Volunteer with us

Our wonderful volunteers are the heart of what we do and without them, we couldn’t do the work we do to get people housed.

Volunteering brings new experiences, new friends, new skills and a chance to give back. Maybe you can give us two hours a week to help out, whether it’s helping with out morning rough sleeper respite sessions (8:45am-12:30am).

Every single one of our volunteers brings a talent or skill which we can use. We’re blessed to have so many fantastic people on our team. We’d love to welcome you too!

You can choose to volunteer in our support centre in the morning, helping people get a breakfast, shower, support getting off the streets and accessing healthcare. We are also always looking for volunteers to help out with the vital behind the scenes work in our office. In addition we always need volunteers for prayer and the God Slot.

You don’t need to be a Christian to volunteer but we do ask for people to be sympathetic and respectful of our Christian values.

Due to a high number of applications we cannot accept anymore volunteers for the time being.

Please check back in a couple weeks time

The process is simple: complete the form, and choose a date and time for your interview and taster session. The interview is a short conversation to make sure that volunteering at Barnabus is right for you and the taster session gives you a chance to decide for yourself that you are happy to continue the process. Once those are done, we offer you training and help with applying for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check for working with vulnerable adults.

Having a conviction is not a bar to volunteering at Barnabus; if you want to talk to us about any issues before you decide to apply, contact Neil Cornthwaite for a chat by emailing [email protected].

How to apply

To apply to volunteer with us please fill out this form

Latest

Re-opening Tuesday 26th January

We’re delighted to re-open from Tuesday 26th January with an emphasis on supporting people sleeping rough or in urgent need of accommodation at our Support Centre.
Huge steps for our friend

Andy has come on so far and has developed the confidence that he had lost along the way. He gives us so much hope, and reminds us why we will never give up on someone. Read Andy's story here
Lockdown Fundraising Ideas

Between the Lockdown restrictions and the cold wet weather of winter we will all be spending alot of time indoors for the next month. However this doesn't mean you can't get together with your family or housemates and even your friends (virtually) for some fun and raise life changing funds to support people experiencing homelessness.
Starting the year as we mean to go on

There is often a lot of help and support for people who spend the Christmas holiday on the streets. Sadly, though, this is usually short lived. Every year there is much less on offer on New Year’s Day, which is why we always try to ensure our doors a

Re-opening Tuesday 26th January

We’re delighted to re-open from Tuesday 26th January with an emphasis on supporting people sleeping rough or in urgent need of accommodation at our Support Centre.
Huge steps for our friend

Andy has come on so far and has developed the confidence that he had lost along the way. He gives us so much hope, and reminds us why we will never give up on someone. Read Andy's story here
Our resettlement team’s recent success

While some may be winding down for Christmas, our resettlement team have been busier than ever. In the last three weeks alone, they’ve housed seven people into their own private tenancies. For some of these seven people, it’s been years since they last had a home of their own so we’re delighted to make this happen in time for Christmas.
The Breakfast Project off to an amazing start

In just 3 weeks, we’ve served over 300 breakfasts. It’s been an incredible effort from everyone involved, and a real testament to Manchester coming together to help others. We couldn’t have done it without our volunteers and working so closely with other charities.
New Hope Away From The Streets And Into A Home

Our Resettlement Tenancy Project is just one of the initiatives that we have in place when people come to us for support. Typically, when someone gets in touch or is referred to us, we’ll provide them with a resettlement worker or a case worker. Over a period of time, our case workers will aid recovery, enabling and equipping individuals so that they can thrive independently and feel secure in their home. Not to mention be connected and part of their community.
Winters harsh impact on mental health

At this time of year as we head into winter we tragically see a rising and disturbing level of lost hope amongst our friends who are rough sleeping. This is why our outreach work and one to one support at our Support Centre and offices is so vital.
Help for Chris

We’ve recently been fortunate to help a man into accommodation. Chris had been known by other services in Manchester but they had found him difficult to work with due to his aggression and past convictions.
‘Manchester is Ours’ Barnabus 2021 Calendar

Our 'Manchester is Ours' 30th Anniversary Charity Calendars showcase our great city through stunning photographs. As we find ourselves in a 3rd lockdown give a gift of hope this New Year and Join with us to see lives transformed away from the streets
Rachel’s Story

Rachel came to Barnabus in September 2018. She had lost her job and the property she was living in was attached to her employment which made her homeless and destitute. She was very much out of her depth and did not know where she needed to go or what to do.
Reverse Advent Calendar

Turn the advent calendar idea on its head - instead of getting something for yourself each day, you can give people experiencing homelessness the things they need instead.

Sad news from the streets

It doesn't happen often anymore, thank goodness, but a couple of weeks ago, someone we knew died on the streets in Manchester.
End of Week Blog 27/03/2020

What a week it’s been, not just for Barnabus, but for the whole of our nation. Last week was all about shock and panic, this week was all about mobilisation when we realised we were moving to lockdown due to the corona virus.
Success finding our friend a new home during lockdown

In July, Aimee, our Resettlement Worker, was able to house someone experiencing homelessness. This is doubly impressive as she has done this despite the challenges posed by COVID19 and in her first month back from maternity leave. Our outreach team first met this man when he was rough sleeping on Market Street in May during the peak of the Lockdown. Our support team were able to house him in temporary accommodation in the city.
Rachel’s Story

Rachel came to Barnabus in September 2018. She had lost her job and the property she was living in was attached to her employment which made her homeless and destitute. She was very much out of her depth and did not know where she needed to go or what to do.
Our support team are still a lifeline through this lockdown

Stephen Rowley is our Head of Support; before the crisis he was supporting rough sleepers and people experiencing homelessness with one to one support at our Support Office and Drop in. During this lockdown he is now providing support on the phone to rough sleepers in hotels and tenants self isolating in our Resettlement project. He is also feeding back to the team any deliveries or practical support that may be needed.
End of week blog 8/05/2020

Sadly there is still a small group of people rough sleeping in Manchester, spending their days and nights on the streets. We are now doing street outreach again to feed these people and support them into accommodation
Volunteer with us

Our wonderful volunteers are the heart of what we do and without them, we couldn’t do the work we do to get people housed. We have volunteers from all over Greater Manchester, as well as Cheshire and Lancashire, all age groups and all walks of life.
Freedom from Sleeping Rough and Addiction

We’re so proud of her and we’re blessed and privileged to have been able to offer support and be on this journey of hope together.
Homelessness in Manchester

If you’ve walked the streets of Manchester, you’ve almost certainly passed by a rough sleeper. In fact, you’ve probably noticed that there are more people living and sleeping out on the streets. In 2010, the official rough sleeper figure was 7. In 2018, it was 94. Unfortunately, we know that in reality, the number is much higher. Please read on to find out more about homelessness in our city.
Donate Items

As an essential service we are very much open despite this new lock down. Unfortunately we cannot currently take second hand clothing donations. We can however still take donations of long life food. You can also support us through our amazon wish list or other online gifts. Alternatively you can send us Supermarket / One4All gift cards.