Who We Are
Social Links is a new charity. We’re people from inside the homelessness sector who saw a real gap—and decided to do something about it. No one takes a wage; we do this because it makes a difference.
We’ve kept things deliberately simple: no CEO, no flashy titles or hierarchy. Just a flat structure where everyone pitches in. That’s how we believe change happens.
At the heart of what we do is a fresh approach to befriending. We focus on genuine, human connections and take time to carefully match and support each befriender. Our work is embedded in homeless services, where we believe tackling social isolation can make a big difference.
Because when connections are made with care, they can change lives.
How We Work
We call our volunteers "visitors" and connect them to people currently accessing homeless services in Westminster (for now…).
Our role is simple: to create space for human connection. Visitors are not there to provide advice or work to address support needs—that’s the role of keyworkers and professionals. Instead, we offer something different but equally important: companionship, conversation and consistency.
Our only goal is to reduce social isolation by giving people the chance to form healthy, meaningful relationships within the safe boundaries of befriending. No pressure. No expectations. Just connection and community—because that, in itself, can be life-changing.
Our volunteers receive a structured, personalised induction and training package, along with intensive ongoing support and supervision.
Working in homelessness services, we’ve seen first-hand the gap: too many people feel disconnected and isolated (despite some really good services). There's limited space for mutual relationships without a secondary agenda, such as getting someone to an appointment or addressing a support issue.
Social Links was born from that need.
In the NHS, as well as in older people’s services and prisons, befriending has existed for years. We’re bringing it to the homelessness sector.
We know that people who’ve experienced homelessness often carry incredible stories, resilience, and perspectives. We want to help the wider public connect with that.
We value your time, and the trust of people living in homeless services. For these reasons, we take a lot of care in how we recruit, train, match and support our volunteers.
We place a lot of focus on recruiting volunteers in relation to their attitudes and mindsets, backed up by competency-based examples, rather than looking for direct experience. This is something to keep in mind when responding to questions under the "What Are We Looking For?" section.
If you have any questions, we are always happy to arrange an informal chat before you make an expression of interest.
What Volunteering at Social Links looks like:
- Thorough induction and training.
- Meeting the person you are befriending in person every 1-2 weeks.
- Regular 6-8 weekly one-to-one support and supervision.
- Ensuring volunteers are never “out of pocket” for their expenses.
What are Competency-Based Questions?
Competency-based questions ask you to provide specific examples of things you have done in the past to demonstrate a skill, like "Tell us a time you showed long term commitment to something". To answer effectively, you might use the “STAR approach”: describe the Situation, the Task you needed to complete, the Action you took, and the Result of your actions / the outcome.
*Word count for each question: Approx. 150-250 words.
We want our recruitment process to be inclusive and accessible. If you prefer, you can answer the application questions by recording a short audio or video instead of writing your responses.
What are we looking for? Please share with us your responses to these questions:
- Why would you like to volunteer with Social Links?
- Please tell us about a time that you showed long term commitment to something demanding. (You may have done this in an extra-curricular activity like sports, music, volunteering or place of worship – it doesn’t have to be volunteering)
- Please tell us about a time when listening to someone was very challenging, but you did it well. (You may have done this with a friend, a peer at university or in paid work – it doesn’t have to be volunteering)
- Please tell us about a time you built a positive relationship with someone when at first there were challenges. (You may have done this with a friend, a peer at university or in paid work – it doesn’t have to be volunteering)
- What is your understanding of homelessness and homeless services? (Please don’t use generative AI for this answer – there’s isn’t really a “wrong” answer, we’re curious about your perspective and it’s fine to say you don’t know.)
- Diversity, equality and inclusion are important to us. Please share with us an example of when you achieved an outcome in this area. (This could be about the importance of diverse spaces or a small action you may have taken at home, societies or anything in life generally)
- What do you think might be some of the challenges to volunteering with us? How might you overcome them? (We are not looking for a “correct” answer. Instead, we are interested in your thoughts.)
Social Links is a small new charity. Longer term, we have big ambitions. However, we want to start small and do things well, growing the charity organically. If you are looking for the opportunity to be involved in a grass-roots charity that is starting from the ground-up, one of our volunteer befriender roles may be for you.
Our Opportunities
Volunteer as a Social Links Visitor, matched 1:1 with someone in Westminster homeless hostels/supported housing. Meet weekly/fortnightly (~2 hrs) for chats/activities. Minimum 3 month commitment; training, support & expenses covered.