What we gain
Our paid staff are at the core of our work for and with homeless people. We rely on them to provide services of high professional standard. They all bring skills and experience which are invaluable to those we support.
We also rely on a dedicated team of volunteers working alongside our paid staff. Our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and bring completely different perspectives to the work we do. Some do things which might appear mundane, like serving food and drink at our Day Centre. Some give us the free benefit of skills and knowledge gained in professional occupations. Some fill a number of different roles.
There is one very important attribute volunteers bring to the support of the homeless that paid staff cannot possibly match. Homeless people know that the volunteers are unpaid and that they therefore help them not to gain any benefit but simply because they care. When you expect to be rejected by "normal" people, it is encouraging and uplifting to know that some actually choose to be alongside you. Serving food and drink at our Day Centre may appear mundane but it is the relationship with our service users that is so valuable.
What you gain
Working with us as a volunteer will give you an insight into the problems of people you might not otherwise meet. You will soon discover that you are making a real difference to the lives of those on the margins of society. You may find yourself developing as a person as a result.
All volunteers working directly with homeless people will receive appropriate training and support.
What you need
Don't worry if you are thinking that working with the homeless is not for you. Most of us started out with the same misgivings. All you need is time to devote to it and a determination to give it a go.
Well, not quite. For legal reasons you do need to be over 18. You also need to live within reasonable distance of Chelmsford, so you can get to us. Because we deal with vulnerable people, you will be asked to undergo a police check or enhanced CRB check.
We welcome volunteers from all ethnic backgrounds, cultures, faiths, genders and sexual orientations and of all ages from 18 upwards. You do not have to be able-bodied; one of our Lay Chaplains is confined to a motorised wheelchair.
What we need
Here are some of the roles for which we currently need volunteers:
Sleep-over volunteers
Sleep-over volunteers spend the night (from 9 pm until 9 am) at the Night Shelter to assist the staff member on duty. You do not have to be awake all night; "Lights out" is at 11 pm and we do not stir again until 7 am. A bed is provided in a separate room.
Big Issue distributor
CHESS acts as distributor for the Big Issue in Chelmsford. At the moment this is organised by staff on top of their other duties. Ideally we would like to have a volunteer who could handle the distribution for us. The work is based at our Day Centre and involves:
- taking delivery of the Big Issue on Mondays;
- distributing copies to the vendors, collecting the money due from them and organising payment to the publishers;
- liaising with the Big Issue vendors and arranging their sales timetables;
- liaising with the Town Centre Manager; and
- checking on the vendors from time to time.
Allotment co-ordinators
Our service users do a lot of the work on our allotment, which is in the Melbourne area of Chelmsford. Although this is very encouraging it does mean we have problems with continuity as service users inevitably move on. In addition, many service users need transport to the site.
We are therefore looking for:
- an allotment supervisor, to organise the work; and
- a transport assistant, who can take service users to and from the allotment.
Craftspeople
From time to time we encourage homeless people to learn a craft to occupy them and possibly to provide a source of income for the future. Our bike project is an example. Contact us if you have a craft that you are willing to pass on to others.
Office assistants
Most of our volunteers help to support our service users through the work they do alongside them. Could you help to support our volunteers? We need people to staff our Volunteer Office on a rota basis, dealing with initial enquiries from potential volunteers, helping with the vetting and registration of new volunteers and liaising with them throughout their time with CHESS. Who better to do this than people who are themselves volunteers?
There are other administrative roles within CHESS that are suitable for volunteers.
And some others
Here are just a few of the other jobs for which we are currently seeking volunteers:
- Job Club assistant
- Fund raising
- Group activities helper
- Housing assistant
- Public relations
- Training Project leader
- Work placement administrator
- Cleaners
Your own speciality?
We don't know what other skills people may have to offer that we can make use of. Who would think that a graphic designer, for example, had anything to offer to a charity supporting the homeless? Well, who do you think designed our logo? It is possible that your skills may be just the ones we need on something we haven't thought about because we didn't know the skills were available. Why not contact us and find out?
How to volunteer
If you would like to offer your services as a volunteer, you can complete the online application form.
If you would like more information before you volunteer, complete our online volunteering enquiry form.
We will be delighted to hear from you.
Firms as volunteers
We are hoping to forge links with businesses and professional firms prepared to help us on a pro bono basis. We would dearly like such help from:
- Accountants
- Advertising agencies
- Architects
- Builders
- Printers
- Public relations consultants
- Solicitors
If you can help in this way, please contact us using our online email form or telephone our Volunteer Office on 01245 284878.