Volunteer Companion to Someone in Need

Volunteer Companion – Role Description

Companion Connections, City Voices

🌿 Overview

Volunteer Companions help reduce loneliness and isolation by building steady, caring, peer-to-peer relationships with people in our community. This is a non-clinical, non-therapeutic role rooted in empathy, shared humanity, and mutual respect. Volunteers are matched with a Companion based on interests, lived experience, identity, and communication preferences.

🤝 Responsibilities

• Connect regularly with your matched Companion for at least one hour every two weeks (phone, text, or Zoom).
• Build trust through consistent presence, active listening, and genuine curiosity.
• Offer companionship, not counseling—your role is to be a steady, supportive peer, not a clinician or problem-solver.
• Honor boundaries by keeping the relationship safe, respectful, and non-judgmental.
• Communicate with staff if concerns arise or if support is needed.
• Participate in brief check-ins or optional gatherings to strengthen skills and community.

🌟 Qualifications

You don’t need professional experience—just heart, reliability, and openness. Ideal volunteers are:

• Compassionate, patient, and grounded
• Comfortable talking with people from diverse backgrounds
• Good listeners who value mutuality and respect
• Able to maintain confidentiality and healthy boundaries
• Willing to commit to a 6‑month match
• Age 18 or older

Lived experience with mental health challenges, recovery, trauma, homelessness, or justice involvement is welcomed but not required.

🧭 What This Role Is Not

• Not therapy
• Not crisis response
• Not case management or advocacy
• Not a 24/7 support role

Volunteers are companions—steady, caring peers who show up consistently.

🌈 What Volunteers Gain

• Meaningful connection with someone who genuinely appreciates your presence
• Experience in peer support, active listening, and community care
• A deeper understanding of loneliness, resilience, and shared humanity
• Optional training, gatherings, and community-building events
• The joy of helping someone feel seen, valued, and less alone

🕊️ Commitment

• 6 months
• 1 hour every two weeks
• Flexible scheduling
• Occasional check-ins with program staff