STREET WISE January – April 2017
What’s a Wet Clinic? / Dr. Clare Fleming shares about this vital service. The Rise of the Working Homeless / A new type of homelessness and what to watch out for.
THE SUPPORTER MAGAZINE OF CRISIS CENTRE MINISTRIES
“…you can see the progress made when help is given to the clients.”
Contents / 1 News in brief / 2 What is a wet clinic / 4 The rise of the working homeless / 6 Client story – Jennifer / 8 Volunteer story – Vanessa / 10 New Trustees / 11 Staff highlight – Jean Mutch / 12 Finance & fundraising / 14 Volunteer opportunities
Editorial
About us
As I bring this issue together at the end of the year, I feel that this jam packed Streetwise edition is reflective of the momentum that CCM has gathered in 2016 and will carry forward into 2017.
We are a Christian charity that has been working in Bristol for over 30 years, dedicated to helping the most vulnerable and marginalised in society achieve healthy and independent lives.
You will read about Jennifer (pg.6) who is part of the working homeless trend (pg.4) that we have seen emerging; learn about the Wet Clinic, an important service run for alcohol dependent clients; and get to know more about two new trustees and a new staff member. We also bring you news about a new Winter shelter programme and the Safer Off the Streets giving campaign, both designed to harness community resources and awareness. Our fundraising efforts have also been in full swing with many of you taking on fundraising events of your own (pg.12). The annual Sleep Out event is also coming up in February (pg. 15). I encourage you to join us to experience what it is like to sleep on the streets and at the same time raise funds for our work. I hope you will enjoy this edition’s inspirational and informative stories. Yan Lau Fundraising & Communications Manager
Our mission is to empower personal change through offering food, shelter, hope and support through our four main projects – the Wild Goose drop-in centre, the Life Skills course, the East Bristol Foodbank and the Spring of Hope women’s night shelter. Cover Photo: Vanessa, our featured volunteer Contact Us 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY T. 0117 330 1230 admin@crisis-centre.org.uk www.crisis-centre.org.uk Company No. 2214814 Registered Charity No. 298528
News in brief LRG Weekend Away
40 group members attended the weekend that included talks, archery, crate stacking, days out and evening fires with marshmallows. An implicit trust and support of each other was evident in the group, and testimonies were shared about what God was doing in members’ lives.
The Life Recovery Group’s autumn weekend away was blessed with good weather, good food and strong friendships.
The first text message to come in following the weekend said: “Thanks for having me, the venue was fab, the food was great, I loved the Chepstow visit and seeing the castle topped that for me. The talks were amazing. Love you all. My favourite part was giving my testimony at church. …Jesus is my heavenly Father, he has changed my life further and now he is with us all.”
Annual General Meeting & Celebration We held our AGM & celebration on 3rd October and all had a very good time. We shared the highlights in 2016, project updates and future plans. Members also voted in two new trustees to the Board, Granville Sykes and Donna Robbie. You can read more about them on page 10. Our most recent set of audited accounts can also be found at www.crisis-centre.org.uk/annualreport or please get in touch for a copy to be sent to you.
Winter Shelter
Sleeping Partnership, CCM has initiated a Winter Shelter Programme to be hosted in church buildings throughout January 2017. The programme has already gained strong support from volunteers, donors and churches.
The number of people sleeping rough in Bristol has been recorded at 74 during this year’s annual count. This is a threefold increase in recent years. As part of its role in the Rough 1
What is a Wet Clinic? CCM runs a ‘wet clinic’ every Tuesday afternoon in the Wild Goose drop-in centre, which provides support to our alcohol dependent clients. Dr. Clare Fleming who helped set up the clinic, explained to us what this service is all about…
are out there drinking heavily, suffering lots of adverse consequences, but not knowing where to turn for support. So we offer a service where our primary goal is to engage with people in a non-judgmental setting, to build relationships without demanding change. We encourage people to come as they are; if they then decide they want to make changes then we can look at how we can help to bring about the changes they want.
What is a Wet Clinic? A “dry” house is a place where alcohol and drugs are not allowed. A “wet” clinic is the opposite of this – a place where people can bring their alcohol with them. Our aim is to work with people with severe alcohol dependence who, for whatever reason, are not able to work effectively with the mainstream services.
When clients do engage, what other help do you offer? We offer help on a variety of different levels. The first thing is food and healthier options of fluids – tea, coffee, water etc. The extent of severe malnutrition that exists on our streets is shocking. I often meet people who only eat once or twice a week or even less. Yet malnutrition is hidden because there are lots of calories in alcohol. People don’t necessarily lose weight, but alcohol does not contain
Why is it important that they are allowed to bring in their alcohol? Other services expect clients to be ready to make changes, but some people are not yet ready to change, or are scared of the consequences of making changes. They 2
“The extent of severe malnutrition that exists on our streets is shocking.” ways. The people we refer from this clinic are the most difficult to engage with in the whole of the city. Yet our audit shows figures that over 90% of those we refer to the detox service attend their first assessment and 40% complete a detox. That says a lot about the importance of our preparation work and relationship building.
the vitamins or minerals that we need for our brains and bodies to keep healthy. The wet clinic in the cafe is a self-referral drop-in run by a Mental Health service professional plus experienced volunteers. Anybody who comes to the clinic can see the doctor to deal with physical issues such as prescriptions, infections, asthma etc., or they might want to talk about depression and feeling suicidal. We also provide general GP services. We can directly refer clients into hospital, to the mental health crisis team, and to other services such as Street Outreach or housing services. We very often refer people to ROADS (Recovery Oriented Alcohol & Drugs Service). ROADS provides the facilities for detox and for relapse prevention work afterwards. So a big part of what we do is to engage with people, and signpost them at the right time to other appropriate services.
Are there any common illnesses that you see amongst people who live on the streets? Malnutrition, depression, anxiety and mental health issues.
It’s very obvious you are passionate about this work… It’s horribly challenging and exhausting at times. But there is nothing like the sense of euphoria that comes from helping someone in complete despair. Being a part of helping them make choices and changes to turn their lives around is a privilege.
The Wild Goose cafe is a lovely environment where people feel they can relax and effectively build rapport with us in many 3
to afford their rental or mortgage payments. A breakdown in a relationship, a pregnancy, a death in the family, medical or housing issues are causes often cited. The most common reason is simply being unable to keep up with increased rental charges. Alarmingly there is little or no support, accommodation or services to help this type of homeless person. Services are prioritized for those with addictions or mental health issues. The only way for a working homeless person to gain their own home is to save for a deposit and this is often an uphill struggle.
In recent years homelessness numbers in Bristol has rocketed, experiencing a threefold increase. This has been due to many factors – cuts in public spending, lack of housing supply and hikes in rental payments. This year’s official count of people sleeping rough on any given night has been recorded at 74. The real number is possibly higher as this does not include those living in temporary accommodation. Within the growing homeless population is a disturbing trend of people who have a job but no place to call home. These are the working homeless.
You may wonder how people don’t see the signs that they are about to be evicted or have their house repossessed. In most cases, the person is already struggling to cope with difficult circumstances, with little capacity to put things into place to improve their situation. The reality is that many people are only three pay slips away from homelessness. We have put together some advice below to guard you from falling into a life on the streets:
■■ Make a budget of your income and expenses. ■■ Be aware when your finances run low – try to maintain at least three months’ worth of living expenses.
The cause of why a working person becomes homeless is nearly always because of a sudden change in finances. One of our clients, we will call her Molly, had a sick mother back in her home country where there isn’t a public healthcare system. Molly’s mum was reliant on her daughter to pay for her medical treatments and medicine. In doing so, Molly started to miss her rental payments in the hopes that her mum’s health would improve. By the time her mum passed away, Molly’s situation had escalated to the point where she had missed too many payments and was evicted. Molly slept rough for six weeks before discovering the Wild Goose centre and the Spring of Hope women’s night shelter. We continue to support Molly and Jennifer (overleaf) and many like her.
■■ Seek help early ■■ An early warning sign is when you or your household’s main earner start missing house or utility payments. When this happens – seek help! ■■ Do not let your finances get into trouble before seeking help. It may be too late by then. ■■ Do not be embarrassed about sharing your situation with a trusted friend or family member. ■■ Seek help from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau (phone 03444 111 444 or go to www.citizensadvice.org.uk), your council’s Housing team or the charity Shelter (phone 0344 515 1430)
Contributing to the rise of the numbers of working homeless people is that many of us are not set up to cope with a negative financial change in our finances. There are many reasons why a person could find themselves unable 4
The rise of the working homeless By Yan Lau, Fundraising & Communications Manager
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Client story
“Without Spring of Hope I would have been on the street, and that terrifies me.” are supposed to be there to look after your kids, and all said and done, I failed. I found somewhere where he could stay. I contacted 1625 Independent People so I went to see them. They gave him a room in a hostel.
In 2011, I was working for a local place in Patchway and my hours got decreased. So I contacted housing benefit and the housing association. Between my contacting housing benefit, the housing association started repossession because housing benefit were taking so long to sort out whether or not they were going to pay me. So I couldn’t afford the rent. The housing association decided on 1st Aug 2011 that I was out and I became homeless.
I circulated between friends’ houses and B&Bs. With each friend I stayed 2–3 weeks. I had nowhere to go. South Gloucestershire Council said that I was not vulnerable. It’s been awful because I was imposing on my friends. They have children and a life too. I became aware of Spring of Hope through my support worker. I was here at SOH for 16 months and during that time I was also working. My shifts started at 6am in the
My first focus was to sort out my son with somewhere to live. Not thinking on that particular night that I had nowhere. You 6
JENNIFER (Not her real name)
facilities are male-oriented. And this charity can only take 12 women, five nights a week.
morning so to get to work I left at 3am. It’s not easy, you put the brave face on and off you go. It’s not been helped by the fact that there aren’t facilities for people to go to during the day so you wander. And you sit down and someone comes along and says ‘you can’t sit there.’ But why can’t you sit there? You are not doing anything to anybody. And I think that is very prejudiced of people against homeless people. And what do you do when it’s raining? I think the facilities for homeless people in Bristol could be a lot better. With the shelter’s help I found a room in Patchway where I work. Somebody, somewhere should be providing more facilities for homeless women. Everywhere you look in Bristol, the
I tend not to dream. I want to be settled somewhere in my own place. In the meantime I am happy where I am. And I am happy that I can come back and help the shelter, because the shelter has helped me. I volunteer and do the housekeeping here. All the women who have come through Spring of Hope are pointed in the right direction. They are helped on their way to supported, shared or their own accommodation. Without Spring of Hope I would have been on the street, and that terrifies me. 7
Volunteer story
Vanessa
8
In 2010 I had surgery for cancer and I left work on health grounds. I had three children, then 15, 13 & 5, who I wanted to spend more time with. At the end of two years of not working, I still wasn’t ready to go back into full-time work, but I wanted to do something in a caring capacity with people. I heard about the Wild Goose centre and Bristol’s Crisis Service for Women through Volunteer Bristol. So I volunteered in both places for a while. I now do four and a half days here. I’ve been volunteering here for 5 years this Christmas.
“I try to be a happy face, someone to chat to and I think that is appreciated.” away from suffering the same. I try to be a happy face, someone to chat to and I think that is appreciated.
I like volunteering because you can see the progress made when help is given to the clients. It’s not just about giving food, it is about giving help for all the other issues that clients struggle with. There is a holistic approach to helping each person, be it issues about DWP (Dept for Work & Pensions), housing, clothing, needing a shower... full bellies are good because it helps the service users think straight to work through the other issues they are going through.
There are many opportunities to volunteer with all of the projects. I can feel that the behind the scenes support enables us to be able to help the clients. I love this place. It takes me an hour and a half to get here so three hours of my day are on a bus. I do this because I love the ethos. God is doing powerful work here and that’s why I keep coming back.
I like the diversity of the clients and no two days are the same. The great thing is that it really is a two way rapport with the people that we help. I can see that they get as much out of me being here as I get from being here. I was brought up on a council estate so I know where some of the clients are coming from and that potentially we are all a stone’s throw
Volunteering gives me a structure and purpose to my day and week. It has given me the confidence to move forward. I have proven that I can work so the next stage is for me to go and get paid work. I would say to anyone who was thinking about volunteering to just give it a try. You don’t know until you give it a go. 9
New Trustees At our recent Annual General Meeting, members voted for two new trustees to join the board. Find out more about our new board members...
Granville Sykes – Trustee
Donna Robbie – Treasurer
Granville retired after more than 40 years as a teacher, the majority of them being at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School, where he was an academic Deputy Head. He also taught at Clifton College and at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland. He volunteers as a maths tutor with Oasis Brightstowe and with Merchants’ Academy, where he is also a member of the trust’s education committee. He is also a trustee of Hope’s Place.
Donna has worked in financial services for companies such as Barclays, Deutsche Bank and 3i PLC. She has lived in Bristol for 16 years and currently works as an Investment Manager for Resonance Limited, a social impact investment company supporting charities and social enterprises. At Resonance, Donna is co-leading the development of the Bristol Social Investment Tax Relief Fund, which is focused on dismantling poverty by working with social enterprises and investors to ensure the fund reaches some of the most marginalised neighbourhoods within the city. She has particular responsibility for deal origination and portfolio monitoring.
A long-term admirer of CCM’s work, he is pleased to use his faith and abilities to support such a worthwhile cause. He has been married to Sandra for over 30 years, with two adult sons whose exploits for Woodlands football team he watches weekly. Granville also admits to supporting Huddersfield Town and is an ardent cricket fan, following the progress of England, and more especially Yorkshire, with great enthusiasm.
Donna has been a member of Woodlands Church since 2010 and in her spare time she is a business mentor for the Princes’ Trust in Bristol, helping young people start up and manage their own businesses. 10
Staff highlight
Jean Mutch Wild Goose Drop-In Centre Cook
Jean joined the team in August 2016 and we sat down with her to get to know her a little better…
people and being creative with food - and I’m constantly reminded that it’s by God’s grace I’m this side of the serving counter.
What were you doing before you joined CCM?
What has been the highlight of the job so far?
I was running a small business teaching English online. I was also working in a community cafe run by my church in Easton and volunteering with the One25 charity.
There have been so many highlights. It would be easy to grow disheartened by the misery we see, so small triumphs are crucial, like the note from a client thanking us for a night at the Spring of Hope. Then there’s Ellis, who volunteers every Friday. She was the very first client I met at another charity, but she’s in such a different place now.
What made you apply for the role? I’m passionate about social justice, and my unease with a society where vulnerable people are marginalised was growing. I’ve sailed close to the wind myself, so I know how easy it is to fall. I’d been aware of CCM for many years, so when an opportunity to work in the Wild Goose presented itself, I jumped at the chance. The job combines two of my great loves – working with
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? When I’m not in the Goose I can often be found wandering the streets with a camera. I also write a blog, all about life, liberation and the loss of security blankets. 11
Finance & fundraising sandwiches for them for their breakfast every day. His selfless efforts were soon known to the wider community and donations poured in for his good work. To support homeless people further he has donated his fundraising of £1051 to fund the Wild Goose Drop-In Centre’s FareShare food bill for an entire year!
14 year old Hamish raises funds for homeless people On his way to school every morning, schoolboy Hamish Anderson cycles past two homeless men in Bristol city centre. When he realised that they had no food to eat, Hamish bought
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Regular Giving We are blessed that a quarter of our monthly £40,000 operational budget comes from regular monthly donors. However, this does mean that the other three quarters are from unknown sources. If you are able to give on a monthly basis this would help us to be able to effectively plan our services where they are needed the most. Please see our giving form at the back of this newsletter on ways to donate.
SOS campaign The Safer Off the Streets campaign is a unique, unprecedented giving campaign supporting four shelter programs in Bristol run by St. Mungo’s, Julian Trust, Caring in Bristol and Crisis Centre Ministries. This is a great way to help the homeless population in Bristol by donating vital funds to help run these shelters. To donate to this campaign please go to www.fundsurfer.com/SOSBristol
Winston’s half marathon Winston became homeless three years ago and had an alcohol addiction. With the help of St. Mungo’s, Bristol Drugs Project and CCM he turned his life around. He attended the LIFE course which has helped him in his recovery. In his own words, he says “running the Bristol Half Marathon is a way for me to prove to myself and others that anything is possible. I want to encourage others not to give up, because if I can achieve this, so can they.” Winston raised an amazing £531 for our work!
Financial status 2016/7 Second quarter year to date (April-September) figures: Actual Expenditure: £238,585 Actual Income: £222,200 Surplus/deficit: -£16,385
Our annual report for the last financial year can now be viewed online at www.crisis-centre.org.uk/annualreport
Thank you to all our fundraisers Like Hamish and Winston, a number of you have championed our cause and embarked on fundraising challenges of your own. From walking, running, cycling to organising community events these have been greatly appreciated. A big thank you to you if you are one of our fundraisers! Please continue to support us in your personal fundraising and company giving as helping vulnerable and homeless people is a long-term process. 13
Volunteer opportunities Our charity’s services rely heavily on the involvement of hundreds of volunteers to be able to run. If you are able to spare a few hours every week or every month we would love to welcome you to the team. Training will be given for all roles, and duties and hours can be adapted to the volunteer. Here are our top 5 volunteer needs right now.
Spring of Hope – Female Team Members Female volunteers who are willing to be part of the overnight team which looks after the women who use the women’s night shelter.
Foodbank – Warehouse Manager This role manages the weekly warehouse sessions on Wednesday evenings. Duties involve leading a team of volunteers in weighing and sorting food donations and organising stock rotation.
Wild Goose – Tuesday Cleaning Duty Manger Responsible for the cleaning team of the drop-in centre on alternate Tuesday Mornings.
Wild Goose – Store Room Coordinator Volunteers are needed to help store, sort and distribute non-food items such as clothing, toiletries and sleeping bags.
If you would like to inquire about a volunteer role or would like more information please contact Steve Smith.
LIFE Recovery Group – Team members
Mob: 07952 672 823 Direct: 0117 405 7112 Email: steve.smith@crisis-centre.org.uk
To help with supporting people in recovery from addiction and contribute to the life of the team. 14
Cut out and keep!
Sleep Out 2 17 IN AID OF Crisis Centre Ministries February 2017 is Sleep Out month
Swap your bed for a sleeping bag & support homeless people in Bristol Ways to get involved…
Join us and 250 other people for the 10th annual organised Sleep Out!
HOLD YOUR OWN SLeeP OUT CHALLENGE
The Challenge: To sleep one night outdoors and raise money in aid of homeless people
■ Host a sponsored sleep out in your garden
Challenge ideas:
Dates and Times: Friday 24th Feb, 10pm – Saturday 25th Feb, 7am Location: Pip ‘n’ Jay Church, Tower Hill, Bristol, BS2 OET
■ Wear your pyjamas to work one day ■ Swap your bed for the floor for a week For more ideas and tips, head to our website.
For more information and how to register, please visit www.crisis-centre.org.uk/sleep-out-2017 facebook.com/crisiscentreministries
@crisiscentre
#SleepOut17
What our supporters say about us: “It was lovely to work alongside fellow Christians with the same vision of being the hands and feet of Jesus to the community. There was also a real sense that this was a beacon of light in the community showing God’s love in a real practical way and a place of refuge where people could just be themselves.” Nathan “You get to engage with lots of people, the work is rewarding, it’s an eye-opener to the world out there. You realise it’s not just poor people who use the foodbank. Some things happen to some people and they instantly need money or suddenly can’t afford to pay for things. It’s a reminder to not take things for granted.” Christine
“Having watched the BBC3 programme on homelessness in Bristol, we were impressed with the work you are doing to support those in need and wanted to give a little to help.” David
“God bless. Keep up the inspiring work:)” Michael 16
“You do such wonderful work.” Chris
Five
reasons why you should donate today 1 2 3 4 5
The average age of death for a homeless man is 47, the average age of death for a homeless woman is 43 (a).
Up to 70% of homeless people have mental health issues (b).
The pressures of the economic downturn, lack of affordable housing and housing benefit cuts mean more people are facing homelessness. 37% of homeless people have no qualifications whatsoever. The experience of homelessness itself deskills and isolates (c). Each homeless person carries an annual cost to the state of £26,000, which includes the cost of benefits, hostel accommodation and care of children (d). a. Crisis (2012) Homelessness Kills b. St. Mungo’s (2009) Down and Out c. Crisis (2013) Homelessness Briefing d. New Economics Foundation research (2008)
Make a monthly gift and provide the following every month:
£10 £30 £40 could provide eight hot meals for a homeless person.
could provide for one family’s emergency food for three days. 17
could provide for a bed, shelter and a hot meal for a vulnerable woman.
Sign me up! Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other Full Name: Address: Postcode: Phone: Email: D.O.B: Please send me Streetwise 3 times a year in the post Please send me your fortnightly email bulletin Please complete and return this form to: FREEPOST RSTX-XTYH-CJCA, Crisis Centre Ministries, 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY Data protection: Crisis Centre Ministries will not share your information with any third party except the HM Revenue & Customs. Crisis Centre Ministries would like to regularly update you on our work, news and activities.
I would like to give a gift! (You can also donate online via www.crisis-centre.org.uk)
Single Donation I would like to make a single donation of
£10
£20
£50
other £
I enclose my cheque/postal order payable to Crisis Centre Limited.
Regular Donation
I/We would like to make a monthly/quarterly* gift of: £10
£20
£50
starting from
other £ (dd/mm/yy) until further notice.
Name(s) of Account Holder(s)
Bank/Building Society Name
Bank/Building Society Full Address
Postcode Sort Code.
Account No.
Instructions to your Bank/Building Society: Please pay this sum to Crisis Centre Limited, a/c number 01408518 sort code 40-14-13 HSBC, 62 George White Street, Cabot Circus, Bristol, BS1 3BA.
And your gift will mean 25% more! For every £1 you donate, Gift Aid allows us to claim 25p from HM Revenue & Customs – increasing the value of your gift at no cost to you. Gift Aid Declaration: Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts made: in the past 4 years/today/in the future* I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. Full Name (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms*) Address Postcode Tel/Mobile
Signature
Date
*delete as appropriate Please return this form to: FREEPOST RSTX-XTYH-CJCA, Crisis Centre Ministries, 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY
Thank you for your support
JA17
Get involved
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Pray for the developments in our work, for the clients, volunteers, trustees and staff of the Crisis Centre.
Your contributions help us to provide free hot meals, practical & emotional support and a safe, nurturing environment for homeless and vulnerable people. You can set up a donation online via our website or fill out and return the attached giving form.
Come and be a part of our life-impacting work. We are a small charity and there is always more that can be done. We need volunteers across the whole organisation from back office admin to front line support of clients. Call Steve Smith, our volunteer coordinator on 0117 405 7112 and we will find a role for your skills.
Host an event, take part in a challenge event or nominate us as your preferred charity at your work, church or community group.
Follow us facebook.com/crisiscentreministries @crisiscentre Subscribe to our fortnightly e-bulletin at www.crisis-centre.org.uk