Our early morning outreach session runs in conjunction with our rough sleeper breakfast session. The outreach team goes out to local streets looking for those who have slept rough overnight. If appropriate they will approach them to check on their welfare and to invite them back to the Beacon, where they can warm up inside, have breakfast and a chat, and link in with our other services.We encourage the outreach team to look for those who appear to be particularly in need of help and those who they don’t recognise - engaging with people as soon as possible after they have become homeless is often key to being able to provide real help.
Our early morning outreach team forms a vital link between those who are rough sleeping in the city centre and our breakfast service at the Beacon. They are not only a friendly face and the source of information, but also an encouragement and support to help people make the often daunting step of going inside a service. Potential volunteers should be aware that the purpose of the outreach is to make links with rough sleepers and encourage them to come into the Beacon, our outreach teams do not carry food or other provisions with them.
The outreach team is made up entirely of volunteers, and so this work wouldn’t happen without the amazing people who volunteer for us. Teams comprise a minimum of 3 people, who stay together at all times, and there is always an experienced team leader with the team.
Volunteers for this session need to arrive at 7:00am, ready for a briefing and prayer before leaving on outreach at around 7:15. Volunteers are normally finished and free to leave at around 8:30am. If you are interested in doing outreach then please note that for safety reasons we will not send out teams of less than 3 people and volunteers may therefore occasionally be asked to remain in the Beacon to help with breakfast rather than go on outreach if other members of the team are unable to come.
Volunteers need to be prepared to do any of the following as required by the session leader:

Walk around the streets of Manchester City Centre at a reasonable pace
Make notes of numbers of rough sleepers and any welfare/ other concerns
Work as part of a team at all time and take direction from the team leader 
Approach rough sleepers sensitively and with a friendly welcome
Talk to rough sleepers to provide information and listening ear
Accompany rough sleepers back to the Beacon where appropriate (as part of a team)
Liaise with the session leader at the Beacon as appropriate to ensure your safety and the smooth running of the service
Help out at the breakfast session when requested to do so

Other miscellaneous tasks as may be required by the session leader Required strengths for this role: You don’t need any special skills to volunteer for this role, but you do need the following:

Compassionate nature
Non-judgmental and non-discriminatory attitude
Ability to communicate effectively with a range of people from different backgrounds
Ability to work as part of a team or on your own initiative
Patience
Flexibility
Ability to remain calm and think on your feet
Resilience Punctuality and reliability
Desire to make a positive difference in the lives of our guests

Volunteers in all roles need to comply with the terms of the volunteer agreement and to carry out their role in accordance with the training that we provide and the direction of the session leader.
Volunteers need to be aware that Barnabus is a Christian charity. Whilst we do not expect volunteers or staff to be Christian or to actively participate in any Christian activities, we do ask that you are respectful of our beliefs and that you join us for a short prayer at the start of each session.