Volunteering with Cambridge Cyrenians means supporting people experiencing homelessness to find stability, dignity and a place to call home. Our volunteers play an important role across our services, offering time, skills and compassion that make a lasting impact.
Whether you’re looking for a long-term placement or can offer a few hours a week, there are meaningful ways to get involved.
If you have made it through our shortlisting procedure, we’ll contact you with an application pack before shortlisting again, and then reaching out to those we’d like to interview. We currently host three positions per year, but receive many more applicants than we hold positions for. Therefore, we are unable to respond to all expressions of interest individually.
If you would like an opportunity to become a full-time volunteer with Cambridge Cyrenians, please fill out our expression of interest form.
Express your interestWe have opportunities for volunteers with all commitment levels, for both one-off events or regular volunteering. We are also able to host group and individual volunteers. We are also able to offer positions working directly, or indirectly with our residents. Some of our opportunities include:
As a volunteer, you will be provided with an induction and ongoing support. We value the significant contributions of our volunteers. In appreciation for your efforts, we offer invaluable experiences and learning opportunities, including:
A structured opportunity to support people and build experience.
Our full-time volunteering roles are ideal for people looking to commit more time, gain experience in the homelessness or support sector, or take a meaningful step towards a career in social care.Full-time volunteers are usually based in one of our houses or services and provide day-to-day support to residents, helping create a safe, calm and supportive environment.
All the houses are within walking distance of the city centre.Workers are allocated their own single room within the house. The facilities are basic, but everything is in the house that you need. There is also a Workers house for volunteers to relax in their downtime – this property is also based in the city centre.
There are core hours during which the Workers are required to be present and available in the house, or on other duties. These are 9-10.30am and 4-7pm, on the days they are on duty. There are also meetings during the week that Workers are expected to attend and various other duties that make up part of their daily routine. Workers do not need to inform staff or residents of their whereabouts when they are off the project, but they have a responsibility to let them know when they shall return, using the system that is in place.
Each Worker has 48 hrs off each week and there is a Worker’s house that they can use to get away. They can take friends there, but not residents, ex-residents or would-be residents. Days off can start at any time during the day, but Workers are expected to have agreed these days off in advance with staff and their co-Worker. They must also insure that they leave sufficient time to complete a hand over to their co-Worker, before starting their break. Workers are expected to return from days off no more than 48 hours after their start. On arrival of a new Worker, the co-Worker is expected not to take any days off for that new Worker’s first week. This would normally only be expected to happen once during a Worker’s stay. Workers may take a week off every 10 weeks. For this any additional costs are covered, including a contribution to travel expenses.
Staff visit each house most days and are available at the office should Workers need any advice or guidance. The Finance Officer, helps the Workers with the individual house accounts. Additionally to this there is a Mental Health Outreach Worker and Older Homeless Project Worker who work independently of the accommodation service, but can provide on-going support for residents. Workers receive one-to-one supervision or group supervision if required.
Workers are paid a subsistence rate to ensure people can afford to volunteer. Accommodation and food is provided, or an allowance paid to cover meals. All bills are included except for private phone calls. Travel expenses are paid to and from the project of up to £60.00 when arriving and leaving, plus for any travel incurred whilst volunteering. For further details, please contract the Volunteer Co-ordinator, but it is important to us that Workers are not out of pocket because they choose to volunteer with us.
Cambridge Cyrenians Employers Liability cover extends to include the Worker, but it does not cover personal belongings. Anyone thinking about bringing items of value, such as a laptop computer, ipod, camera, bicycle etc. should consider taking our personal insurance, or leaving items of value at home.
Workers are encouraged to cook and eat with the residents in their house, particularly on a Sunday, when residents take it in turns to cook a communal meal. Vegetarians can be catered for, as can any dietary requirements.
The smoking regulations no longer allow residents to smoke in the communal areas of their houses, but Workers should be aware that they will still be required to enter bedrooms on occasions, where residents can smoke.
There is a four-week induction period during which time you will learn about your responsibilities and the weekly running of the house. The Volunteer Co-ordinator and your co-Worker will guide you through this.
There are also written policies and procedures with which you will need to familiarise yourself with.
Many ways of dealing with issues will not be written down, and these you will simply pick up as you go along.
There is quite a lot of peer support around for Workers. However, do take the opportunity to check in with the office if you have any queries, especially within the first few weeks.
At four weeks the Volunteer Co-ordinator and the Supported Accommodation Manager will review how you have settled in at the house, and also to establish whether you would like to stay on.
Training is available for all of our full-time volunteers and we will do our best to ensure that you have attended the most important courses within your first 12 weeks.
These important training sessions include Mental Health Awareness, Dealing with Violence and Aggression, Substance Abuse and Safeguarding.
We are welcome to ideas and suggestions on trainings that our Full-Time Voluntary Workers would like to enrol on which may enrich their experiences. Our staff team are also available for advice and information too.
The Workers are responsible for welcoming new residents, though staff may complete most of the necessary paperwork. The admission process is very important for new residents as it sets the stage for their stay. Our volunteers help to orientate new residents to their surroundings and helping them gain an understanding of their responsibilities and what is expected of them in the property.
Each house holds its own house meeting. On average these are held once every three to four weeks. Normally attended by one member of staff, the residents and Workers get the opportunity to raise any issues or queries that they feel are important. Rotas for shopping, cooking and cleaning are decided at House Meetings. Workers are expected to participate in each of these duties. This way, residents and Workers take the responsibility for how the house is run. The outcome of these meetings is passed on at the weekly Worker meetings at the main office with other staff members involved in the running of the house.
The Workers attend a weekly meeting every Wednesday with office staff, to give feed back on how the houses are running and the welfare of its’ residents. These meetings provide updated information about policy and practice, as well as sharing ideas and ways of dealing with particular issues that may arise in the houses.
The Workers are responsible for the petty cash held in the house safe. This money is used to purchase some food and day to day items, such as replacement light bulbs etc. The house accounts are checked each Monday at the main office. Workers will be given some in-house training from the Finance Officer in organising the accounts for the house.
Cambridge Cyrenians employ an on-call service for emergencies, and they can be reached with the push of a button. The service is accessible to both staff and residents to ensure safety of each and the properties.
Workers are also given a list of appropriate contact numbers when they first arrive. Staff can be contacted on these numbers for non-emergencies, such as advice. During the week there will be a period of time that the Worker will be on their own within the house, that would be due to their co-Worker taking their allocated days off. When this occurs there will be a greater presence from the staff team at the house. If however a Worker has any concerns then they must inform the staff so that more support can be provided.
As the Cyrenians’ representative in the house, Workers are responsible for feeding back information to the office about what the on-going situations are within the house. Workers have an important role in creating the community within the house, and having an ear for the residents. When residents first come to the Cyrenians they can on occasions adopt the attitude that the Workers are there to solve all of their problems. It is important that Workers explain that they are not counsellors. However they should be prepared to spend time listening. Workers are often looked upon within the houses as role models.
Residents may also need support and guidance to be involved in outside activities and encouragement in tasks that they may find difficult. Some residents can at times become disruptive or aggressive, and Workers will have to deal with the effects of this within the house. Sometimes the residents and events within the house may be very demanding. However the house can also run very smoothly.
Though the Cyrenians try to avoid this, disruptive behaviour may lead to an eviction. A fourteen-day or seven-day notice is given to the resident, and if things have not changed by the end of that time, the resident is evicted. Only staff can authorise an eviction, but they will take into account information from and the feelings of the Workers.
The possibilities for Worker’s development within Cambridge Cyrenians are there. However the role is demanding and responsible. The role stays basically the same, but different situations may arise whilst working with individual residents within the houses.
If you are interested and wish to know more about becoming a full-time Voluntary Worker please contact us using the details using the form below.
Prospective UK Workers will be invited to visit prior to any offer of a placement. This is your introduction to Cambridge Cyrenians and an opportunity for us to decide whether we think you would be suitable as a Worker and also an opportunity for you to decide if volunteering with Cambridge Cyrenians is for you. Visits must include at least part of one weekday to enable you to meet all of the relevant staff members.
Prospective overseas Workers will be offered an interview by phone/skype. Non-EU applicants will require Cambridge Cyrenians to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship and to obtain a visa. In addition, as of April 2015, all non-EU applicants will also be required to pay a health surcharge of £150 to £200.
This will need to be paid to the Home Office at the same time as applying for a visa. The surcharge will entitle non-EU Workers to access the National Health Service in the same way as a permanent resident. The Volunteer Co-ordinator can provide further information about this.
All Workers will be required to provide proof of ID., normally a copy of their passport before being made an offer, and sight of their passport again on arrival.
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Registered Charity 261994
Registered Company in England and Wales 992199
