Alternative Community Service

 

The Alternative Community Service Program is a volunteer placement program for individuals required by the courts to perform community service. The Alexandria Volunteer Bureau (AVB) has run the program since 1982. The AVB’s goals in administering the Alternative Community Service Program are twofold:

1) To make available to community nonprofit organizations and public agencies an additional, valuable volunteer resource.

2) To place court-referred clients in suitable community service settings for successful completion of required hours, thereby involving offenders in constructive community activity.

 

Clients are referred to the AVB from any number of sources. They must meet with the Program Manager for an interview before they are placed with an organization. The interview determines their skills, interests and availability, as well as the appropriateness of placing them with any given agency.

 

To receive a community service worker, an agency must be not-for-profit or be a public agency. The agencies need to agree to supervise the community service worker, and treat them as they would any other volunteer. This may include an orientation and/or training, when applicable. Agencies report the hours performed by their community service workers monthly.

 

When a community service worker’s hours are successfully completed, the AVB then notifies the attorney or probation officer who referred the client to our program. Participants often have a strict deadline for completing their hours, and the AVB will do as much as it can to help an individual make up hours to meet a deadline. We also work with clients on reporting to clerks, prosecutors and judges, as each individual requires.

 

AVB’s Alternative Community Service Manager is assisted by a Spanish interpreter, allowing us to better assist Spanish Speaking Clients.

 

If you are a nonprofit agency and think you would be able to find suitable work for court-referred clients, or you have been ordered by the court to perform community service, call or e-mail Courtney Bishop at (703) 836-2176 or cbishop@alexandriavolunteerbureau.org

 

EN ESPAÑOL, Si la corte te ha ordenado a cumplir horas de servicio comunitario, puedes llamar a (703) 836 – 2176. El representante hispano se encuentra en la oficina el martes de 10am- 2pm y Viernes de las 12 pm – 4pm. Si no lo consigues por favor deje mensaje para Jarol Antonio y te llamaremos de regreso.