Merton Winter Night Shelter November 30th 2015 March 13 th 2016 Season 5 Annual Report. Page 1 of 9

Transcription

1 Merton Winter Night Shelter November 30th 2015 March 13 th 2016 Season 5 Annual Report Page 1 of 9

2 Introduction The Merton Winter Night Shelter provides meals, a safe and warm place to sleep, support and one to one case working for rough sleepers with low to medium support needs from Merton and the wider community. It operates during the coldest winter months between December and March. Organisation Facilitated by the YMCA LSW and supported by the staff team at Faith In Action, the organisation comprises a management committee, a project co- ordinator, a project worker and a number of donors, venues and volunteers. This season we had 14 hosting venues, working in two blocks of seven, each venue opening its doors for the same night each week for 7 weeks. This year, our venues were: Block 1: Block 2: Wimbledon and District Synagogue Wimbledon Mosque using the Salvation Army Hall St. Mary s Church Wimbledon St. Winefride s Church Wimbledon Christ Church Colliers Wood St. Mark s Church Wimbledon Everyday Church Wimbledon Wimbledon Methodist Church Morden Baptist Church St. John the Evangelist Putney Holy Trinity South Wimbledon Oasis Church Colliers Wood Wimbledon Seventh Day Adventist Church Trinity United Reform Church Wimbledon. New for this season We are delighted that Wimbledon Methodist Church joined us this season offering a great central location, an excellent venue and team. The Quaker community joined forces to with WM providing great support and experience. Thank you all. Project Worker Post With funding from Wimbledon Foundation we were able to employ a second project worker this season for the first time. Krysia proved to be an amazing asset and great resource to the shelter and to all of our Polish speaking guests especially. Between us we were able to be at the shelter every evening which our venue teams tell us was a great support and made a real difference. This also allowed us to case work each guest effectively as many were working and unavailable to meet during the day. Page 2 of 9

3 Crisis Skylight, Croydon This new satellite service in Croydon offered free courses to our guests in ESOL and ESOL for CSCS which we feel was an excellent resource. Lack of language skills is such a barrier to our guests finding legal work and being able to move on and support themselves here in the UK. We saw language skills improve over the course of the run this season for several of our guests. We also had some English teaching in the evenings at the shelter although this was not consistent. Crisis at Christmas Our guests spent a week at Crisis at Christmas again this season. We are really grateful to Nigel Lindsay from Dundonald Congregational Church arranged the loan of a mini bus from Kings College to transport our group to and from The Winters Centre in Chalk Farm. The feedback from some guests was not as positive as it was last year and the issues raised have been fed back to the Crisis at Christmas team. It took our guests a week to settle back in to the shelter routine after their time away. Sleeping Bags and Mats We bought 20 new sleeping bags at the beginning of the run that we were able to wash and recycle for use by others as guests moved on from the shelter. We have approximately 12 sleeping bags in storage at the YMCA to start next season. We also purchased 3 new self inflating sleeping mats. Season Over 270 volunteers took part in the scheme this year offering an impressive total of 8,231 volunteer hours over the 14 week period. 2 past guests volunteered with the project this season. This year the shelter was open for 98 nights, providing 1,226 bed nights to 32 different guests over the 14 week period. We served approximately 3,500 meals, gave out 30 sleeping bags and celebrated 2 guest birthdays. Several past guests came to visit the shelter and, if sober, were welcomed to join the group for the evening. Only one person not registered at the shelter turned up during the course of the run. We only had 2 female guests in the shelter this season. Some of the female referrals came from Psychiatric Hospitals looking to discharge patients from the ward or from the police or social services trying to place someone escaping domestic violence or trauma. The shelter is not an appropriate option for many of these cases but we were always happy to discuss or to meet with people in person. Page 3 of 9

4 Demographics: Borough from Number of Guests Merton 15 Wandsworth 3 Croydon 4 Kingston 2 Lambeth 3 Other 5 * 30 male and 2 female guests * Nationality: UK = 7, Non UK EEA (European Economic Association) = 19. Non UK Other = 6 Referral Source: Source Number Faith in Action Drop In 15 Self Referral 7 Spear 3 Merton Council 3 Kingston- Rise 1 Spires Centre Streatham 3 We operated a waiting list system on a first come first served basis. Surprisingly we were not as busy on the assessment day as we d expected with only 11 people presenting. 10 were allocated a place on the first day we opened (1 took up a place at the Croydon Night Shelter) which increased to 11 on the second day and 12 by the third day. December 2015 was an incredibly mild month which might have been a factor but I recommend that in the weeks before we open next season, we meet with all referring agencies in person to hand out shelter flyers with details of the Assessment Day date, time and place. After allocating a place to our initial 12 guests, we completed approximately 55 additional face to face referrals that were mostly added to the waiting list if appropriate. There were a number of referrals that we did not take due to acute mental health issues, aggressive, confrontational and volatile behaviour or really chaotic addictions. We also received over 100 telephone enquiries and referrals from individuals, agency workers, police, probation, hospitals, psychiatric units, other shelter projects etc. who were all given details of emergency outreach teams and signposted on to other services. Length of Stay: Days Number 1 to 31 (1 month) to 65 (2 months) 7 66 to 98 (3 months) 8 Page 4 of 9

5 Age of Guests yrs yrs yrs 6 Over 55 yrs 7 Guests This year, a total of 32 different guests were hosted at the night shelter. We began with the intention of offering 12 bed spaces per night but increased that to 14 as the weather deteriorated after New Year. Before coming in to the shelter, some of our guests had been sleeping in parks, an abandoned car, stairwells, night buses and the airport in a bid to stay safe and warm. We had guests with a wide range of professions; builders, a teacher, a chef, kitchen porters, an electrician and a nanny. We worked with each guest individually to assess their needs and support them in whichever way appropriate to help achieve the best possible outcomes. Benefits 2 guests were assisted with benefit applications and 1 with obtaining a National Insurance Number. Most EEA guests were either not entitled to or not interested in claiming benefit over finding work and supporting themselves. The majority of our non EEA guests were already in receipt of benefit when they came to us. Housing 15 guests moved on to more stable accommodation. 5 in the private rented sector, 7 in to hostel accommodation and 2 in to planned rehab. 2 further guests were referred to the YMCA and will hopefully be housed soon. 1 guest who lost his place in the shelter in the last few days we think moved in to private rented accommodation. Housing outcomes: Outcomes 2015/2016 Number Private Rented Sector 5 Hostel Accommodation 7 Housed by Merton Council 1 Moved in to planned Rehab 2 Page 5 of 9

6 Work With the stability of the shelter 10 guests found work and 6 worked consistently during their stay enabling them to save for a deposit and rent in advance for private rented accommodation. Health Actions 11 guests had an issue with problematic alcohol use. 4 guests had an issue with problematic drug use. 14 guests had significant physical health issues. 7 guests had some level of mental health issues. Krysia worked tirelessly to address the health needs of our guests. 5 of our guests were registered with a local GP. Krysia supported and accompanied our guests to 8 GP visits, 11 nurse visits, 9 hospital visits, a physiotherapy appointment, an optician appointment and a dental appointment. 1 very visually impaired guest who d been sleeping in a church graveyard was brought in to the shelter. Various agencies involved with him were trying to assist but his lack of ID seemed to be a real barrier to housing. How he d managed for as long as he did was beyond belief but he was so relieved for the safety of the shelter for the short time that he was with us. 1 guest came in to the shelter with a broken leg having had surgery to pin the bones together. He required a lot of support to attend many GP, nurse and hospital appointments. He was in constant pain and discomfort and being out all day was not ideal as the advice was that he really needed to elevate and rest his leg. The shelter network was wonderful offering him options of places to go during the day. After some time in the shelter, 2 guests disclosed that they had worrying symptoms that we felt needed to be addressed urgently. Appointments were made and tests followed. They were accompanied and supported throughout this time. 1 guest had been discharged from hospital to the streets after he d broken his hip. The shelter gave him time to heal and build up his strength again. 1 diabetic guest used the stability of the shelter to manage his condition really well. His health improved significantly which meant he was able to find a job and move on from the shelter in to his own settled accommodation. Many of our guests were able to reduce their drinking significantly during their time in the shelter and were encouraged to attend the alcohol group at FIA run by a Polish speaking worker from the MACS Project. Page 6 of 9

7 Additional Help We provided financial help to cover travel costs for guests to attend appointments at the job centre, GP, hospital, job interviews and those starting new jobs, English classes and for those with acute health issues. We provided 21 Weekly Bus Passes; 9 Daily Bus Passes; 69 Single Bus journeys; Purchased 10 Oyster Cards and 1 Monthly Bus Pass. We had a guest who came in to the shelter with a broken leg, one recovering from a broken hip and 1 struggling with acute leg pain from scar tissue after a fire. Being able to offer this level of support made all the difference and life a bit easier during their stay with us. Issues 8 guests lost their places in the shelter mainly due to alcohol related incidents. We acknowledge that many of our guests struggle with addictions and that some will not manage to adhere to the rules of the shelter. A bout of flu affected several of our guests which is inevitable with a group of people living in such close proximity to each other over a winter period. All we can do is manage the situation by ensuring there are heavy duty disinfectant materials on site to reduce the risk of further infection. 1 venue had a problem over 2 weeks with a broken boiler which meant no heating or hot water. They still managed to offer a warm welcome, wonderful meals and safety which meant that our guests barely noticed! I m just sorry that it was stressful for the venue involved. Volume of luggage was an issue again at times during the course of the run but was addressed and managed effectively. Finances Expenditure Item 2013/ / /16 Project Co- ordinator's &Assistant Salary (4 months) John Innes Expenses Bus Travel weekly pass for disabled/ill guests Travel for guests/volunteers to job centres, GP visits, Hospital and Housing appointments New Oyster Cards 50 Travel for guests to Putney venue (excess) Guest deposit for YMCA 45 Shelter mobile phone / Office Supplies/Sundries Travel to and from Crisis at Christmas Sleeping mats x Sleeping Bags x Storage shed 150 Total 5, , , Page 7 of 9

8 This season we were successful in a bid to the Wimbledon Foundation and awarded 5,000 to help fund salaries. We are very grateful to the AELTC for their financial assistance again this year. We also received a number of generous donations from individuals both within, and outside of our shelter community, from the YMCA Sleep Easy fundraising event and also from our venues in to the shelter central fund. We were very happily surprised that several guests repaid money that was spent on providing travel passes when they began new jobs. They were so grateful for the support we d been able to offer to get them started. Recommendations and Developments Having a second worker at the shelter was a great benefit to the project so we will certainly be looking to have the same staffing level next season. We are delighted that we will have the support of the Greenlight Medical Van at the shelter this coming winter. Until now they did not have the resources to offer their services in our borough. Greenlight is a social justice initiative that sees a team of skilled volunteers go out onto the streets of London to provide minimal invasive medical care and a signposting service to the city's rough sleepers. They plan to come to the shelter fortnightly on a Friday evening to assist our guests. We hope to further develop English teaching at the shelter in the evenings alongside supporting our guests who are not working to attend the ESOL classes with Crisis. We are currently in discussion with the Crisis Skylight team who are looking in to the feasibility of bringing their ESOL classes to Wimbledon which would be fantastic. Our increased expenditure this season (apart from salaries) was largely down to covering travel costs for our guests to attend classes in Croydon. We know that the vast majority of students in the class were from our night shelter. Rev Dr Helen Orchard from St Matthew s Church came to visit the shelter and is keen to become involved with the project. They are not able to offer a venue but perhaps a volunteer team. We will meet further to discuss the possibility of joining up with Wimbledon Methodist Church who struggled for volunteer cover at times. One of our working guests fed back that it would be great if more of our venues were able to offer shower facilities. I know that 2 venues are planning to put in a shower before next season which will be a great additional asset. It would be incredibly valuable to have the resources to establish links with local employment opportunities that might be suitable for our guests. We developed a few contacts over the course of this run mainly from the guests themselves telling each other of work opportunities. If anyone has any thoughts as to how we could move this forward I d be delighted to meet to talk it through. Page 8 of 9

9 Conclusions We had a really good season this year with all the venues running smoothly and some really positive outcomes achieved for our guests. The feedback from our guests has been overwhelmingly positive in terms of the hospitality received, wonderful food and the kindness and warmth of the volunteers. When I asked how we could improve the shelter, many of our guest s told me we can t, it s perfect. We hear too from our volunteers that they also benefit significantly by being involved with the project. They feel that they learn so much from the guests that come in to the shelter, enjoy being part of a team whilst doing something useful and worthwhile. A win win. One guest wrote us a card The shelter was a shining light at a very dark time. You brought me back to life again, I am back to being me and I can look forward to a future. Thank you all for maybe even saving my life. I shall never forget you. Acknowledgements Once again this season we are so grateful to Anna Swidlika from the Polish Church for organising a rota to ensure we would have a Polish speaking volunteer at the shelter each evening. I would also like to thank the Reception Team at the YMCA for their very practical support and help at all hours throughout the 14 week run. We found them all so supportive of the shelter and always willing to assist. Thank you. We are so grateful to the AELTC who hosted our shelter celebration this year to mark our 5 th Anniversary. It was a fabulous do attended by just under 200 of our volunteers who all enjoyed a delicious cream tea, lots of fizz and tour of Centre Court..It was the perfect end to a great shelter run. Page 9 of 9