If you give a little, you can gain a lot through the satisfaction of volunteering. Riverside Care and Support is looking for people to act as Peer Mentors or Befrienders for people recovering from homelessness and those with mental health needs.

Simon Allcock, Riverside’s Regional Operations Manager said: “We are looking for people to work closely with our customers to help them on track to achieve their goals, through developing a positive attitude and accessing training opportunities. If you want to finish each day knowing you have made a difference in someone else’s life, then volunteering with us is for you.”

Volunteers are being recruited by the housing and support specialist to help with its pledge to transform lives and end homelessness within the housing provider’s community-based services.

According to research, mentoring and befriending can form part of the support package that homeless people need to help them find and keep a settled home. Mentoring and befriending can help someone begin to build a network to support and can act as a bridge to a world of companionship, social interaction, education, training, and employment. [1]

Paul*, who was homeless for a time himself and had gambling addiction, decided to use his experiences to help others when he began volunteering with Riverside. He had previously faced barriers in securing a job because of his offending background, but Paul had the lived experience required to become a peer mentor to support others who had experienced homelessness and prison to get their lives back on track just like he did. Paul showed passion and commitment and has now been volunteering with Riverside for more than six months and is applying for a full-time housing and support role.

Simon added: “As well as a sense of satisfaction, volunteering can lead to job opportunities with Riverside and other employers. We support workplace training opportunities for people with their own experiences of homeless through Riverside’s Giving Real Opportunities to Work (GROW) programme providing essential jobs at the same time as allowing people to use their insight for positive use.

“However, it’s not just people with experiences of homeless that we are looking for to support our services. We want to recruit people from a range of backgrounds who feel they can provide support to help people transform their lives.”

To find out more about Riverside’s volunteering vacancies in Cambridge, please contact Laurel Struthers, Riverside Team Leader at Willow Walk in Cambridge, on 01223 519400, or email [email protected].