Volunteering
The work in The Simon Community is carried out by volunteers (live-in or part-time) and residents living and working together as a community. Live-in volunteers stay at our house with our residents, sharing their mutual strengths and weaknesses and creating a unique atmosphere of love and acceptance. This is not easy to sustain, but for many of our residents it may be the first time in their lives that they have been respected and have somewhere they can belong. We encourage change without aiming to 'rehabilitate'.
The working week of a live-in volunteer is busy and varied. Our volunteers work on our outreach services and are on hand to support residents at home. Living and working with homeless people is not without challenges, but the experience is rewarding. Often volunteers apply because they are interested in working with homeless people but they lack the experience they need to get a job. One of our live-in volunteers said recently:
"I have always been interested in working with homeless people and thought that volunteering full time would be a good way to get that experience. You learn a lot very quickly. Living and working with the residents immerses you into the culture of the community. I think it would have taken me a long time to learn this much in a 9-5 job!"
Though this is unpaid voluntary work, all living expenses (board, food, travel etc) are provided and all bills paid in Central London accommodation. Volunteers are entitled to time off away from the residential setting in a flat provided just for them. All you need to bring with you is your time and energy.
Volunteering with the Simon Community
Live-in Volunteer
What do I need to be a live-in volunteer?
Full-time volunteers need to be at least 18 years old, they must be willing to join in and be kind to others. You don't need to have prior experience, qualifications or any religious beliefs to join our community.
What should I expect?
To join in, work hard, have fun, learn lots and meet a lot of people!
It’s hard to paint a picture of a typical day as we respond to what is happening within our community. Your week might include: making sandwiches, visiting people in homes or hospitals, cleaning, going on a day trip with residents, food shopping, cooking dinner, street work.
What are the next steps?
If you are interested, use the “contact us” button below to request an application form. A good starting point is for you to read the live-in volunteer role description that you will receive alongside this. If your completed application is satisfactory we will arrange a video call with our Community Manager where you can ask any questions. Then you will visit the Community for 72 hours, so we can get to know each other properly and you can join in the work of the Community.
What is the minimum commitment?
We ask full-time volunteers to commit to work and live-in the Community for at least 6 months.
Part-time Volunteering (non-residential)
Part-time volunteers that join us on services make up the biggest group at the Simon Community. We are guided by volunteers who have been residents or who have lived experience of homelessness.
Most of our volunteers come out on street work. This is where we give out food, hot drinks and other donations such as clothes or toiletries to people on the streets of central London. We have a set route that we walk and it usually takes around 2 hours.
Do you have a particular skill you would like to share with The Simon Community and a few hours to spare? We are also always in need of extra drivers to drive the minibus on our outreach services. You will need to be over 25 and have a clean licence to help out with this. We could also use help with social media, procurement and bid writing, if you have experience we would love to hear from you.
What is the minimum commitment?
We don't have a rule as such, but in practice it's a good idea to make a regular commitment of at least once every week or two. All our outreach services currently take place in the evening.
What are the next steps?
If you are interested, use the “contact us” button below to request an application form.
I was really surprised to be staying in a proper house! I thought I was coming to a homeless hostel that would be quite chaotic and have loads of people there, but the house is like a proper home. Everyone contributes and works together, we have breakfast meetings where we plan the day and we eat together in the evening which is nice.
What can I gain from my experience in The Simon Community?
- Valuable experience of working directly with homeless people. The Simon Community is a well known, respected organisation. Having experience as a volunteer is a valuable commodity in terms of future employability
- Training in a range of areas
- The experience of living in a community (if residential)
- The opportunity to make a real difference to those that need it most
If you are interested in volunteering please contact us. When it comes to how many volunteers we can have at any one time, we are limited by space. If you are interested though, please give us a call and we can talk about any spaces that may be coming up.
To Apply
Contact us if you want to talk to someone about volunteering