What will I be doing?

• Engaging and building relationships with rough sleepers on the streets.
• Assisting with the shift notes during the shift.
• Making or receiving phone calls on shift.
• Accompanying located rough sleepers into temporary accommodation.

What impact will this have?

• London Rapid Response (RR) work across the capital, 365 days a year, acting as a safety net for some of society’s most vulnerable men and women.
• Outreach support volunteers accompany an experienced outreach worker in a vehicle and together they respond to referrals, searching for people rough sleeping on the streets and provide practical help in responding to their individual needs.
• Our teams of outreach workers and volunteers find and engage rough sleepers in a bid to help them away from the streets.

Commitment

• To feel comfortable accompanying the outreach worker on the streets at night, searching for people rough sleeping, sometimes in isolated areas. (Please note: all outreach workers operate within Health & Safety guidelines). To have the ability to establish good rapport and working relationships with people rough sleeping; To have the ability to follow the directions of the outreach worker leading the shift.
  
• We look for a minimum commitment of 6 months from all our volunteers.
  Outreach Support Volunteers are required to do a minimum of 1 shift per month.
  

What else do I need to know?

• After 6 months of volunteering for the team we are able to provide professional references for volunteers.
• There are opportunities to develop your volunteering role.
  Please note taking on extra responsibility is optional and would require assessment of skills and additional training.
  
• Development opportunities might involve leading Client Assessments of people rough sleeping and progressing into paid employment when vacancies arise.

Expenses

• We pay out-of-pocket expenses for our unemployed/low income volunteers to cover travel fares to the volunteer placement. Receipts are required to claim expenses.

Background checks

• A DBS check is required

Training

• Volunteer Induction
• Volunteer handbook
• On-the-job training;
  Volunteer Feedback opportunity after 1st shift and at 3 and 6 month periods; Volunteer training including mandatory Personal Safety Training