“HE GIVES
JUSTICE TO THE OPPRESSED
AND FOOD TO THE
HUNGRY.” Psalm 146:7
ISTRIES
MIN CRISIS CENTRE
N A L P T N E M P O L DEVE
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Introduction also in the complexity of people’s situations. Over this time we’ve developed a clearer sense of the work we’re being called to.
In 2015, Crisis Centre Ministries made a fundamental change in how it was run: it appointed a CEO. At the time the charity was struggling, and the trustees felt that this would give it a new lease of life, together with a clearer sense of purpose and direction.
This Development Plan looks at where we’ve been since 2015, and charts the course for where we’ll be going over the next four years. As a Christian charity, the model for our development is one of discipleship; we’re not plotting a rigid path based on what we think we can do, but rather continually listening for and following a call.
A lot has happened over the four years since, within the charity, in Bristol and the UK. As an organisation, we’ve achieved financial stability, and we’ve changed and grown in terms of what we provide and how we operate. In the wider world, homelessness has dramatically increased, both in terms of sheer numbers but
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Listening to God often be found in prayer. The staff team pray together daily, and our trustees regularly meet to pray together, as do our volunteers and supporters. If you’d like to be involved with this, just contact us.
Our mission It has been said that “mission is finding out what God is doing and joining in.” So in this sense, our mission is not really ‘our mission’ at all: it’s not something we create ourselves, but something already happening that we seek to be a part of.
Listening to our guests As Christians, one of the central ways we expect to hear God is through our guests: in the voices of those who are poor, marginalised and forgotten. It’s through listening to these often unheard voices that we hear the challenges that we need to heed, the ones that prevent us from thinking that we always know best. Our work isn’t simply serving, but also listening and discerning, and it’s in this context that our plans for development have been put together.
The foundation of our work, therefore, is listening to God, through scripture, prayer and each other. It’s through this that we discover where and how we ought to be joining in. This continual listening has steered Crisis Centre Ministries throughout its 30+ years of mission so far, and has shaped all of our plans for the future. All of this means that Crisis Centre Ministries staff, trustees, volunteers and supporters can 3
THE STORY SINCE 2015 It might seem strange to look back only as far as 2015, especially when the charity has been working since the 1980s. But 2015 is when Jonathan, our CEO, was appointed, and so it marks the beginning of the current period of leadership.
Making priorities
two roles have been standardised, and team structures have been reviewed and revised. The staff team is now a coherent group, and each member has a clearer understanding of the others’ roles and priorities, as well as a better view of where the charity is heading.
Jonathan’s first task was identifying priorities for the charity’s wellbeing and development. This involved reviewing the broad range of CCM’s activities and how it was being run, identifying problems and setting objectives to solve them.
Looking after our volunteers
These objectives came under three priority areas: building the team, looking after our volunteers and funding God’s ministry.
Crisis Centre Ministries relies heavily on its dedicated base of volunteers, so making sure they were well led and looked after was a priority. Staff were trained in managing volunteers to a high standard, and since then things have been steadily improving. But, as ever, there’s more to be done. We recognise that we’re a charity with a workforce of over 600 people, rather than just 19 paid staff.
Building the team Since 2015, activities that include the whole staff have been introduced, and transparency and open communication have been promoted and practiced. Job descriptions for all but 4
While there were no immediate redundancies, it was recognised from the outset that salary reductions would have to be made. This involved revising roles and reducing hours for a number of staff, as well as delaying the replacement of staff who had left. It also meant redesigning the way the Wild Goose worked, returning to a drop-in model with an Engagement team working in parallel with the Provision team.
Funding God’s ministry The appointment of a Finance Manager has made a big impact on the charity’s funding. She was very quickly able to give a detailed and clear picture of the ongoing deficit and lack of reserve funds needed to keep the charity going. In short, our fundraising income didn’t meet our expenditure.
During this time, the trustees, staff, volunteers and supporters took part in a 24-hour period of prayer and fasting. This served to remind the charity of its original purpose, and to return to its original call from God.
Stabilising Rather than taking a commercially biased approach, resulting in drastic cost savings and staff redundancies, a stabilisation plan was developed. This involved delving further into the details of our finances, minimising nonurgent expenditure and focussing on highimpact fundraising activities.
In December 2015, the charity witnessed its highest ever monthly income of almost £95K, and has since established a firm foundation from which to grow its impact. 5
Developing 1."What does the Church do for someone like me?"
With the charity becoming financially stable during 2016, our attention turned to where we were headed next. We set out to answer three questions: Who are we here for? How do we serve those people? And how will that develop in the future? Each project was doing something different, but through conversations we established two foundational aspects:
ACCEPTANCE
This question, asked by a homeless man, was first put to a member of Crisis Centre Ministries in the 1980s. Each of our four projects is a response to this challenging call.
“SOMEONE LIKE ME”
HOMELESS
HUNGRY LIVING IN POVERTY
IN ADDICTION
ISOLATED STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY
POOR MENTAL HEALTH
ABUSE VICTIM UNEMPLOYED EX-OFFENDER MIGRANT REFUGEE
ASYLUM SEEKER
VULNERABLE LOSS OF HOPE, TRUST, LOVE LOOKING FOR HELP AND CHANGE
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Provision
Food, Practical
Lives b
Needs met > R
Encounter
Kindness, Hope, Truth, Love, Jesus
2. Acceptance
Based on these discussions, we developed a ‘strategic picture,’ aiming to show the journey of a beneficiary of the charity, but also describing the scope of what we offer through the different projects.
It was established that, before anything else happens, each project responds by accepting someone for who they are.
Housing Life skills
Learning, Self-confidence
Community, Move-on
Shelter
Safe environment, Safe relationships
being transformed
Relationships formed > Personal change
Engagement
Listening, Accompanying, Signposting
Employability Volunteering, Readiness, Sustaining 7
Defining our strategy like this has more recently resulted in beginning to rebrand the charity and redrafting the Articles and Memorandum of Association.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD:
2019 – 2022 Using the strategic picture as a framework, we’ve set a comprehensive range of Charity Development Targets for between now and 2022. This booklet contains some of those targets (though not necessarily the most important ones), drawn together under three themes: housing, spiritual engagement and employment. You’ll also find further targets to do with resources for the Church and meeting best practice. The final 2022 target is where we recognise we need to be, and the preceding two steps represent how we’re going to get there.
Each target is structured using the following format: Something that must be done in 2019 Something that should be done by 2020 Something that will be done by 2022
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Housing Within 2019
CCM must open its first move-on community house.
By 2020
CCM should have opened its second move-on community house.
By 2022
CCM will be overseeing four community houses in partnership with local churches, serving as move-on accommodation for Spring of Hope and Life Recovery guests.
Why?
Our Spring of Hope women’s night shelter supports, on average, 170 women every month, 64 of whom have low or no support needs. A straightforward move-on option would give these women a home rather than just shelter.
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CCM
Within 2019
CCM must be encouraging churches to acquire properties for temporary housing.
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CCM
By 2020
CCM should be in partnership with two churches who are actively pursuing acquiring a property.
CCM
By 2022
CCM will be supporting and consulting with at least four churches who are housing people in homelessness and recovery.
Why?
We cannot meet the need for move-on housing on our own, but the Church has amazing resources at its disposal. With our experience of our guests, we can support churches in setting up and running move-on homes.
Within 2019
CCM must participate in citywide discussions regarding the need for a Christian rehab centre in Bristol.
?
By 2020
CCM should be determining the nature of a partnership in such an initiative.
Why?
By 2022
CCM will be partnered with a local church and other agencies, as necessary, in providing a Christian rehab centre in Bristol.
Provision for addiction recovery in Bristol is very limited. We believe that there are models for rehab in a Christian context that can be offered locally. 9
Spiritual engagement Within 2019
CCM must create an opportunity for guests to engage with scripture, prayer and worship.
By 2020
CCM should be adding further opportunities for clients to engage with scripture, prayer and worship.
By 2022
CCM will offer a range of opportunities for clients to engage with scripture, prayer and worship.
Why?
We began as the Church out on the streets, being the hands, feet and mouthpiece of Jesus. We feel we are being called to be bolder in offering opportunities for service users to hear the Gospel when they come to our services.
Employment CCM
Within 2019
CCM must identify and be offering employability activities internally and support guests to engage with external agencies offering similar opportunities.
CCM
CCM
By 2020
CCM should be developing the internal opportunities and forming partnerships with external agencies to provide employability activities.
By 2022
CCM will be hosting external agencies who provide employability activities alongside internal activities; supporting our guests to engage and remain engaged.
Why?
The job market is challenging and employers are often reluctant to appoint someone who has a complicated history. By building a bank of trusted partners who are prepared to work with those we support, we can improve their chances of success.
Within 2019
CCM must identify a selection of volunteering and work re-entry schemes suitable for our client groups, and support our guests to engage and remain engaged.
By 2020
CCM should be building a pool of reliable and beneficial volunteering, work re-entry and internship opportunities for our guests, with evaluation processes in place.
Why?
By 2022
CCM will have access to a bank of trusted volunteer, internship and apprenticeship opportunities for our guests, providing ongoing support to them as they engage.
An aspect of restoration that our service users seek from us are the skills and confidence to find and sustain work. These are skills that many of us take for granted. 10
Resources for the Church Within 2019
CCM must undertake an in-depth review and update of the LIFE Course materials session delivery.
By 2020
CCM should have embarked upon the journey towards publication of the LIFE Course structure and teaching resources.
By 2022
CCM will publish the LIFE Course to enable churches in Bristol and further afield to support those in recovery from addictions.
Why?
The LIFE Course is based on experience gained over the last 30 years and is central to the recovery story of many. We don’t want to be exclusive in running the course but to make it available to churches.
Within 2019
CCM must develop the LRG franchising model and the necessary supporting documentation, and transition the current LRG teams to operate as franchisees.
By 2020
CCM should be working with external partners to shape and package LRG as a franchisable initiative.
By 2022
CCM will lead and develop the Life Recovery Group (LRG) ‘franchise’ supporting current and new groups across the UK.
Why?
Life Recovery Group has 10 years’ experience of creating and sustaining a safe community in which those in recovery can re-engage or find their faith in God. Many churches are now recognising the need to develop their own capacity to welcome and walk alongside those in recovery.
+ Within 2019
CCM must plan to offer ‘Understanding Addiction and Recovery in the Church’ at a location other than Woodies.
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By 2020
CCM should have established a rotation of venues across the city that host ‘Understanding Addiction and Recovery in the Church’.
Why?
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By 2022
CCM will offer the ‘Understanding Addiction and Recovery in the Church’ at various locations across the city.
As a precursor to getting involved with running a LIFE Course or setting up a Life Recovery Group, this training helps church members to become more aware of addiction and the opportunities for recovery. Our desire is to broaden the reach of this training. 11
Meeting best practice Within 2019
CCM must review fundraising activity and approaches against the Fundraising Regulator guidelines and launch a plan of action towards compliance.
£
By 2020
CCM should be sufficiently compliant with Fundraising Regulator requirements to achieve accreditation.
By 2022
CCM will have a coherent and consistent approach to fundraising compliant with the Fundraising Regulator guidelines.
Why?
We take our public accountability seriously and seek to conduct our fundraising activities professionally. The Fundraising Regulator provides a voluntary standard which we intend to live up to.
Within 2019
CCM must review volunteer management practices across all areas of CCM against the NCVO ‘Investing in Volunteers’ criteria and launch a plan of action towards compliance.
By 2020
CCM should be sufficiently compliant with NCVO ‘Investing in Volunteers’ requirements to achieve accreditation.
By 2022
CCM will manage all of its volunteers to a standard and level of consistency that ensures CCM is and remains an accredited NCVO ‘Investing in Volunteers’ organisation.
Why?
The largest group of CCM’s ‘work force’ are our 600 volunteers. We value our volunteers hugely and want to support and invest into them well.
Within 2019
CCM must review staff development and management practices across all areas against the ‘Investors in People’ criteria and launch a plan of action towards compliance.
By 2020
CCM should be sufficiently compliant with ‘Investors in People’ requirements to achieve accreditation.
Why?
By 2022
CCM will manage all of its staff and provide them with professional support to a level that ensures CCM is and remains an accredited ‘Investors in People’ organisation.
Our staff team put great effort and commitment into their roles, going above and beyond time and time again. As a responsible employer we want to ensure that our policies and practices meet the standards expected and experienced at the best of employers. 12
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Getting involved Partner with us As you can see, most of our goals are reliant on us working together with people in Bristol. If you’re a church or business and would like to join us in caring for the marginalised and vulnerable in our city, we’d love to talk more with you. You can contact Jonathan, our CEO, at jonathan.lee@crisis-centre.org.uk.
Pray
Volunteer
As we said earlier, prayer is integral to all that we do. If you’d like to join in praying for the work that we do and the people who we work with, you can sign up for our prayer email newsletter via our website.
If you’d like to give your time, there are a range of volunteer roles available across the organisation. Contact Steve Smith, our Volunteer Coordinator, if you’d like to find out more: 0117 405 7112.
“Your partnership and whatever direct or indirect involvement you are able to offer all contribute towards the aspirations we’ve set out. We are excited and hopeful about the journey ahead and becoming even better placed to support those who would ask “what’s the Church doing for someone like me?” Please join us as we follow our call in this new direction.”
Donate
It goes without saying that your donations are hugely important in helping people break free from poverty and homelessness. To find out more about donating, visit our website or call us on 0117 405 7113.
Jonathan Lee, Chief Executive
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Psalm 146 Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD.
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I will praise the LORD as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. 3
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.
4
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.
5
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God. 6
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
7
He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.
The LORD frees the prisoners.
8
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly.
9
The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. 10
The LORD will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD! (New Living Translation)
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CRISIS CENTRE MINISTRIES 32 Stapleton Road Easton, Bristol BS5 0QY
0117 330 1230 admin@crisis-centre.org.uk Find out more: www.crisis-centre.org.uk facebook.com/crisiscentreministries @crisiscentre Registered Charity No.: 298528 Charitable Company No.: 2214814