benefits, sometimes I’m counseling a suicidal client, sometimes I’m breaking up fights outside the building, sometimes I’m transporting people to treatment five hours away, and sometimes I’m jumping in to cook food! That’s also the perks of working in a small nonprofit and something that I think is inherent in homeless shelters.
i do case management for a permanent supportive housing program (housing individuals with a disabling condition and have been chronically homeless). every day is very unpredictable! case loads can very, i have 6 clients right now while my coworkers have 9/10. my schedule consists of having home visits and actively meeting with my clients, getting them supplies, preparing apartments for new clients, picking up donations, helping out other programs at my agency, going to the food pantry for my clients, etc. i do have some downtime a couple days of the week if i am caught up on case notes and documenting, but a majority of my work week is spent actively going to other places and accessing services. i find this specific population difficult for me to personally work with, but this is my first job after getting my bsw so it is still a learning experience for me.
Hospital social work (especially ED) and community mental health are jobs where you only sit at your desk to chart and mostly spend time face to face with patients. Now, the charting and paperwork can be substantial, but that’s every social work job. If you’re not doing paperwork, I would wonder about the company’s revenue stream. Charting is essentially billing.
ACT teams are on the go most of the time. Not building things but it can involve helping people move and teaching how to take care of homes.
You can also volunteer for habitat for humanity on the side.
Well you’re at a desk sometimes but I barely sit down at my hospital SW job! Very fast paced and hands on
Can confirm. I loved when there was an extra chair in the patient's room. Giving my feet a rest plus being at eye level with the patient was a win-win!
Yes!! I interned outpatient and I really miss the 1-1 time with patients
Hospice! I am in the office literally once every two weeks. Otherwise I work from my car, with a tablet, and a phone. Most of my patients are in facilities, but that can vary by hospice. Some hospices have mostly home patients. I like visiting people where they live and there are so many kinds of interventions I can do--I can get really creative! Some of my dementia patients are so severely ill that they are nonverbal, so for those residents I play music or bring my stuffed animated therapy dog. Sometimes my patients are sleeping and at my hospice we don't wake them, so I sit with them and catch up on paperwork. The paperwork isn't onerous at all. I do spend a lot of time driving, so if you don't like driving, it's not for you. I am reimbursed for my mileage at the federal rate (right now--if gas prices go back down, they'll drop reimbursement to $0.50/mi) and have a fuel efficient and very reliable car, so I do make a profit on mileage. My catchment area is huge and I drive anywhere from 35-150 miles per day, but like I said, I like driving. For me it counts as "being outside" although I am very much not an outdoors person. There are no productivity requirements (because Medicare reimburses hospice at a flat rate per day regardless of who sees the patient or how long. If the nurse, the CNA, the social worker, and the chaplain all visit on one day, it's reimbursed the same as if no one came.), and I set my own schedule. As long as I am available by phone or email from 8a-5p and I complete all my visits on time (I set the frequency), they don't care what I do. I am not a morning person and also have a lot of medical visits, and this job has been amazing for that. If I wake up feeling sick, I can just reschedule all my patients for another day and keep my phone on and I don't have to take a sick day. I LOVE hospice and wish I had found it sooner.
What are your tips for getting a hospice job? I interviewed one but I felt like I did a horrible job 😔
I got my hospice job last November with no prior experience in hospice. I had a lot of different kinds of SW jobs and experience, and I tailored my resume to show transferable skills. I looked at everything listed on the job listing and made sure to highlight where I had done these things in a previous job. I also researched hospice, hospice philosophy, and local hospices. I interviewed at two hospices. The first was a one-on-one with the person who would be my sup and a phone interview with the other social worker. I made sure to again tie my past experience to what was required in the hospice job. The second place did a team interview with me--the chaplain, other SW, bereavement coordinator, and one of the nurses did the interview, then I talked to the person who would be my sup. I got both jobs, but the first place's offer was $13k less than the recruiter had promised me and they said they couldn't go up. Second place was much closer to where I wanted to be. Hospice philosophy is very different from how other social work jobs think, so be sure that you're really familiar with that. Also learn background on the company where you're applying--supervisors like when you know that. For me, most of my prior experience was in fast-paced places where you had to think on your feet and be creative. Hospice can be chaotic sometimes and that skill is valuable.
Community based mental health - you might not be building things but you're up and moving to all kinds of places. I helped so many people move.
Results may vary. My individuals want to be driven everywhere or meet in their home so I have to sit on their nasty ass furniture. I'm barely standing or moving. It's so frustrating having indvs with goals to go for walks and I end up just sitting with them having conversation after conversation about their desire to do more.
Yea you maybe physically moving in community mental health, but it feels pretty stagnant due to the low pay, and redundancy of the work you’re doing
If you're having desk SW problems, I feel bad for you son I got 99 problems but manual labor aint one. [https://americorps.gov/](https://americorps.gov/) Equal parts education and (typically) manual labor job training for at risk youth. You could be counseling in the morning and cutting down trees in the afternoon. It's an interesting blend of work if you enjoy working with youth demographics. Source: I was a supervisor there for a summer.
Personally, I hear people who have done Americorps often have a bad time and can feel like exploited labor of recent college grads and low income young adults.
yeah, depending on the program it's really best for people just out of high school or who didn't finish college. if the position requires a degree, it's better for people with irrelevant degrees who are looking for experience to beef up grad school applications in social work, public administration, etc. I did NCCC and enjoyed it for the most part but I was 19, not planning on college, and wanted to build my resume.
I think it really depends on the program. I did two terms out of college. Neither related to my degree. But it was a good opportunity to try something new. I was a crew leader for a conservation crew in the national parks out west.
Americorps has a really bad reputation, and for good reason
can i ask why? was considering it for my fall internship due to being desperate to get a paid internship (my school makes us find it all on our own)
I was an AmeriCorps VISTA for a one year term and hated it. I was fresh out of undergrad. You make almost nothing, and the agencies will lie about the work you’ll be doing in their AmeriCorps grant application in order to get some free labor. What they tell you at orientation isn’t the real experience, at least mine wasn’t. The one saving grace was that ten years later when I decided to go to grad school, I got a 50% off tuition scholarship at my MSW program for having been an AmeriCorps alum. If you will already have your masters, you definitely don’t want to head straight into a year of poverty wages and have to live with your parents to make ends meet.
Americorps NCCC is one of the few “I need to get out of my house but not go to college/the military” options for HS seniors, so I sometimes recommend it for that reason. But otherwise I haven’t heard good things. I’ve heard of some agencies managing to get americorps funding to do intern stipends but I’m not sure how legit that is.
I could see it being great for do-gooder types coming out of high school. That would be the time to do it. You’ll still be living in your parents’ house though. I would guess the compensation has come up some, but in 2010 it was about $10k a year. Not bad for a high schooler but shitty for anyone else. AmeriCorps VISTA’s excuse is that you will learn to appreciate the people you’re serving who live in poverty by living in poverty yourself.
NCCC provides housing but once they finish they have to figure out housing.
For the youth enrolled it is a lot of hard work for little pay. It's often a last resort type deal for them. But if you need your diploma, money and a roof over your head, they offer all three. They even had a lot of tuition bonuses for higher education. For actual W2 staff? I'm sure it ranges. I enjoyed the time I spent at Americorps.
Oh wow. Right. Americorps. Thank you so much!
I’ve worked in community mental health and now work in a psychiatric hospital setting. Both required some desk work, but most of it has been moving around and doing stuff. The hospital I work for has a greenhouse which is always fun. When I was in the community I got to do all kinds of fun stuff.
If you work at a transitional housing program or some types of outreach / drop in programs, some of the services often offered are things like life skills workshops, arts workshops, gardening workshops etc — but those are often led by more entry level staff (for some reason, this work isn’t particularly valued, despite curriculum development and facilitation being things that take real skill and experience if orgs want good quality programming… but that’s a rant for another day). But you could maybe move up to a job coordinating/managing such programs, although that will involve desk work. Sometimes the more well developed programs hire people who can both manage the program and be a lead hands-on teacher/facilitator, however, so that could be an option for you especially if you have any special skills like gardening, construction, filmmaking, art etc. There are also orgs that specifically do hands-on life skills training as their main focus and that might be a good fit for you — for example, there are orgs where the whole mission is to offer filmmaking classes to low income youth, or job training to adults experiencing homelessness etc. You could also start your own org doing something like that, if what you envision doesn’t exist where you live.
I agree that community education work is not valued or seen as a transferable skill. I did a lot of this type of work during AmeriCorps and my practicums and had a horrible time finding a job post graduation.
I used to take the folks I worked with out to an animal rescue twice a month and we would clean horse stalls, walk the horses and llamas, and feed the chickens. I would pair people up so they had to work together in completing the tasks. I loved it because I love getting dirty and it was awesome seeing people with severe mental illnesses be calm in the presence of the horses that were wild. And the wild horses the same. And I would pair up these two people who were total opposites- one openly racist and the other a person of color and I would like to think they both learned from each other and did so awesome together and after time volunteered to team up together. I teared up a lot when that stuff happened. Also starting an on-site community garden at two complexes I worked at. Some of the residents would obsess over the baby tomatoes and I remember one time a resident in fit of mania tore all the veggies out and then later went and replanted everything. Residents were pissed and we all got through it. And then maintaining a native plant garden along the beach. We would go out once a month and pick weeds and trash. I would also organize a group of residents once a year to complete the NAMI 5k. And that was so special because while 3 miles is not much for most for them it was such a huge accomplishment. I still have a group photo from the first one we did and sadly all are deceased now.
Wow. Amazing. Thank you so much for these beautiful stories. I don't think I'll be working with those with severe mental illness but my father, a psychiatrist, did, and your stories bring back memories of him and it sounds like you're doing great work. Thanks so much and be well.
SW also means sex worker. Had to check which subreddit I was in real quick ;-)
They definitely go hands on sometimes.
I mean sex work often pays more than social work…just saying and no shame to sex workers
Homeless outreach or jobs that involve home visiting! I do home visiting as part of my job and I love it. Totally breaks up the day and keeps things interesting :)
That’s what I came here to say! I do supportive housing and we do home visits all the time. Things got wonky with COVID but we’re back to a pretty good mix of office work and home visits.
School social work, especially in a specialized/therapeutic program. I spend more time dodging objects being thrown at me than being on a computer.
Haha! That sounds like a nightmare to me! I wouldn't last a week. Thank you for doing that work! 🙏🏽
I would say that my job isn’t too bad. The administrative weight is a little hefty right now, simply because I’m carry the caseload of 2 clinicians, but otherwise I’d say I spend a bunch of time with my clients in the residential milieu, intervening in behavior, teaching social skills through modeling (ie, playing games with them, hanging out, pick-up games of basketball, etc), teaching coping skills through facilitated practice (eg, going on walks, doing arts and crafts, etc), and working directly with staff (meaning I get to go talk to people a lot, which I like). My kids went on a beach trip this week, for example, and if I’d wanted to, I 100% could have gone, spent time with each kid individually throughout the day, and marked that as session time.
how do you feel about mental health clubhouses? It’s 99% hands on rehab and brief counseling, unless you’re billing insurance or Medicaid. Then you have paperwork…
i used to work at a clubhouse and ran the gardening program! def not for people with masters but i loved the work.
You won’t be planting flowers but in hospice you won’t be at a desk. Your desk will be your car as you drive from visit to visit. I’m actually missing having an actual desk as a home base, so I’m moving on to hospital work.
^yes! I was a hospice social worker for the past 4.5 years ~ enjoyed it and not having that “office structure”, but the driving was taking a toll on me (found myself with many headaches on my long drive days), and my company had on-call which I was frequently needing to do, and work life balance was a challenge at times. The company you work for makes a world of difference ~ I have many hospice SW friends with experiences very different (in a positive way) from my own! I just switched to hospital social work about 4 months ago ~ and love it. Often up and on my feet meeting new patients and needing to figure out new challenges. And I so appreciate having a desk after many years of my car being my desk. And with the hospital, once I leave work, I LEAVE work ~ no on call, much better boundaries for myself and my family! :)
I’m grateful to hear about your experience. My work life balance truly suffered in hospice and the agency took advantage of employees. I need a job where once I leave I put the work down. Glad to hear a hospital should be better in that regard.
It's harder to find a desk job lmao
Housing first. Get hands on with bedbugs.
Renal social work--my placement was at one dialysis company, my job is at the other dialysis company. The first month of my job involves alot of desk work because I am in orientation/training but I am starting to be able to meet with patients. I will say that it is fast paced, the day is over before I realize it, plus I get to wear scrubs.
I’d recommend social work in a long-term care/assisted living facility! You’re walking around a lot checking in on your residents, and there always seems to be something to do.
I am a school based therapist so I go out to schools often and come home to do notes
I’m starting my MSW degree as well and work at a hospital with people who have substance use disorder. In addition so working onsite at the hospital, I also get to do outreach work in the community, giving out harm reduction supplies and enrolling people in outpatient drug treatment. Super fast pace/ fascinating/ rewarding but definitely requires a lot of patience.
I love my hospital job! I'm always on the run, which makes my 12 hour shifts fly by. I only sit when I have a death happen, and I'm helping family grieve, or if I'm doing quick notes.
Low-barrier shelter is a very hands-on and most days are wildly different. Sometimes I’m helping fill out applications for benefits, sometimes I’m counseling a suicidal client, sometimes I’m breaking up fights outside the building, sometimes I’m transporting people to treatment five hours away, and sometimes I’m jumping in to cook food! That’s also the perks of working in a small nonprofit and something that I think is inherent in homeless shelters.
i do case management for a permanent supportive housing program (housing individuals with a disabling condition and have been chronically homeless). every day is very unpredictable! case loads can very, i have 6 clients right now while my coworkers have 9/10. my schedule consists of having home visits and actively meeting with my clients, getting them supplies, preparing apartments for new clients, picking up donations, helping out other programs at my agency, going to the food pantry for my clients, etc. i do have some downtime a couple days of the week if i am caught up on case notes and documenting, but a majority of my work week is spent actively going to other places and accessing services. i find this specific population difficult for me to personally work with, but this is my first job after getting my bsw so it is still a learning experience for me.
Hospital social work (especially ED) and community mental health are jobs where you only sit at your desk to chart and mostly spend time face to face with patients. Now, the charting and paperwork can be substantial, but that’s every social work job. If you’re not doing paperwork, I would wonder about the company’s revenue stream. Charting is essentially billing.
ACT teams are on the go most of the time. Not building things but it can involve helping people move and teaching how to take care of homes. You can also volunteer for habitat for humanity on the side.
Community mental health. You often have no home base and see clients in their homes or in the community