Browse Our Spring Newsletter
Inclusive communities start with inclusive workplaces
Read moreSupport our work
At SIG, peer-led support is at the heart of how we connect with and empower people. Lloyd Clark, a Peer2Peer Project Outreach Worker at Pathways to Independence, brings not only professional dedication but also powerful lived experience to his role. Having navigated addiction, homelessness, and recovery himself, Lloyd now uses his journey to build trust, offer hope, and support others to make meaningful change. In this interview, he shares what drives him, what a day in outreach really looks like, and why consistency and compassion can make all the difference.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into becoming an Outreach Worker?
The reason I became an Outreach Worker and what motivates me. First and foremost, I have a lifetime of lived experience as an alcoholic and substance addict. I also have experienced homelessness on 3 occasions, the first time as an adolescent. I have been on my sobriety journey for over 15 years now, and I feel I live a privileged lifestyle now, living in a nice house with my loving family, and a good positive friend group. I have always felt that I wanted to give something back, and when my career in furniture fitting ended for health reasons I embarked upon a career in support. I worked several rolls before becoming a Rough Sleeper Navigator for the local authority, when the opportunity to become anOutreach worker for Pathways. Outreach was always something I enjoyed, and Pathways has a very good reputation in the local community and the Peer Service at that time was also making big waves in the local homeless and street communities. So, I took the plunge and made the fantastic decision to join the Peer team.
What does a typical day or interaction look like in your role?
Get up. Head to the office. Catch up on emails. Go and meet with other outreach workers, and outreach workers, and together outreach the community. We will cover different areas on different days but always try to cover areas known for drug use, street drinking and rough sleeping. We signpost people to various services depending on their needs. We also escort people to alcohol and substance misuse services and support them while we are there. We will usually visit the local soup kitchen as much as possible as that is where clients tend to gather. Whilst at the soup kitchens we liaise with staff for the kitchen and most other services that work in the local community. In the afternoon, I would probably be doing admin, attending MDT’s, peer to peer meetings or visiting clients in their homes, and supporting them to appointments.
What do you find most rewarding about being an Outreach Worker?
The most rewarding thing for me is when somebody thanks me for helping them make a change.
What would you consider your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievement for me is being part of a team that feedback from Public Health, saying that 70% of our clients reported a reduction in alcohol or substance use.
What skills or insights have you gained from being an Outreach Worker?
I have more confidence in my own abilities, and I have also learned how much we can influence others around us, and how much our own mood, words and actions can affect other often without us even realising it.
What advice would you give to someone considering becoming an Outreach Worker?
Be as consistent as you can. Our client group have all experienced and suffered from inconsistency for most of their lives.
How has this role supported your own personal growth or recovery journey?
This role has given me valuable insight into my own triggers and mindset, and it has given me access to a network of peers, professionals and colleagues they have lived experience.
