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Thank you for letting me help you

10 things I learned as a volunteer for the homeless during the coronavirus

During the coronavirus lockdown, the volunteer collective Under One Sky delivered more than 37,000 meals to people living rough on the streets of London.

While the aim was to help a community that had been all but forgotten as the pandemic took hold, the initiative also proved hugely beneficial to the volunteers.

We have captured the collective experiences of the Under One Sky volunteers and presented them as a series of letters to the homeless people they served throughout the lockdown. Each letter represents a learning, and is illustrated and supplemented with a supporting piece of data or evidence.

The 10 learnings have been gathered for Under One Sky by the problem-solving collective Common.

Learning 1: The realisation I could be you

I learnt how easy it was to become homeless, often through a set of unfortunate circumstances, that could easily have been me.

I am a chef working in a restaurant and I don’t have savings either. Hearing your story made me feel on the edge.

In an article for the Guardian in April 2020, Amelia Gentleman told the story of “Martin, 27, [who] worked his way up through London’s kitchens, starting as a porter when he arrived in the UK eight years ago to his most recent job as chef de partie at a fashionable restaurant in east London. He was abruptly sacked shortly before the lockdown began, and had to leave the room he was renting because he had no savings. He has been sleeping on a bit of pavement near Charing Cross station for six weeks.” Pointing towards how close to the edge others are, research commissioned in August 2020, by the comparison site Finder.com, revealed that 1 in 10 Brits have no savings at all, and that one third have less than £600 in savings.

Learning 2: Discovering the harsh reality of social injustice

I saw you trying to find a toilet.

It made me angry we were told that homeless people had been given a roof over their heads during Covid. With charities, social services, public conveniences all closed, as well as shops, cafes and bars, you were left to fend for yourselves with very little access to clean running water, toilets and showers.

Without Under One Sky, where would your food have come from?

In her article for the Guardian in April 2020, Amelia Gentleman reported on the lack of access to amenities in London during lockdown: “The city’s day centres have been closed to prevent the transmission of the virus, leaving the homeless with no place to shower or wash their clothes, no toilets and nowhere to access regular food supplies.”

Learning 3: I realised how small actions can have great impact

As Covid meant all shops had been closed, I saw how you couldn’t find a plug to charge your phone, and as a result how you couldn’t receive calls from any potential help. On top of that, one day your phone was stolen. With the help of generous donors, Under One Sky managed to get you and others new phones.

It felt so good to be able to provide some of our homeless friends with clothes and sanitary packs where needed; and finding replacements for stolen guitars, sleeping bags, and other much needed items and treasures.

The idea of altruism behaving like a miracle drug has been around for at least two decades. The euphoric feeling we experience when we help others is what researchers call the “helper’s high,” a term first introduced 20 years ago by volunteerism and wellness expert Allan Luks to explain the powerful physical sensation associated with helping others. Referenced in the Live Science article ‘The Science Behind the Power of Giving’, Luks looked at the physical effects of giving experienced by more than 1,700 women who volunteered regularly. The studies demonstrated that a full 50% of helpers reported feeling “high” when they helped others, while 43% felt stronger and more energetic.

Learning 4: I now understand the practical meaning of compassion

You were not always appreciative.

When you had a bad day, you projected it onto me. But I was able to step back and see that it wasn’t personal. Given the hardship you’re going through, you just needed to vent.

In turn I’ve become more resilient and patient, and have learned the importance of responding instead of reacting.

Compassion makes people more resilient to stress, and makes them less vulnerable to the negative health effects of loneliness. University-backed compassion training programs, such as those at Stanford University and Emory University, are helping us understand how to increase feelings of compassion in ourselves and others.

Learning 5: The emotional value of a treat

Your face would sometimes light up when I offered you a choice of chocolates, biscuits or a cake. This wasn’t a practical solution, just a small treat to help you feel appreciated.

Your ‘thank you’ was genuine and meant much more to me than I expected it would.

Research about volunteering, conducted by the NCVO in 2019 confirmed that one of the most popular ways volunteers want to be recognised for their contribution to the individuals they are helping is to receive thanks from them (verbal or written).

Learning 6: I have learned to be thankful for all I take for granted

As I was coming back home, I had a wake-up moment, realising how much I have been taking my life for granted. How I have always been chasing what I thought was lacking, rather than being thankful for all that I have. Compared to you, I have a lot.

You made me realise the power of gratitude.

Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.

Learning 7: Through serving you, I forgot about my own problems

I have my own mental health challenges.

I suffer from anxiety and I tend to be worried about the future, sometimes in a paralyzing way. By serving you, and focusing on your needs rather than mine, I found a purpose that goes beyond myself. My problems were less present in my mind, less heavy.

I found relief from my own suffering, thanks to you.

Sara Konrath, at the University of Michigan, discovered that people who engaged in volunteerism lived longer than their non-volunteering peers — but only if their reasons for volunteering were altruistic rather than self-serving. Research shows that depression and anxiety are linked to a state of self-focus, a preoccupation with “me, myself, and I”. When you do something for someone else, however, that state of self-focus shifts to a state of other-focus.

Learning 8: Volunteering leads to new skills and interests

Through working with the other volunteers in our teams, and over time becoming a team leader, I’ve gained people management skills I could never otherwise have expected, as well as learning how to facilitate constantly changing and challenging situations.

I’m aware the experience has rocked some of the volunteers to consider career changes (into social work for one) or alternative study options, like anthropology for another.

In their 2019 National Volunteer Survey, NCVO revealed that the impact of volunteering led to 86% of volunteers broadening their experience of life, and 71% gaining new skills and experiences.

Learning 9: I’ve gained a new family through volunteering

Through serving you, I have been introduced to my new Under One Sky family. I never appreciated how profound and uplifting these new connections would be for me, how much belonging to this community would impact me.

The chance to connect with you, and other like-minded people through the volunteers, especially during the isolation of lockdown, has been invaluable to me.

In their June 2020 volunteer survey, Under One Sky found that for three-quarters of their volunteers, the best thing about being part of Under One Sky was the connection they had with the other volunteers. The NCVO 2019 National Volunteer Survey further supports this, with 85% of volunteers feeling a sense of belonging for the organisation they volunteer for.

Learning 10: The power of being acknowledged

When I started volunteering, I appreciated being able to get to know you, and made a point to call you by name each time we met. However I never expected how much joy it would bring me when you called me by my name too.

In an article for the Evening Standard in January 2020, Tamsen Courtenay describes the homeless experience and how the worst part is feeling invisible: “People rarely acknowledge their existence, never mind their needs. There’s a secret world at our feet in London. Secret but not hidden, however hard we pretend it isn’t there. If you do nothing else all week on your way to the office or back from seeing friends, bend down, smile and say hello to a homeless human. They will almost certainly smile back.”

“It’s a testament to you, and our Under One Sky family, that the vast majority* of the volunteers still want to volunteer with the organisation post lockdown. I look forward to continuing to serve you, although hope for your sake, that I no longer need to.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

Under One Sky volunteer

*The Under One Sky June 2020 volunteer survey confirmed 96% of volunteers wanted to continue volunteering for the organisation post lockdown. And the January 2019 NCVO National Volunteer Survey also confirms that many volunteers (80%) choose to continue volunteering with their associated organisation.

What next?

Whilst this article has been written specifically about volunteering with the homeless, many of the lessons learned apply to volunteering more broadly as well. We hope it has inspired you to be of service in your local community, or for a cause that is close to your heart. If you would like to find out more about volunteering, a good starting point would be the NCVO.

You can find out more about Under One Sky by visiting their website.

And if you work for an organisation making a social impact, please contact Common. We’re a problem-solving collective, bringing together disciplines such as service design, behavioural science, social research, psychology and strategy, to challenge your problems and deliver long-lasting, realistic solutions.