Job Description

Peabody is one of the oldest and largest housing associations in London. We own and manage more than 55,000 homes across the capital, housing over 110,000 residents.  We also run an extensive number of community programmes which are open to all Londoners.

With funding from Nesta, we are working alongside Genesis, Optivo and Mind to deliver V50, a volunteering programme tailored specifically for volunteers aged 50 and over.  If you are aged over 50, we would love to see you involved with this exciting programme.

We are concerned that some of our older customers often feel lonely and cut off from activities within their neighbourhoods. This has a negative impact on the mental and physical health of our customers.

Lead by recommendations from our service users and staff, we are recruiting volunteers to provide a wellbeing service that could help reduce social isolation of our older customers.  For this project, Wellbeing Coaches will provide ‘befriending’ support to residents aged 50+ with mild to moderate mental health needs.

Specific tasks include:

• Providing encouragement and emotional support to help the resident to become less socially isolated.
• Understanding the needs of the customer and working with them to achieve health and wellbeing goals
• Working with the customer to help them identify suitable local services/activities to access
• Accompanying the customer with initial visits to community activities with a view of promoting their longer term independence
• Liaising with the Volunteer Supervisor to provide feedback on your visits

At the start of the project, we will meet with you for an informal chat at an office that is located nearest to where you live, but as a volunteer you will be visiting residents living in:  

• Westminster
• Tower Hamlets
• Thamesmead

The V50 Project will therefore help our customers have improved access to local services in their neighbourhoods.

Volunteers will be required for a minimum of 12 hours per week (broken up into 3 days per week at 4 hours per day).  Your time could be split between visits to the resident or completing light administrative tasks at your leisure to assist with the project’s research on supporting vulnerable isolated adults.

V50 Volunteers will need to have:

• Good verbal communication skills.

• Basic written skills

• Good listening skills

• A caring and helpful attitude

• An understanding of confidentiality

• A commitment to diversity and equality.

• A non-judgemental attitude