Increasing numbers of diverse families, caught in the web of poverty, are becoming homeless. Homeless shelters have tended to focus on meeting only critical necessities such as food and shelter. However, the needs of the homeless are much more complex and challenging. Homeless families have deep-rooted problems and fractured relationships. Staff and volunteers require training in order to respond effectively to such issues since many do not come to the agency with necessary core knowledge and skills. However, provision of staff orientation and training has been minimal. The primary goal of this practicum was to design a comprehensive orientation training manual that would provide a consistent core knowledge base for all levels of incoming staff and volunteers. The strategy used a collaborative team approach with all levels of staff and volunteers (n=6) within the 10-week implementation period, and was successful. An additional goal, which was not met, was to increase interpersonal skills of current employees and volunteers by 50% as measured by the evaluation forms completed by the participating staff members. Appendices include implementation plan, questionnaires and results, evaluations and outcomes, and a copy of the orientation training manual. Contains 45 references. (JBJ)