One of our strategic objectives is to influence policy and practice to make volunteering more accessible to homeless people and people at risk of homelessness. Through our research we have already identified some of the major barriers to homeless people's involvement in volunteering, and how these barriers could be tackled. Part of our work is to disseminate this information and ensure that we have strong links with the Government departments and national bodies responsible for volunteering.

OSW's volunteer development project, Active Futures, worked with homelessness agencies, Volunteer Centres and volunteer involving organisations to help improve accessibility of volunteering for homeless people. The project

• promoted volunteering
• ensured homeless people were being given support to find the right roles for them
• increased the capacity of organisations to involve homeless people as volunteers

For more information on the project delivery and impact, please see the TMD London Active Futures page.