About us
Frequently asked questions
What hours is the Rahab night-time outreach?
We are out three or four nights Mon-to Fri from 9.30pm to 11pm.
What kind of time commitment do you ask from your volunteers?
We ask volunteers to commit to two evenings a month (three hours in total).
Is there opportunity to support the women in the day?
Yes we are developing a day time team to support women for example at appointments, visiting them in prison and befriending. This can be in addition to nighttime outreach or instead of. We ask our daytime volunteers to be available 1-3 hours and month
Do Rahab volunteers need to be Christians?
Rahab has a Christian ethos. Volunteers on daytime and nighttime outreach need to have an active Christian faith and be comfortable praying at the beginning and end of the outreach and, when appropriate, with the women.
What are the risks of night-time outreach?
We have a risk assessment in place and if any team feel threatened or insecure in anyway the team leader will make the decision to call the police and/or leave.
What are the risks of daytime outreach?
As a volunteer in the day you may be spending time with a woman on your own. As part of your induction, we ensure you understand and are happy with our lone working policies and understand how to keep yourself safe.
What skills does an outreach volunteer need?
The skills needed are the ability to chat to anyone and everyone, not to judge, to be compassionate and care.
Do you have volunteering opportunities apart from outreach?
Yes we rely on donations from individuals, local churches and other organisations. We would welcome volunteers to coordinate and organise these donations.
What are the next steps?
Please contact us HERE and we will send you an application form. Once we have received it we will begin the process of obtaining references and completing a DBS check and if that is all OK, we begin the training and induction process.
Our Values
The values of the Rahab project are rooted in our Christian faith, and are created to serve all sections of the community.
We offer befriending, practical support and advocacy and seek to open up opportunities. Motivated by compassion, we believe that every individual has the opportunity to thrive. However, many of the women we support face barriers and so we journey with them to find and make positive choices which will improve their self-esteem and quality of life.
Jesus loved the marginalised and the misunderstood. He spent time with people who were excluded from society and He created opportunities for change. All of our volunteers and staff aim to follow Jesus’ example, seeking to reflect that inclusive nature and compassion to those we serve as we recognise each person’s value.
We offer a service that is centred around the needs of the individual. This holistic approach is underpinned by our values of integrity, compassion, innovation, professionalism and inclusivity.
One of the women recently said to a volunteer, that we always do what we say we will do. We build trust through developing authentic and long-term relationships with the women.
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1 v5
Our History
Nearly 20 years ago, a group of Christians were spurred into action when a local newspaper printed the names and photographs of local sex workers.
Three people independently contacted the National Christian Alliance on Prostitution (now known as Beyond The Streets). In the same month, Thames Valley Police asked the Mustard Tree Foundation’s CEO if support could be offered to women involved in on-street prostitution, helping break the cycle of re-offending.
People from local churches and Christian social action organisations formed the Steering Group, and Rahab was born. The first night-time outreach started in November 2005.
Nearly two decades later, we’re still predominantly a voluntary organisation for night-time outreach and now offer day-time support, key-work and advocacy, partnering with other local organisations.