What it involves
Homeless Support Volunteers bring a wealth of experience and life skills to the team. They contribute to the service provision through advocacy, signposting, and health promotion. Most importantly, they offer time to listen and to give holistic and empathic support which helps nurture clients with dignity, self-worth, and emotional wellbeing.
Training
As a regulated service, all volunteers complete an initial training programme that includes:
- CQC Level 1 and 2
- Safeguarding Level 1 and 2
- GDPR
- Equality and Diversity
- Medication Management Level 1
- First Aid
- Education on drugs and alcohol
- Infection Prevention Control
- Moving and Handling
- Conflict Resolution
- Homelessness Awareness (which looks at the causes of homelessness and its impact on physical and mental health)
All team members receive annual updates in first aid, safeguarding and infection control. Additional training is completed 3-yearly.
Our Homeless Service staff aim to give all volunteers support with regular newsletters, training, and supervision. Every session ends with a debrief to ensure that team members don't leave emotionally over-burdened after what can be a demanding session.
Commitment
The minimum commitment per month is 10 hours.
Many volunteers find that committing to more frequent shifts makes it easier for them to build rapport with the clients and to gain a better knowledge of the service.
Volunteers will also need to take time to commit to mandatory training and regularly checking their St John email for important information and updates.
Got a question?
If you have any questions about becoming a Homeless Service volunteer, please email:
