A shoulder to lean on in the lonely crowd

Feet on the Street, a new project by the Samaritans, brings friendly guidance directly to people who are out and about, but feeling down. Anne Dempsey reports

We all know about being lonely in a crowd. Now the Samaritans are bridging the gap with Feet on the Street, an outreach service in Temple Bar and a festival service at outdoor events.

Beatrice and Anthony (according to the Samaritans' policy, only first names are given) are two of the volunteers involved. "We put up our posters and stand near them wearing a discreet Samaritan badge, just being available. We also approach people and introduce ourselves. It's very informal and takes away the whole idea of having to ring or call," says Anthony.

Apparently, finding sufficient privacy to speak in a crowd is not a problem. "I was very dubious at the start and said there is no way people will talk to us," says Beatrice. "But precisely because there are so many milling round, seeing two people talking together does not attract any particular attention . . . we could be just friends having a chat."

Of the 800 people who opened up last year, many were in deep emotional crisis, but may not have thought of accessing the Samaritans for support. Typically, people are lonely, overwhelmed, worried, anxious, have drug, alcohol or relationship problems.

"Two people could have similar type difficulties, but very different levels of support," says Anthony.

"Or they may know lots of people, but nobody to confide in," says Beatrice. "One of our posters reads, 'Which would you prefer: a room full of friends you can't talk to, or one friend you can?' This always strikes a chord."

The Samaritans don't give advice, but take their cue from the client. "If someone begins to share a problem, we would be asking how it's affecting them now, not looking for any big life story. If they want to, we would explore options with them," says Anthony.

"People often have their own answers, but don't always have forum to explore them," says Beatrice. "We can give people the opportunity to express feelings, which can help them see the picture, and may help them move on."

The organisation's public association with suicide is double-edged. On the positive side, volunteers are trained to keep company with someone who may have suicidal feelings and allow them the opportunity to talk.

"A good proportion of those we meet have had suicidal feelings. We would ask if they still have them. We don't shy away from the subject," says Anthony. "On the other hand, you could have a long chat with someone, and they go away still with the feelings. Our job is not to change the individual and make them feel better, it is about accepting them as they are. We do invite them to call back and see us, or if they are interested, tell them about their local Samaritan branch."

However, the suicide link also means people can sometimes feel they should be at the end of their tether before dialling the Samaritans.

"Sometimes when we go up to people in the street and introduce ourselves, they say, 'Do I look suicidal?' or 'I'm not that bad!'. We would be saying you don't need to be that bad to contact us. We would like you to think of us as a first, not a last, resort," says Beatrice.

Dublin Samaritans director Aidan agrees. "About two thirds of our calls have no suicidal component, and we are here for people going through any kind of a personal crisis," he says.

This summer, the Samaritans mingled with crowds at Witnness, the Galway Arts Festival and the Robbie Williams concert. They will also be in evidence at the Clonmel Fleadh Ceoil on August 22nd-24th and at the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival from September 12th. Feet on the Street is open for listening in Temple Bar each Saturday and Sunday from 10 p.m. to midnight.

"We don't know what kind of follow-up we get because we never ask people who phone how they have heard of us, but we do see a lot of people keying our number into our mobiles. We are conscious of not littering, so we don't give out our number, but if someone wants it we have a little card they can slip into their pocket," says Beatrice.

• The Samaritans can be contacted for the price of a local call at 1850-609090 (or 1850-609091 if you are deaf or hard of hearing); write to Samaritans@Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, UK; or e-mail at jo@samaritans.org