How volunteering in Edinburgh Cyrenians community for homeless people changed our lives

There were practical reasons too, for both of us. For Michael, it meant free accommodation in Edinburgh where housing is expensive and scarce, whereas for Amine, it meant access to a sponsorship letter for visa support.

In return for free bed and board, we volunteered five days a week, spending time with residents, going along to appointments with them, helping them to learn skills like cooking and cleaning. Mainly we would just relax and have fun, like you would with a friend or maybe a younger sibling who is struggling.

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Chaos and trauma

These may sound like simple things, but many of the people who live in the communities have been in and out of care, in asylum-seeker hostels, or just had chaotic and traumatic family lives. They haven’t had the chance to develop so many of the skills you take for granted if you had a more stable childhood.

It took a bit of time for us both to settle in – like any shared flat there could be some tension about who was putting the most effort into the washing up… and for Amine there was there was lots to get used as he settled into a brand new country, speaking a language that wasn’t his first.

But it soon felt like home. And it’s amazing how many different kinds of people you end up meeting, and the stories about people's lives you end up hearing.

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A place to feel normal

Often, when a new resident would come in, they would be really shy and tense. Then over the course of a few months, through getting to know the other residents, staff, and volunteers, you’d see them relax and become themselves again.

We think that’s the most important thing the communities offer – they are places where people can feel normal. One guy, who had been really withdrawn when he first arrived, said when it was time to leave: “I don’t want to go, I like it here.”

It would be great if there were more supportive communal living places for people after they leave. The lack of housing available in Edinburgh is affecting everyone, but especially many of the residents who have less money or confidence than your average young person.

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Sharing a life

That said, we both feel like – just by being there – we did make a difference. And the people we lived with made a difference to us, too. We came out of the experience feeling like we really developed as people and got some clarity around the direction of our lives.

Michael no longer lives in the communities, but has just found a job working for a Cyrenians farm community. “My time volunteering really clarified for me what I wanted to do with my life – I wanted to work with people.” Amine developed his English, made new friends, and learned how to support people with mental health challenges in a respectful and compassionate way.

This kind of community volunteering is important. It helps people from loads of different backgrounds not just to share a space but to share a life.

Amine and Michael were live-in volunteers in Cyrenians communities for people who have experienced homelessness. If this is something you would be interested in doing, visit the Cyrenians website.