Project Snapshot
Project name: Depaul Northern Ireland Homeless Project – Stella Maris Belfast
Project type: Volunteering
Organisers: Depaul Northern Ireland
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Number of participants: 2 (in this particular project)
Participating countries: Italy & Portugal (based on 2011-12)
Project duration: On-going
Size of grant: €33,354 (based on 2011-12)
Outcomes: Communication skills, self-confidence, volunteering skills, interpersonal skills.
The Stella Maris Service in Belfast provides round-the-clock supported accommodation to homeless people with acute alcohol addiction. But this is a hostel with a difference - it allows the consumption of alcohol on site in an effort to minimise harm and monitor consumption.
Jenny Groves, a Volunteer Co-ordinator from Stella Maris, explains the added benefits of having long-term volunteers from the European Voluntary Service (EVS) to help out around the hostel.
“We have been working with the EVS since 2004; they send us two volunteers per year for around 11 months at a time. We prefer this long-term commitment from our volunteers, because it gives our service users a greater chance of building a trusting relationship with them.
The contribution these volunteers make is invaluable. They bring a fresh and unique cultural dimension to the hostel. In this way, everyone benefits: the volunteer gains a unique experience, forms new skills and gets an insight into a different way of living. The Stella Maris project and our service users get the energy and enthusiasm of the young person, whilst learning about their culture.
The volunteers help out with all aspects of running the hostel. Probably the most mutually beneficial is the workshops they run, in areas as diverse as photography, music, art and crafts, relaxation, indoor gardening, cinema and cultural evenings. They also organise trips to the park, the beach or sometimes they take the service users to grab a coffee around the corner.
We will continue to host EVS at the hostel for as long as we are able – the place would not be the same without them!”