Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse plans to bring in more volunteers to operate its 24-hour crisis hotline, which provides emotional support to community members affected by domestic, sexual and individual violence.

The non-profit is providing a spring 2018 training program to those interested in volunteering. The first training took place Tuesday at the WSU Violence Prevention Office, located on the ground floor of Health & Wellness Services.

According to its 2016-17 annual report, ATVP has provided advocacy services to 557 individuals and answered nearly 3,800 hotline calls. As of last year, the organization had trained 16 volunteers and four interns. The volunteers provided almost 6,900 hours of services to the crisis hotline.

After finishing the trainings, volunteers will be required to attend monthly meetings to discuss calls and complete ongoing training.

Volunteers will be expected to be on-call during the week between 4:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. the next morning. After each shift, they will need to provide information to their intern lead regarding their calls and any immediate follow-up information.

ATVP will host seven mandatory training dates for its spring 2018 volunteer group. These will take place until March 31. Volunteers who cannot attend training days may be accommodated with alternative dates.

In order to qualify, volunteers must fill out an online or in-person application, undergo a background check and sign a volunteer and confidentiality agreement.

Anyone seeking emotional support can reach ATVP’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 1-877-334-2887.