Hosting and supporting people seeking asylum in Bristol

Got a Tuesday evening to spare?

Volunteer with BHN at our Men's house in Fishponds!

We’re looking for volunteers to support our men’s house in Fishponds! The house hosts 11 men who are seeking asylum, supported by volunteer live-in hosts. On Tuesday evening the residents come together to eat a meal, play games, connect and have fun. Tuesday nights are also attended by BHN staff.

BHN are in search of local, consistent, friendly volunteers to support our residents at the Tuesday night meal (6pm - 9pm) in a befriending role or an admin/ICT support role.

Application Form

Flip through the tabs below to find out more about the different roles, or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Cait, at cait@bhn.org.uk

Context

BHN’s primary purpose is to prevent destitution amongst people whose asylum claims have been refused, and who need the safety and stability to work on making new claims, or to think about how to find a safer future.

One of the ways we do this is through our shared men’s house in Fishponds.
It’s a big old building with 12 bedrooms and shared facilities. 3 people who live there act as the house ‘hosts’. All the people who live there clean and cook, and they all eat together on Tuesday evenings.

Time commitment & role support

Times & Location:

6pm – 9pm Tuesday evening, on a rota basis. Minimum commitment once a month.

The house is located in Fishponds, full address will be disclosed with induction to the role.

Training, support and supervision
Volunteers in this role will be supervised by our men’s house Co-ordinator. We will provide an induction to BHN and our code of conduct, and training on the asylum system, working with people with PTSD, First aid and fire warden, Boundaries and Safeguarding.

What does it mean to be a befriender?

Befriending is about being a friendly, talkative and consistent presence who can engage the residents and help make Tuesday evenings a welcoming and fun space.

Purpose:

House volunteers support our members, house hosts and House Co-ordinator on a Tuesday evening. They do this by:

providing practical support to members and sharing knowledge of local services.
feeding back any concerns about members, or health and safety, to the House
Coordinator.
being a friendly face and creating a positive, happy atmosphere helping to
reduce feelings of isolation.
eating a shared meal with members, playing games and talking
supporting house members to keep the house clean, tidy and safe.

Essential skills and knowledge:

Good listening and communication skills.
A positive, can-do attitude and a willingness to get stuck in.

Desirable skills and knowledge:

An awareness of the challenges facing refused asylum seekers.
Knowledge of local health care, education and transport services.
Knowledge of a community language.
Ability to maintain a trauma informed approach to the role (training can be provided).

What are we looking for in an admin and ICT volunteer?

Admin and ICT support means supporting our residents, who sometimes have very limited English, to navigate life admin using the household computers or their phones.

Purpose:

assist residents with learning to use laptops and the internet
Support residents with life admin, referring them to support from staff where required
feed back any concerns about members, or health and safety, to the House Coordinator.
be a friendly face and create a positive, happy atmosphere helping to reduce feelings of isolation.
eat a shared meal with members, play games and talk

Essential skills and knowledge:

Good skills with email, internet, setting up accounts or retrieving passwords
Ability to explain information in a straightforward way, without jargon
Good listening and communication skills.
A positive, can-do attitude and a willingness to get stuck in.
Ability to maintain a trauma informed approach to the role (training can be provided).

Other volunteer opportunities at BHN

BHN is always looking for people who love our values to get involved in BHN. If you are available on Monday daytimes or Tuesday evenings and would like to get involved please fill out an application form below.

We are currently looking for:

We might also be looking for something else that we don't know we're looking for yet! Please get in touch if you'd like to help out but are unsure how your skills would fit.

You can fill in our Volunteer Application Form here:

If you have any questions about volunteering, email our Volunteer Coordinator, Cait at cait@bhn.org.uk.

Barbers

Chef & kitchen volunteers

Breakfast table volunteers

Volunteer Application Form

We strongly encourage applications from people with lived experience of the asylum system in the UK. Members can also talk to us directly about volunteering by coming to the Monday drop-in.