Michael joined Albany Housing Trust in September 2020, initially living in a larger accommodation and is now in his own self-contained flat as of October 2021, there had been barriers affected him in maintaining settled accommodation. He had always taken pride in being an artist and was able to express himself through his art. He volunteered to decorate our office with our values and missions using a variation of colours using POSCA graffiti pens. Michael has also been volunteering at Albany Housing Trust with painting and creating amazing art work for our accommodations. Michael has a passion for art work and hopes to one day create a website to showcase his art.
I have made some big and major steps since joining Albany Housing Trust, when I joined them I was homeless. Since being housed with Albany Housing Trust I have been given the opportunity to embark on painting volunteer work, I absolutely love painting especially when the job is completed and you get to see the satisfaction on everyone's face, it definitely boosts morale. My focus is to get back to working in full time employment.
At Albany Housing Trust, we value the contribution of our volunteers highly. Participants in our VP have come from people in the local community wanting to make a difference, people seeking work experience.
Volunteering at AHT offers you the chance to:
- Develop a professional rapport with clients
- Support client recovery through engagement and empowerment
- Organise One-to-One and Peer Group Sessions,
- Deliver Art / Cooking Workshops and supervise Days Trips to museums / art / culture
- Cultivate self-esteem and confidence
- Support clients in developing skills and ambitions
- Support and signpost clients to academic or vocational opportunities
- Shadow and assist staff
Volunteers can take away with them:
- Experience of working directly with those with complex mental health needs
- An array of skills concerning communication, client engagement and recovery
- The opportunity to apply your existing practical and theoretical knowledge
- Useful experience for a career in social or mental health work
All Volunteers receive training covering Company Induction, a Person Centred Holistic Approach to Recovery, various Recovery Models, Empowerment for Decision Making and Self Esteem, Motivational Interviewing and much more.
At AHT all our Volunteers have their travel and food expenses paid for.
