Homeless Outreach

So many different ways to raise money!

Do you have a heart for helping? You might have a range of skills or would like to build more and gain experience. You might have a few hours to give regularly or are looking for a chance to volunteer at certain times in the year.

Our volunteers need to be over 18 years old, will complete a criminal record self-disclosure form and depending on the role may undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Volunteers need to provide relevant references so we can make safe recruitment decisions.

Winter Night Shelter 2025: WE NEED YOU NOW!

Our winter night shelter will be open in January, February and March 2025. We’ll provide beds, food and a safe place to stay during the bleakest months. Our team will also work with our guests to help them find a home for good.

We need 100 more volunteers to sign up NOW. You can offer just a few hours once, twice or more a month. You get all the training and support you need.

Christmas and winter volunteering

We have lots of ways for people to get involved during the festive season. Have a look at our volunteer opportunities page to see how you can help us run fundraising events, decorate Christmas trees and share the news about the work we do and more. You don’t need to register as a WHC volunteer to take part so it is great for groups and individuals who want to help at this time of year for a few hours or more.

If you were looking to help with a soup run or delivering gifts on Christmas day – read on! Our goal is that the people we serve will be given a place in local emergency accommodation before and during Christmas, and then in our shelter in January, February and March. If someone is found to be homeless during the winter our job is to get them into a safe place to stay ASAP.

We work with them to resolve their homelessness and link them with amazing organisations in the town who hold Christmassy events, host Christmas day lunches, hand out gift packs and provide food parcels, so they’ve got that covered – it takes a community to change lives!

And our biggest volunteering need in the winter is at the shelter – see above.

Fundraising and raising awareness

Do you love meeting people, or like to get creative? We need people help us share the word about the help and hope we offer, and to raise money for our work. You might be part of a team staffing a stand at community events, steward our own Big Sleepout, help with bucket collections at local events, decorate Christmas trees in the festive season and more. We provide the support and you bring the enthusiasm!

Opportunities are varied and you can volunteer regularly or a few times a year. You don’t need to be a fully fledged WHC volunteer to take part in events and we love to welcome groups.

Get in touch with our fundraising and community events coordinator, Austyn if you’d like to find out more.

Email communications@wyhoc.org.uk or call 01494 447699

Office and behind-the-scenes roles

Office volunteers offer a warm and helpful welcome to visitors and people calling or emailing with queries. You may deal with general enquiries and a host of other tasks that you can take on depending on what skills you have or would like to build. You might like to help sort our clothing and food donations. you can also answer our homelessness helpline and guide people to the right support.

You will find your time and help appreciated by all. The time commitment needed for these roles varies.

Client-facing roles

You will work directly with the people we serve. This could be in our Support Centre in Wycombe or drop-in sessions in other locations. You might answer our homelessness helpline or help at our Plug In evening sessions. You can join our outreach project or be asked to drive a client to an appointment and accompany them to meetings where they need support. These roles tend to require a commitment of a few hours a week on a regular basis. You will make a direct difference in the lives of the people we serve.

Specialist roles

We also have a need from time to time for specialist roles so if you have a skill you think you can offer do please let us know. Skills might include translation, knowledge in a legal area related to homelessness, governance, publicity, IT and more. If you are interested in being a trustee please see this page.

Making your volunteering safe and rewarding:

Training and support

You will receive a wide range of training depending on what role you take on. All volunteers will be trained in manual handling, safeguarding, key policies, supporter and client care, and confidentiality. Role-specific training will be provided as needed.

Pastoral support

It is important to us that you feel valued and heard as the work we do can be emotionally challenging; you will be provided with pastoral support. We are always happy to hear about how you feel be that positive or where we need to improve so you will be able to speak to our dedicated volunteering coordinator.

Showing our appreciation

We are indebted to our volunteers and are keenly aware that we couldn’t do what we do without your help. Our annual thanksgiving service and annual showcase are chances for us to celebrate your contribution and we offer social opportunities for our volunteers to get together too.