4 Be a reliable team member. This includes arriving and leaving at the agreed times – most of the hard work in ASLAN is done at the beginning and end of duty periods, so it isn’t really fair on your colleagues if you arrive late or leave early
4 Visiting Team members, Tea Run members working out of sight of the van, Tea Run members handing out food and/or clothes from the van, and others working in isolated and/or vulnerable situations must always work in pairs
4 Wear warm clothes (particularly on the Tea Run) that you won’t mind getting marked or damaged (particularly at The Passage)
4 Check with your doctor if you have never had a BCG (anti-TB) or hepatitis vaccination (explain that you are working with a high risk group for these diseases), and ask for a “HEAF” test for TB and/or a chest X-ray when you have a check-up (the risk of contracting TB is very small but the new strain is drug-resistant)
4 Be aware of the risk of AIDS: keep well away from blood and open wounds or sores, and put a plaster on any exposed cuts or sores which you may have
4 Have a bath and wash or air your clothes when you get back from work on the streets
4 Listen when someone is talking to you: if you don't understand what they’ve said, tell them so politely rather than giving some glib or non-committal answer
4 Talk to people normally: the homeless may have more problems than you or I, but they have similar interests and concerns
4 Practice being a listener rather than a talker – you should aim to draw people out and understand them before you start making suggestions
4 Anticipate: be sensitive to a ‘bad atmosphere’ and/or an individual whose body language spells trouble and either be particularly conciliatory or walk away
4 Get to know names: you will have more respect from people and more support when someone else is causing trouble if your clients view you as a friend
4 Always wash your hands before, and maintain strict hygiene standards when preparing or handling food
4
Ensure that food is handled and stored in an
appropriate manner for that type of food (if you’re not sure, ask your Team
Leader or team Food Hygiene Certificate holder)
4 Always hand out food, drinks, and clothing, rather than leaving people to rummage for themselves
4
Make yourself aware
of the location of the first aid box, fire extinguishers, and emergency exits
4 Make yourself aware of the various agencies that can help the homeless and/or carry an ASLAN Homeless Services Fact Card
4 Arrive on time – if everyone is there from the beginning, everyone can get home earlier
4 Keep meat and cheese separate from other types of filling when making sandwiches
4 Make sure all sandwiches are put in the fridges to wait for the tea run team’s arrival
4 Respect territory: park a little way away from sleeping patches, and let people who are clearly fast asleep and not in distress continue to sleep in peace
4 Keep the van doors shut (for security reasons and because the courtesy lights drain the battery)
4 Give out tea and food before giving out clothes or blankets
4 Keep other team members in sight if you are working out of sight of the van
4 Get to know The Passage employees (door staff), and consult them or your Team Leader if there’s anything you’re uncertain about
4 Try to make sure you are always well supplied with tea and coffee
4 Gently deter people from standing in front of the counter area, as this prevents others who have been queuing for ages from getting their tea and sandwiches
4 Discourage people from getting second and third helpings of food until everyone has had at least one helping - ask them politely to come back near the end
4 Regularly wipe the tables, empty and dispose of abandoned cups, and clear away half-eaten sandwiches and fag ends – the cleaner you keep the tables, the less mess people will make, and the less work you’ll have to do at the end!
4 Wear rubber gloves when cleaning the toilet areas or picking up used cups - throw away gloves used in the toilet areas after use
4 The person on the door must remain, not just in sight of, but in reach of the door AT ALL TIMES
4 Someone must check the male and female toilets for cleanliness and safety at half-hourly intervals
4 WELCOME guests and SERVE them crisps, tea/coffee, and soft drinks as they come in
4 On video evenings, someone must be on duty at the door of the cinema area to prevent people bringing in drinks and food, and that person must keep hold of ASLAN’s expensive and painstakingly-programmed remote control unit AT ALL TIMES
4 Wear rubber gloves when cleaning the toilet areas - throw away gloves used in the toilet areas after use
8 Try to have a rational argument with someone who is clearly irrational: people who are drunk and/or on drugs can be unpredictable - the less said, the better
8 Take abuse personally: if someone takes out some of their anger and frustration on you, don’t feel you must return it or defend your dignity
8 Say “I know how you feel” or “I understand” - you can't possibly, and the homeless person is likely to tell you so in no uncertain terms!
8 Make rash promises: never make promises unless you are able to fulfil them - people will never forgive you for a broken promise (and remember, what seemed minor to you could have been terribly important to them)
8 Intervene in a fight, and if you think there is a risk of serious injury, CALL THE POLICE quickly and unobtrusively
8 Try to sort out aggressive individuals on your own – if someone physically threatens any team member, IMMEDIATELY CALL THE POLICE whilst quietly and calmly backing away from the individual
8 Try to be a doctor or a nurse (even if you are a doctor or a nurse!): never apply a plaster to a cut - give it to the client to apply for himself/herself – and CALL AN AMBULANCE if you think the condition may be serious
8 Offer to use your car (or the tea run van) to take someone to hospital – you have neither the life-saving skills nor the life-saving equipment of an ambulance crew – if it’s serious enough for someone to need a hospital, it’s serious enough for you to CALL AN AMBULANCE
8 Preach at people: always be prepared to share the reason for what you do and the hope that you have, but don't shove it down an unwilling person's throat
8 Place additional stress on your team leader and team-mates by turning up “whenever you can” – we have small teams, and we need every person, every time
8 Give out personal details (like your telephone number or address) to homeless people, even if you think you know them well – nuisance calls or unexpected visits are rare, but can be distressing when they happen
8 Female team members should NEVER agree to meet male clients/guests on their own – men who appear perfectly normal may in reality be extremely dangerous individuals
8 Handle food inappropriately – don’t leave chilled food in warm places, or prepared food unwrapped if unattended, or use the same utensils for serving/slicing fresh meat, dairy products, and fruit/vegetables - ensure you consult your team Food Hygiene Certificate holder for advice
8 Leave the van doors wide open - particularly if there's only one or two of you around
8 Work alone out of sight of your colleagues: always work in pairs if you're out of sight of the van
8 Leave empty cups or other mess lying around: it's the homeless who will suffer for your carelessness later at the hands of local residents and businesses
8 Make undue noise (consequences as above)
8 Hang around when the tea has run out or when there's an ugly scene developing: make sure everyone’s in the van and head off
8 Let clients come behind the counter - for any reason
8 Agree to any unusual requests (even if the client says “I'm always allowed to do this”) without first checking with your leader and/or the door staff
8 Force conversations on people who want to sit in peace
8 Get into arguments or try to forcibly eject people – call the door staff, who will – if necessary – call the police
8 Let guests come into the kitchen - for any reason – politely explain that hygiene regulations mean only a limited number of kitchen-only staff are allowed in
8 Agree to any unusual requests (even if the guest says “I'm always allowed to do this”) without first checking with your team leader
8 Leave guests sitting on their own whilst two or three volunteers chat to an “easy” guest or to one another – but equally, don’t force conversations on people who clearly don’t want to talk
8 Get into arguments or try to forcibly eject people – call your team leader, who will – if necessary – call the police
8 Let anyone who is clearly drunk or otherwise highly disturbed through the door – if this proves difficult to enforce, close the door firmly and get help from others
8 Give or lend money – it may be better to come with just the minimum money you need to get home, so you can honestly say: “I don’t have any to spare”
8 Set out on a coach trip or return from a coach trip without first verifying all guests BY NAME – a headcount is not sufficient - you must do a roll-call from a complete guest list before you set out from All Souls and before you leave the venue being visited