Activities and General Support Assistant (Homelessness)

As part of our work at the homeless day shelter we offer a range of support and activities for service users. An important component in helping individuals move forward with their challenges is to provide them with a safe, positive environment where they can build trust and confidence. Being able to engage with friendly and empathetic individuals who have a positive, ‘can do’ attitude makes all the difference in showing them that they really are cared about and that there is hope to improve their situation.

In this volunteer opportunity you would be involved in the day-to-day activities of the service. This can include: general conversations with service users to build rapport and trust, playing games, coming up with new ideas for activities and planning/delivering these, assisting with reception of service users and helping them understand what is on offer, and assisting with service of refreshments. As part of this opportunity you will learn about the records administration for service users.

We welcome suggestions on what we do so you are encouraged to provide feedback during your time with us.

Prior Experience: It will be helpful if you have an interest in the areas of: homelessness, housing, substance misuse, personal independence/life skills, budgeting, employment etc. to ensure a good match for the role. Please note that due to the nature of what we offer, our service users often have challenging complex needs so empathy and resilience are definitely required and can be further enhanced through the volunteering.

For those who are able to demonstrate a sustained commitment over at least 3 months we are happy to provide a reference acknowledging your work.

to apply: Homelessness | The Salvation Army

Skills

Mandatory: Communication, interpersonal, non-discriminatory, non-judgmental.

Desirable: Confidence, listening, planning and organising, positive attitude, practical, project management, teaching and training, teamwork, self management