Justlife is looking for befriending volunteers who want to part of a social connection project aimed at supporting people moving away from homelessness to building stronger links with their communities facilitated through regular and meaningful contact. Our befriending project provides an opportunity for somebody moving away from homelessness to be matched with one of our trained befriending volunteers. They meet once a week in the community and do an activity of their choice, whether that's going for a walk, trying a new activity, or just going for coffee and a chat. We try to match people according to their shared interests and hobbies, lived experiences or identities.
Key information
- Duration: Ongoing
- Start Date: 11th October 2024
- End Date: 13th December 2024
- Volunteer: Weekly
- Availability: Monday AM, Monday PM, Tuesday AM, Tuesday PM, Wednesday AM, Wednesday PM, Thursday AM, Thursday PM, Friday AM, Friday PM, Saturday AM, Saturday PM, Sunday AM, Sunday PM
- Tasks: What are we Looking for?
• Friendly and communicative with the ability to engage with a diverse group of people
• A good understanding of boundaries
• Ability to be non-judgmental and treat all clients with sensitivity and respect, whatever their backgrounds, opinions, cultural and ethical beliefs
• Commitment to the welfare, well-being and safeguarding of vulnerable people
• Excellent communication and listening skills and an ability to make topics of discussion understandable.
• Patience and the ability to remain calm
• Reliability and commitment
• No formal qualifications are required but experience with people who have experienced homelessness or unsettled housing is helpful.
What you will be doing?
Volunteers are required to make contact with their matches a minimum of once a week, over a 6-month period. Meetings are not expected to last more than 60 / 90 minutes. As a befriender, you will:
• Meet regularly with your match in the community and plan the types of activities you want to do together.
• Relay any concerns arising from your meetings, or contact, with your match to the coordinator (or as per other guidance)
• Participate in monthly 1-2-1 volunteer supervision and any other support/training as necessary
• Complete any volunteer monitoring as required and in a timely way
• Satisfy any initial and ongoing recruitment and vetting checks necessary to the role
What are the benefits for our befrienders?
• Involvement in a vital community project that helps to keep people accommodated
• The chance to make someone feel like a member of their community, valued and respected
• The opportunity to connect with your community differently, and broaden your life perspective through an increased understanding and knowledge of the issues facing vulnerable people
• Access to volunteer expenses
• The chance to be a part of the Justlife community with the opportunity to meet and make friends with other like-minded people
• The opportunity to develop your volunteering role in other areas of Justlife - Requirements: Willing to travel by public transport or find own way to volunteering location
- Interests: Ex-offenders, Homeless, Housing
- Activities: Befriending
- Home Based: No
- DBS Check: Yes
• Friendly and communicative with the ability to engage with a diverse group of people
• A good understanding of boundaries
• Ability to be non-judgmental and treat all clients with sensitivity and respect, whatever their backgrounds, opinions, cultural and ethical beliefs
• Commitment to the welfare, well-being and safeguarding of vulnerable people
• Excellent communication and listening skills and an ability to make topics of discussion understandable.
• Patience and the ability to remain calm
• Reliability and commitment
• No formal qualifications are required but experience with people who have experienced homelessness or unsettled housing is helpful.
What you will be doing?
Volunteers are required to make contact with their matches a minimum of once a week, over a 6-month period. Meetings are not expected to last more than 60 / 90 minutes. As a befriender, you will:
• Meet regularly with your match in the community and plan the types of activities you want to do together.
• Relay any concerns arising from your meetings, or contact, with your match to the coordinator (or as per other guidance)
• Participate in monthly 1-2-1 volunteer supervision and any other support/training as necessary
• Complete any volunteer monitoring as required and in a timely way
• Satisfy any initial and ongoing recruitment and vetting checks necessary to the role
What are the benefits for our befrienders?
• Involvement in a vital community project that helps to keep people accommodated
• The chance to make someone feel like a member of their community, valued and respected
• The opportunity to connect with your community differently, and broaden your life perspective through an increased understanding and knowledge of the issues facing vulnerable people
• Access to volunteer expenses
• The chance to be a part of the Justlife community with the opportunity to meet and make friends with other like-minded people
• The opportunity to develop your volunteering role in other areas of Justlife