Before Covid19, Samaritans regularly visited the Stone Pillow Bognor Regis Hostel and the Stone Pillow Chichester Hostel to listen and talk to anyone who would like support.
The thought of finding yourself without a roof over your head, or a family home to live in, is quite unimaginable for many of us, but meeting with and talking to the men and women who live in the hostels, you quickly realise that each person has their own unique life story.
You meet and talk with people from all walks of life, each with their own individual struggles and challenges, young and old, each with their own difficulties in life, which at times may have felt completely insurmountable. But what they do all have in common is that they are all trying to get back on their feet with the help of Stone Pillow.
To spend time listening to and talking with the men and women at the Stone Pillow Hostels has often been some of the most rewarding times I have spent as a Samaritan. You learn about the challenges and obstacles that life has presented for many of these men and women, which at times may have felt unresolvable, and hear about the steps they are taking to rebuild their lives, looking for work and looking for somewhere to live after Stone Pillow.
Of course, some of the conversations can be challenging and upsetting which is where the Samaritans training is so invaluable in preparing us for these conversations. and equipping us with the tools we need. This is why we do shifts in pairs, never talking to anyone alone, always talking things through with our shift partner, and then with our shift leader at the end of each shift. It’s important to be aware of how we are feeling after a shift, and how the conversations may have affected us as people, not just as Samaritans.
The support for volunteers is excellent; we look after each other, check in with each other during and after a shift, and talk through our own thoughts and feelings. It is important to be able to end a shift with the positive knowledge that we were there to listen and we were able to give someone our time - both priceless commodities that are appreciated by the people we speak with.