Hey there! My name is Elliot, and I’m the Fundraising Assistant at The Connection at St Martin’s.
Before this I had all sorts of jobs: organising warehouses, walking dogs, selling luxury women’s shoes, acting, writing, bartending, tour-guiding… But I’ve never felt as “at home” as I do now.
One of my favourite parts of my role is that there really isn’t a ‘normal day’… it’s all quite different! Sure, there’s the admin and emailing that accompanies every role in an office environment. But I have the privilege of offering support all the way across our varied and talented team. Some days I’ll be coordinating volunteers for lunch service, another day I’ll be popping off to site visits for an upcoming event, and at another point I’ll be helping brainstorm ideas for fundraising merchandise.
Before joining The Connection I was really struggling to feel a ‘purpose’ in my life. I’d had so many part-time jobs that I hadn’t emotionally invested in and was desperately seeking change.
Working here couldn’t be more different.
Even though I’m not working with people facing homelessness directly most days, unlike our amazing frontline workers, I still feel that I’m helping to create positive change in the world.
My favourite part of the job has to be the opportunity to connect with people who use our services. I love sitting in on the photography class. The act of doing anything creative requires some level of vulnerability, and that’s a privilege to bear witness to. The classes tend to lead to conversations, which lead to connections (no pun intended).
My own perceptions of homelessness have certainly been shattered. I used to believe that homelessness was a million miles away, and instead have learnt how perilously easy it is for anyone to find themselves in this situation. However, this discovery hasn’t discouraged my efforts at work… if anything it fortifies their importance!
I truly believe The Connection can help make Westminster a place in which homelessness is brief, rare, and non-recurring, and I’m proud to be part of that mission.