ROLE PROFILE

Role Title: Peer Mentor

Location: Croydon

About Thames Reach

Thames Reach is a charity based in London, specialising in helping people with complex and multiple needs, including those associated with poor mental health and substance misuse. We manage a range of services, including street outreach, frontline hostels, day services, specialist supported housing and employment and skills schemes. Last year we helped more than 10,000 people.

Purpose of the role

Croydon Housing First helps people with a history of sleeping rough to settle into their own accommodation, offering immediate, specialist support to make sure people don’t return to the streets, and instead move effectively towards recovery and independent living.

The project provides 20 people with their own flat, all supported by a Thames Reach key worker who helps the tenant to access the right services to meet their needs, be it related to health, skills, benefits or employment.

Thames Reach staff also help tenants to source furniture, organise bills, and create a home environment in which they feel secure and comfortable.

What you will be doing

In this role, you will be supporting us with the following tasks:

• To provide information, support and encouragement to a mentee, leading and guiding by example in a one-to-one or group environment
• Adopt a person-centered holistic approach to enable your mentee to express their needs and aspirations and support them formulate a suitable action plan to enable them to achieve those
• Develop and maintain an up to date knowledge of local services to enable you to advise and signpost mentees
• Assist the mentee in their educational and employment aspirations and acquiring new skills
• Update mentee records including new action agreed and achievements
• Provide some feedback on your observations on progresses made (provide affirmation) and areas they may need to develop further to their achieve goals.
• Review and celebrate all achievements throughout relationship

When would you be needed and where would you be based

We expect volunteers to commit for at least six months with the requirement of 1-2 days a week. Once we have received your application, we will meet with you informally and give you more information on the location and time you will need to commit to the role.

What you can gain from this volunteering role

• Be able to use your skills, knowledge, and life experience to benefit others
• Experience, training, and skills that you can highlight on your CV and in job interviews
• Professional references after 3 months volunteering
• Mentoring and support from our Employment and Skills team
• Better physical and mental health – studies show that volunteers live longer and experience lower levels of stress and depression.

Training and support offered

• A role specific induction so that you understand the role well
• Regular support and supervision from the team to discuss how your volunteering is going and what other opportunities and training may be available to you
• Online or face-to-face instructor led training and e-learning modules to prepare you for your voluntary role
• Access to a range of additional e-learning courses as well as local opportunities for your personal and professional development
• Support from staff and peer support from fellow volunteers
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

What we are looking for

• Good interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, and motivation
• Ability to listen and be empathetic to build rapport with clients
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Willingness to learn and develop within the role
• Motivation to support disadvantaged and vulnerable people
• The physical ability to work on the streets (there can be a lot of walking involved)
• Awareness and understanding of the need for professional boundaries and confidentiality
• To have the ability to follow Health and Safety regulations, Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy.
• We specifically need people with lived experience of homelessness.

Minimum age: 18

Safer recruitment

Thames Reach undertakes a systematic approach and utmost care at every step of the process of volunteer recruitment, selection, and retention to ensure that those recruited are suitable and appropriate. We take measures to make volunteering at Thames Reach a positive and safe experience.

Are references required: Yes. We will ask for two references, this can be former employers or people that know you well (other than relatives).

Is there criminal record check required: Yes

How can I apply? Complete our online application form or contact us at volunteer@thamesreach.org.uk.

Apply today

Becci volunteers with our Employment and Skills team, closely supporting the work of Lisa in the team. After being nominated for Outstanding Learner of the Year with Lambeth Adult Learning, Becci was thrilled to have won, with a prizegiving held last week.

“My role involves supporting Lisa with the work she does helping people improve their skills and access employment and volunteering opportunities. I’ve been helping out with the TRaVEL course, after attending the ‘Introduction to Volunteering’ course myself previously.

“I got involved with volunteering when I spoke to my local council about getting back into work, and I was told about the TRaVEL course, which helps people build confidence so they feel ready for work or volunteering. Now I help deliver this training, and help with other things like supporting people making job applications, when they might struggle putting pen to paper themselves. I like that the role tests my limits and allows me to help other people; I really enjoy helping people and learning new things.

“In the long run, I want to work with young people. I went through the care system myself and was a young mum, and the stigma around that is awful. I want to help people who went through similar experiences, as I believe the system can be really cruel and unfair, and having someone around who can listen and understand what you’re going through is really important. I want to use my passion for working with young people along with my skills and experience to make a difference.

“Last week I was presented with the “Award for Outstanding Learner of the Year” with Lambeth Adult Learning. I was nominated by Lisa, and when she told me I really wasn’t expecting to win, but I got the call and was so surprised to hear that I had won! It’s the first time in my life that an achievement has been recognised outside my immediate circle, so that was really nice. The students from the TRaVEL course came to celebrate with me at the ceremony, which meant a lot.”

Lisa, who nominated Becci, said: “I realised very quickly when Becci was a learner on the ‘Introduction to Volunteering’ course that she was going to make an excellent volunteer.  This observation was based on Becci’s calm and steady temperament, her enthusiasm to learn, her helpfulness towards me and other learners, and her relevant and edifying anecdotes of how she puts the classroom learning into practice in her own life.  She is willing to give anything a go adopting the “what’s the best that could happen?” approach which we covered on the course.  Where Becci is a classroom volunteer, learners appreciate her perspective on the topics covered.  She is also skilled at explaining elements in a different way, which is very helpful for me and for the learners.  She is an all-round asset!”

If you are interested in becoming a Thames Reach board member, contact us at boardmembership@thamesreach.org.uk to find out more.

Thames Reach is a leading London-based charity with a particular focus on rough sleeping, and helping people who are, have been, or are at risk of rough sleeping to find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. The charity provides innovative services aimed at preventing rough sleeping, intervening where people are sleeping rough, and helping people to recover from the impact of life on the streets. As well as street outreach work, our services include tenancy support, emergency shelters, day services, hostels and accommodation, and help with health and employment. We work across London and in Surrey.

Thames Reach is a strong organisation that is growing in response to need. Our services are rooted in our understanding of the issues surrounding street homelessness, and we use this understanding to influence decision making at a local, regional, and national level. We have an excellent reputation for effective service delivery, working with people who may have very high levels of need, and using our experience of delivering services to develop and improve our approach. The majority of our services are delivered to local and regional authorities on a contract basis and we understand that our continued effectiveness requires us to sustain and develop our financial viability; and to retain and grow our excellent employees and volunteers.

We have just over 400 employees and around 200 volunteers, and our organisational turnover is around £25 million per annum.

We have an effective and long-standing non-executive Board with a wealth of relevant experience in both the public and commercial sectors. They provide valuable support to the Executive team, as well as attending around five Board meetings every year, sitting on one of the three Board sub-committees (Finance, Audit and Fundraising; Services; Governance and People) that meet around four times a year. Board members are also asked to participate in an annual away day, usually in the autumn, with separate preparatory visits to our services.

We are now looking for up to two new members. As well as an interest in and commitment to ending street homelessness as a Board member and the ability and interest in providing strategic oversight for the organisation, we are hoping to recruit members with specific skills in the following areas:

Legal knowledge

We are looking for candidates with up to date knowledge of the law and its application in our context.  As well as the delivery of our services, this could include knowledge of property or employment law, or charity and contract law as it applies to our commitments.

Governance/Company Secretary knowledge

We are also looking for board members with an interest in and knowledge of charity governance, to support the board to understand and comply with our regulatory commitments.

Thames Reach is committed to achieving a diversity that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief. We particularly welcome applicants who may have experience of homelessness and/or of using services that support people with complex support needs.

If you are interested in becoming a Thames Reach Board member and think that you might have the skills that we need, contact us at boardmembership@thamesreach.org.uk to find out more.

Closing date: Sunday 15 October 2023

Can you introduce yourself and your professional background? 

I started as a volunteer in 2008 when I first moved to this country. I was looking for work and applying for jobs, and had a background in publications in India. During an interview, the interviewer suggested I try some volunteering to gain experience here, so I joined an organisation that helps people obtain volunteer placements, and they soon hired me for a paid position, helping people through the process I had experienced. I learned everything from scratch. Since then, I have really enjoyed working with volunteers and helping people get the placement that is best suited for them; I have developed volunteer programmes, practices, and procedures. Understanding what makes a good volunteering experience is a big learning experience, and an exciting one. 

What do you enjoy most about working with volunteers? 

One of the main reasons I love working with volunteers is that I understand that everyone has a reason for volunteering, the same way I did when I first started out. I make sure volunteers and teams alike ask themselves what it is they want to achieve. Corporate groups volunteering with us gain experience of working in a team as well as leadership skills, and empathy and compassion towards different issues and causes. It’s real life and career experience. Young people, or someone at the start of their career, can learn things that they don’t teach in schools – for example I worked with someone who was training to be a doctor, but charitable work taught essential caring skills that aren’t in textbooks. I really enjoy seeing people grow in their roles too; sometimes people will arrive with little confidence, and then build it while volunteering.  

Aside from the life and career experience you’ve just mentioned, what do you believe to be the other benefits to volunteering? 

The personal and professional development shouldn’t be underestimated. These placements provide the opportunity to integrate into the community in a way that can be difficult otherwise, especially in London. You can really feel part of something positive and develop a good understanding of culture and people in our communities. Particularly in Thames Reach roles, there is a good opportunity to empathise with people.  

Can you tell us about the volunteering roles currently available at Thames Reach? 

The most popular and always in demand are outreach roles. Thames Reach are best known for outreach across London, and these late-night shifts always need volunteers to support staff in finding and recording people sleeping rough, before helping them off the streets. People should commit to one shift per month, but are welcome to do more if they would like.  

In our Employment and Skills team, we are looking for volunteers to assist the process of guiding people through the process of getting back into work and identifying strengths and weaknesses. For these roles we require a commitment of at least three months, ideally six months, as the people we work with need consistency, and we need people who are passionate about helping others and contributing to our vision of ending street homelessness.  

Larger groups such as corporates are always welcome; we see them regularly returning to get involved with projects such as gardening at our hostels.  

What are your plans for the volunteering programme? 

I will be making sure we are able to define the volunteer journey, making outcomes easier to identify and making a strong connection between the team and the volunteer so that everyone is gaining what they need from the placement. I will also be looking to increase the number of volunteers we have and look at pathways into employment from our volunteers especially those with lived experience.

I am working on making sure all application forms are digital and fully accessible, while also acknowledging that digital literacy is not a given, so there will be support available to make sure anyone who wants to volunteer with us is able to make that application.  

 I will also be working collaboratively with peers in the charity sector to raise the profile of the benefits of volunteering with us, with the ultimate aim of increasing our volunteer numbers and ensuring a positive and fulfilling experience for all involved. 

We recently hosted our annual summer event, celebrating the hard work of our volunteers in person at our Employment Academy site. Part of the event was the prizegiving of our Volunteer Awards, presented by Thames Reach Chief Executive, Bill Tidnam, and nominated by the staff who have worked with them. Here are some words from staff nominating their star volunteers, as well as some words from a few of our winners:

Samara won an award for her work in the Rapid Response outreach team. The member of staff who nominated her said:

“I’d like to nominate Samara for a volunteer award. She joined in November and since then she has been committed and reliable. She is really enthusiastic about her role and picks up 2 to 5 shifts every month and workers are really happy to be paired up with her. She shows lots of genuine interest and passion in helping people experiencing homelessness, and has inquired about extra training to improve her skills in supporting people. She has recently had database training which will be very beneficial for the shift so workers can focus on other tasks. She is good with people as well; she is kind and has a natural way of talking to people that makes them feel at ease. She is really good at communicating and is responsive, engaging through messages and e mails.

I think she deserves to win a volunteer award to show her that her work and time are much appreciated.”

Samara said: “The volunteer experience has been amazing. I loved going out to different areas and meeting people from all walks of life. Everyone’s stories and situations are different. I have had the honour to devote my time to such an amazing organisation which does so much for the community and helps people experiencing homelessness. I decided to volunteer with Thames Reach because I believe in their vision to end homelessness, and their vision aligns with my vision, and my vision is that everyone deserves a place they can call home. Not only that, but I hope to inspire the next generation to give back to the community and to help anyone that’s in need.”

Martin has been volunteering with outreach. His nominating member of staff said: “Martin has been working tirelessly since before lockdown and all through the lockdown period. He is reliable and always on time; he gives up his free time to cover 1 or sometimes 2 shifts a week and volunteers during street counts without fail. He shares his extensive knowledge of the various hidden areas of the City of London due to working in the City for many years, which has helped me & the team immensely. He has endless energy!”

Martin said: “It is truly humbling and inspirational to be able to accompany and support the Thames Reach outreach teams on shifts and see the amazing dedication, professionalism and empathetic compassion they all demonstrate when engaging with people experiencing street homelessness or those with insecure accommodation. Each individual referral is always treated with great respect and sympathetic patience, despite sometimes initial recalcitrance, and as a result one can quickly see genuine improvements in both existing clients’ & new referrals’ health and life chances. The team’s commitment through the challenges of Covid was extraordinary and clearly reflected in the encouraging decline in street count numbers; but even for those now settled in secure accommodation thanks to the team’s efforts, knowing that they can still call on their support must be a continuing great comfort and undoubtedly critical in preventing a return to the streets.”

Kelly was nominated for her work with the Croydon Housing First team. “She has worked really well with her peers, support workers and the people we work with. She has a calm and gentle persona that has helped her gain the trust of the people she works with but has also shown a great level of empathy and insight into different people’s needs and challenges they are faced with. She has co-mentored one person with her peer, and alongside him has enabled someone with multiple complex needs to feel more settled in their home. This has not only prevented them from abandoning their property, but also helped them to start feeling less isolated, take pride in their appearance and that of their flat, which she is working to make more homely. Kelly is passionate and dedicated to her learning, volunteering to shadow different teams and workers as well as dedicating her time to further training and development.”

Well done to all winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who volunteers with us. You are a vital part of our work ending street homelessness!

Klarissa volunteers with Thames Reach, running an art group at one of our hostels in central London. She has been doing this since the start of the year, and reflects on what it means for residents to get involved with a creative practice, as well as what she has learned from the experience.

“I come in every Wednesday and run an art workshop in the afternoon. It’s important that I keep the structure as open as possible, so people don’t feel put off by a lack of experience or confidence in making art. The objective certainly isn’t to produce a perfect painting or drawing, it’s to have some time and space to be freely creative, in a way that feels comfortable.

“When I started volunteering, I came into it quite naïve; I was full of enthusiasm and was very amped up at first but then I realised that I’m coming into an environment where someone might be finding themselves again, they might be at the beginning of their journey. I now know that I need to take a back seat and hold the space. Being gentle and taking things slowly can be far more inviting than coming to a group where the facilitator is super happy and chirpy; it’s been a process trying to find that balance, but a very rewarding one.

“The residents are great, it’s been a wonderful experience meeting new people with new creative ideas to work on together. We’ve been able to lean into the challenges that come with being creative, the ongoing hope is to work through cycles of low self-esteem to find that all creativity is valuable and valid. It’s so easy to feel embarrassed by art-making if you’re not confident with what you’re doing, but leaning into that is a skill that we’re all trying to learn. Doing something that can free us from our daily routine and anxieties can be therapeutic in itself. Then there’s the production element of it: once an artwork has been made, it’s a real statement of showing people who you are and how you appear in the world! There is a real issue with people feeling invisible once they’ve experienced homelessness, but making art can be one way to show people how you feel, and how you express yourself. I have gotten to know people at the project not necessarily by them telling me everything, but through the art they are making.

“Having the space for making art, having a chat and being creative every Wednesday means that residents know it’s here, as something completely separate from their usual support networks and friendship groups. People come to the art group with all kinds of issues going on in their lives, but I hope to create a space where they can do something outside of that for a couple of hours. I don’t do this in the expectation that it will change anyone’s life; although I’m interested in therapeutic activites, I’m not a trained therapist, so I have to manage expectations. If it can just change someone’s Wednesday, then I’m happy.”

1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week, a time to celebrate the incredible work of volunteers who bring so much to organisations such as Thames Reach. With almost 100 active volunteers in teams across London, they are highly valued in helping our work towards ending street homelessness, and are very much part of the Thames Reach community. Kelly McLoughlin, volunteer programmes manager, speaks about her role coordinating around 100 volunteers, and shares how inspiring it is to work alongside such dedicated individuals and groups.

Describe your role as volunteer programmes manager. What is it about the role that you enjoy the most?

I’m responsible for organising all volunteer activity at Thames Reach, whether that is corporate efforts or individuals, and across all our different projects and services. Part of the role is also building and maintaining relationships with organisations who offer volunteering through their staff or students. Volunteers who are currently studying at university are really valuable to us and bring a lot of energy and commitment, so keeping those relationships are important. Anything that comes to Thames Reach in relation to volunteering would come through me.

My favourite part of the role is probably being able to share in the achievements of our volunteers; having the chance to celebrate them is important, and we have a few initiatives that mark and reward their good work. Volunteers are always humble, and often surprised when they are celebrated or rewarded; sometimes they don’t realise the profound impact they have on the people we work with.

Why do you believe Volunteers’ Week to be so important?

It’s a great opportunity to have time to dedicate to reflecting on the work that volunteers do every day. As an organisation and in individual teams, it gives us the chance to share stories and successes that have come from volunteering. This year, we have created and scheduled additional opportunities for volunteers, to make sure they are able to get more out of their experience. These training sessions will be based around new themes that we are coming across in our work, such as social isolation post-Covid. We’re also planning a summer event for volunteers to come together and celebrate their hard work.

How has the landscape of volunteering changed in recent times?

We have a large and committed pool of volunteers, but since the pandemic we have had to re-assess whether certain roles can be done remotely, as quite a few people left London during this time, and while some had to isolate. We lost a volume of volunteers altogether after Brexit, as some left the country for good. However the pandemic brought about a lot of people wanting to give back to their community, and we had a great response from people continuing volunteering with us once they had gone back to work, so again we needed to be creative with the sorts of roles people could do, such as outside normal working hours or in corporate groups.

What are the different volunteering roles that people can get involved with?

They can be split into three groups depending on the interests and availability of the individual volunteer: front-line, which would be accompanying staff on outreach visits during the day or at night, or front of house and reception roles; employment, which might be skill-sharing and mentoring, or helping out with our Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) service in our Employment and Skills team; and wellbeing, which usually involves activities such as art workshops and helping combat social isolation. There are so many ways to volunteer with us, and our shared commitment means that there are so many ways that we can work together to help people affected by street homelessness.

If you are interested in volunteering at Thames Reach and working with us towards our vision of ending street homelessness, please email volunteermanagers@thamesreach.org.uk

Alex is an assistant support worker with the PLACE (Pan-London Accommodation and Community Engagement) team, a service initially set up to help people find sustainable accommodation after receiving support through the government’s Everyone In initiative back in 2020. Prior to this, she volunteered with STAR (Sustaining Tenancies, Accommodation and Resettlement), a homelessness prevention partnership service within Thames Reach. She discusses the journey from volunteering to employment, and how the experience has helped shape her career.

What was your volunteering experience like, and what tasks did you do?

I started out volunteering with the STAR team from January 2021 until November that year. It’s important to do volunteering for a sustained amount of time so that people you are helping have that level of consistency. I was their Romanian-speaking volunteer, and went out on outreach shifts to locations that were known rough sleeping spots. I helped out with translation where we were looking for people with Romanian as their first language; this then evolved into shadowing support workers in the team. I helped with evaluating and following up on client progress, then helped putting together a database of services around London, so we could easily signpost for things such as immigration, legal advice, food banks and mental health.

What is your current role and how is the workload different from volunteering?

I am now assistant support worker with the PLACE team, and have been since November, so I applied for the role while still volunteering. The project was set up to find permanent accommodation from the temporary provisions offered during the Everyone In initiative. We work with housing associations to match tenants with flats, making sure people have the support and signposting they need, whether this is mental health or substance support, and we refer to Thames Reach’s Employment and Skills team regularly too. I have my own caseload and work with people from the start of their recovery journey, and also work as part of the Keeping in Touch service, making sure people are secure in their tenancy once they’ve been placed in accommodation.

What brought you to Thames Reach?

I had been interested in homelessness for a while, and wanted to know exactly how I could help. I wanted to be able to offer direct support for people experiencing homelessness, and really contribute to the good work being done. I also wanted to see the reality of homelessness, as in London you walk past a lot of people who are street homeless but never really get the full story.

What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering?

I gained a lot more than I was expecting from the experience, so I would say keep an open mind and really get involved. It really opened up different ideas and opportunities for me. The team were happy to share their knowledge and expertise with me, so don’t feel worried that you don’t know enough, because it’s definitely a learning experience. I was able to have an overview of all the things I could potentially do in the team, so felt that I was making a difference and getting a lot back.

If you are interested in volunteering with Thames Reach, check out our Volunteers page here or email volunteermanagers@thamesreach.org.uk

Last month, Luke undertook the huge challenge of a solo sponsored walk from London to Paris. An entirely self-guided, self-initiated effort, he walked over 300km to raise money for our work helping to end street homelessness. We caught up with him after a well-earned rest to hear how it went!

London to Paris is an incredible feat to achieve on foot. Can you talk us through how it went day by day?

I walked out my front door at 3:30am, and spent the next five days walking all the way to the French capital, a total of 302km. The longest day was 95km from my home in south west London to Newhaven on the south coast. That day was a real challenge, taking a total of 22 hours, and had an elevation similar to climbing Snowdon.

A few hours into day one, it really hit home that my boots were not “worn in”, and my feet were in a lot of pain. Every step was hurting, which was making the challenge much harder.

Day two was a ferry ride from Newhaven to Dieppe. The few hours on the ferry allowed me to recover after the mammoth first day. I then made an impromptu visit in passing to a sports shop in Dieppe, where I bought some new trainers to use instead of the boots that were causing a lot of pain. As a stroke of fortune, these fit perfectly and I wore them for the rest of the trip. Having seen a snippet of Dieppe, I’ve decided I definitely want to visit properly someday.

The next three days then blurred into one 3-day long period of walking through lots of farmland in glorious spring sunshine, listening to podcasts and eating baguettes and an inhuman amount of trail mix.

I finally arrived in Paris to be greeted at the finish line by my two sisters, shortly followed by some much needed hot food and a glass of wine.

What support did you get from Thames Reach in the lead up to the event?

Thames Reach were very supportive, providing some really positive encouragement prior to the event. They kindly provided a couple of event t-shirts that I made great use of.

What inspired you take on a fundraising challenge for Thames Reach specifically (and such an extreme one at that!)?

The sheer size and visibility of the problem of homelessness in London is staggering. The statistics of the number of people who don’t have a home is truly shocking, and shouldn’t exist in this country.

After a few years of occasionally volunteering for Thames Reach in outreach as part of the Rapid Response Team, I wanted to make a contribution in a different way.

With charities constantly facing tough trade-offs in use of resources, supporting with a financial contribution can make a real difference to the people who rely on the services Thames Reach provides.

What was the highlight of the event for you?

Although I love walking and being outdoors, arriving in Paris was far and away the highlight. My feelings were a combination of a large sense of achievement… as well as a huge dose of relief that I could finally stop walking and rest!

If you are inspired by Luke’s incredible fundraising activity, head to our Support Us page and be part of the journey towards ending street homelessness.

His JustGiving page is still live if you would like to show your support. Click here to follow his journey.

We spoke to Beatrice, who has been volunteering with Croydon Reach as part of her degree in social work. As her placement comes to an end, we asked her about her experience and what she has learned on her journey towards becoming a trained social worker.

Can you tell us about the work you have done on your placement?

I have been in the outreach team as an outreach support worker at Croydon Reach. It’s been a really valuable learning experience for me, as at the beginning I was learning how the team support clients, and by the beginning of this year I had my own case load. I have been supporting people with housing, helping access benefits and signposting to services. Most of the people I’ve worked with have successfully moved on, so I’m proud of the work I’ve done.

Can you tell us a bit about your working background prior to coming to Thames Reach?

I am in my second year of my social work degree and didn’t have a lot of experience before coming here. I did do some volunteering in Portugal at an organisation working with refugees, people experiencing homelessness and people in supported housing. I was teaching computer skills, but there was a much smaller client group there.

What did you learn about homelessness during your time with us?

There is this public perception about homelessness that is so limiting, but it’s not the case with people you meet as a support worker. The negative stereotypes are so unhelpful and don’t account for the journeys that people are on.

When I got the placement, I didn’t think so much about homelessness in relation studying social work, but it’s made me realise that there are all sorts of people and situations involved in homelessness, and lots of different needs. In my social work experience before Thames Reach, I had worked with one group of people with one particular set of needs, but with homelessness there are so many factors to consider.

What would you say to someone thinking of volunteering with Thames Reach?

With all these different factors in people’s lives, it means there is a wide spectrum of opportunities, especially if you want to learn about particular things or use particular skills. The team have been so great to work with, I felt really supported and included. They were really open to being asked questions too, which is great when you’re first starting out.

How do you think your placement experience will help you be a better social worker?

I’ve learned so much about empowering the people we work with, and the ethics around that. It’s so important to understand what the individual wants, not just projecting what I think is best, as their support worker. I hope to be able to support people from where they are, rather than where I, or anyone else, think they should be. Understanding people and communicating with them has been such a huge learning opportunity for me; people engaging with substance teams, for example, has allowed me to see the process for myself. The journey someone is on isn’t always a straight line, and seeing people start again, if that’s what they need to do, is all part of that.

If you, or your team, are interested in volunteering with Thames Reach, please have a look at our Volunteer page and contact VolunteerManagers@thamesreach.org.uk for more information.