Streetwise Winter 2018/19

STREET Winter WISE 2018/19

Client story: Linda “My children needed me and I had to fight to get them back.”

Sprucing the Goose Help us serve another million meals to marginalised people in Bristol.

THE SUPPORTER MAGAZINE OF CRISIS CENTRE MINISTRIES

“He didn’t even know me.

He just offered help.”

Contents / 1 News in brief / 2 Client story: Linda / 4 A weekend away with Life Recovery Group / 6 Letters to Spring of Hope / 8 Client story: Andy / 12 Christmas Appeal: Sprucing the Goose / 14 Finance / 15 Thank you / 16 Upcoming events /

Editorial

About us

First, thank you for all the donations, time and prayer that make up the life of this ministry. We may say it often, but it cannot be said enough that the work shown in this magazine would not be possible without you.

We are a Christian charity that has been working in Bristol for over 30 years. We’re dedicated to helping the most vulnerable and marginalised in society achieve healthy and independent lives.

In this issue you’ll find Linda’s story, in which she shares how she’s gone from dealing drugs to getting completely clean and working an honest job. Then we have Andy, who tells us about his journey out of a gambling addiction that trapped him for years. Sophy, Deputy Manager at Life Recovery, reports back from another inspiring and encouraging weekend away with Life Recovery Group.

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 Recovery project, East Bristol Foodbank and Spring of Hope women’s night shelter.

You’ll also find two letters from women who’ve stayed at Spring of Hope. One of the letters, unlike the stories above, doesn’t show what we might call a ‘happy ending’.

And yet what it does show is that even in the darkest places, hope burns brighter still.

As people will soon hear in carol services up and down the country: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Matt Parsons Editor

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 Bristol’s first 24-hour shelter

Spring of Hope hires a Deputy Manager

You might have seen in the news that the council offices at St Anne’s House have been temporarily converted into a 24-hour shelter for homeless people. It’s being run primarily

by St Mungo’s, but Crisis Centre Ministries, along with Caring in Bristol, will be involved in running day-time activities for residents. We’re pleased that Richard Chilvers, who coordinated the first year of the Churches Winter Night Shelter, is deputy manager there.

Hot on the heels of St Anne’s Shelter opening, it gives us great pleasure to announce that Spring of Hope will soon be providing daytime support as well as its usual night-time shelter. Its new Deputy Manager will be starting soon, and the main part of her role will be organising and running day-time activities for the vulnerable women staying there.

Our AGM – thank you for coming Thank you to everyone who came to our AGM this year. We hope you enjoyed the new format and the opportunity to dive a little deeper into what goes on in each of our four projects. If you couldn’t make it but want to find out more about what we’ve been up to this year, you can read our first ever Impact Report.

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Client story

LINDA

Linda’s life had been full of difficulties. She seemed to be trapped in a downward spiral. But one day in the Wild Goose, things changed.

Esther, Deputy Manager for Engagement, recalls meeting Linda and her partner Jack for the first time in the Goose’s small office.

Everything began, she says, with a simple admission: ‘We need help.’ This is Linda’s story: 2

I lost custody of all my kids, through domestic violence and drugs. Five years, I went without them. And it hurts. Even now, it still hurts.

When I first met Jack, my partner, we got in a bit of trouble with drugs – selling them and taking them. Heroin and crack. It got to the point where my friend got attacked in our house and we couldn’t stay there anymore. We had to stay in Pontins [holiday park] for a month, while the police investigation was going on.

out a lot with that. She helped me move down with my stuff, and got us a sofa. We’re on the top floor, so it was hard work!

Then, when we came back to Bristol, Jack introduced me to the Goose. I met Esther there, who helped us out with everything – clothes, food, listening, support with our benefits. She contacted the Compass Centre and got us somewhere to stay.

I’m on monthly benefits but I’ve just got a new job, which I’m really proud of. I haven’t had a job in 14 years. I love it.

I’m really grateful. You lot [the Wild Goose team] have helped so much. You’re like a little family that supports our little family. It doesn’t matter what’s gone wrong – I can always come down, and I can always ring you, and you’re there for me and my family. Some organisations aren’t that deep into it. It’s like, ‘Here’s your food, see you in two weeks’ time.’ And that’s it.

But with Esther, she’ll notice when something’s wrong. I take my hat off to the Goose team and what they do and how they do it. They put up with a lot. And they’re still here, every day.

Everything’s changed now. I’ve been clean for a year and a half. I wanted to prove that I wasn’t worthless, basically. My children needed me and I had to fight to get them back.

Jack’s now clean, too. He’s even clean off his script. It’s an amazing story, actually. Andy [Deputy Manager for Provision] was new here.

Jack said to him, ‘Do you know what? Just pray for me.’ And he did, and Jack’s not gone back [to drugs] since. He’s not religious in any way, but that was it – Andy said one prayer and Jack’s been clean ever since. It’s absolutely amazing. He’s doing brilliantly – he’s put loads of weight on, and he looks really well.

It’s amazing to know that people are holding you in their thoughts, and their prayers. Just knowing that there’s love and hope and support everywhere, means you can actually move on, you can actually stand up and think, ‘Do you know what? I’m stronger than what people say I am and I can do better than what people assume I can.’

I’ve stopped as well with my anti-depressants.

I’m actually able to sleep at night. I’m not so agitated anymore, and I don’t have flashbacks as much. We’ve got a nice little flat – yeah, it’s small, but it’s getting there. Esther helped us

Names have been changed to protect the identities of Linda and Jack.

“Everything’s changed now. I’ve been clean for a year and a half.”

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H IT W Y A W A D N E K E E W A Every year, members of Life Recovery Group go away together for a long weekend. It’s a chance for everyone to build on the already strong relationships within the group, and also an opportunity for people to get away who might otherwise struggle. Sophy, Deputy Manager for Life Recovery, tells us how the weekend went this year: still managed to have a bonfire on the Friday evening, as well as enjoying a soggy round of archery and a short, wet walk on the Saturday, followed by snuggling up to enjoy films, games and an indoor BBQ together instead. Then on the Sunday, while we were at church, the sun came out! It was another lovely trip to Watchet Baptist Church, who always welcome us so warmly. Afterwards we

We had another fantastic time away! 25 people came, which is slightly fewer than usual as there were a number of people who were sadly too unwell at the time. A few extra people came down on the Saturday or Sunday for the day.

The weather threatened to be dreadful all weekend (and it was pretty poor on Saturday, causing our BBQ to be rained out). But we 4

H LIFE RECOVERY GROUP enjoyed our local fish and chips in the picnic area at Tropiquaria, the animal park, and then had lovely blue skies all afternoon. We saw all sorts of fun animals and reptiles, and some of us even got to handle some!

This was our fifth annual trip and our third to Hill House Christian Centre, and we’ve got into a nice, easy rhythm with it now. We think it might have been the calmest, most relaxed one yet. Everyone got along really well, helped out with the chores, and joined in with everything.

Old friendships were deepened, new ones were formed and we all enjoyed lots of laughs (especially during the Mamma Mia singalongs!).

Our group sessions were led excellently by Ant Newman on the theme of the Lord’s Prayer, looking at surrender, provision and direction.

The group responded to these themes really 5

well and there was lots of profound discussion and prayer.

Everyone went home refreshed, rested and reenvisioned for their next steps in life. We had particularly good news for one of our members who had been homeless for 10 weeks prior to the weekend and found out on the Monday that he had a place in a dry house!

“Something happened when I was prayed for, since then everything’s started changing for me… It was a life changing moment!”

So thanks so much for your prayers and support, everyone.

They really make a difference!

LETTERS to Spring of Hope This letter was sent from prison, by a woman who has been a frequent guest at Spring of Hope since it started. She has been homeless for thirty years. During this time, she’s had ongoing problems with addiction, which stem from being abused as a child.

Her needs became so complex and her behaviour so challenging that she was banned from other services in the area, to

the point where Spring of Hope was the only place that would take her in.

But in the midst of all the chaos, she would always seek prayer. Val (Spring of Hope Manager) recalls that she would always take a Bible to bed with her, and every morning afterwards there would be a prayer request from her in the prayer box.

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the community there, who look after her and support her. She’s also a member of various recovery groups in Bristol, including one at Hope Chapel.

This letter arrived seven days before the author was accepted into a local recovery house.

She now goes to church at Christ Church Clifton. She has been welcomed as part of

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AND Client story

At the age of 22 I was in a signed band. It was really fun, but we didn’t quite make it. We got dropped – which always happens – but I took it quite personally at the time. I got fed up of Bristol, so I moved to London, to study music business management.

That’s when it started.

I was always quite a strong Christian, before I moved. But London started taking me away a little bit. A lot of partying – standard uni stuff really. I kind of wanted to prove I was someone different. I was trying to be popular, like I never was in Bristol.

One night, in my second year, me and two others went out, and we decided to go into a casino. I remember taking £100 with me. I’d never really been a gambler – I think I’d done a few slots before, but that would have only been five or ten pounds. I remember going into the casino, and it was all glamorous, a fancy place. I tried blackjack and walked out with £800 profit.

I made some really good friends, to be fair.

But I was going out quite a lot, and just getting through my studies, not really focussing on them. It’s weird to say that, looking back, but it was just part of my party lifestyle. I didn’t realise what it was doing to me mentally.

I thought it was the answer – I was struggling for money in London anyway, working 35 hours a week on top of studying, just to afford the party lifestyle. It seemed so easy.

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DY So I started going with a friend. It became a pattern in my life very quickly. Sometimes I would lose a lot, but when I had someone with me, it would all seem okay. Then I started going by myself, not telling people what I was doing. I remember thinking, ‘I’m on my own in this.’

A year into my problem, I finally told a few people about it. But I always downplayed it. My old boss used to know. Their way of helping, which at the time they thought was the right thing, was advancing my wages. I wouldn’t be able to pay rent, to the extent that I’d maxed out my overdraft.

I kept adding more on, and they 7

I couldn’t afford my rent, so my friend had to bring me into the house where he was staying.

He didn’t know it was because I was gambling again – he thought it was just because I didn’t have enough cash. Living with that guilt in that house, knowing what I was doing, spiralled me into more addiction, because I wanted to escape that situation. It was this spiral of mental battles, wanting to be whole and sorted from this thing that was just consuming me constantly, with the guilt of my friends and family not knowing what my secret life was.

Every time I felt overwhelmed I felt I had to gamble to release my emotion.

kept advancing my wages. I’d get £300 and I’d go straight into the bookie on my way home.

Sometimes I’d win a hell of a lot of money.

Most of the time I’d lose a hell of a lot of money. And that cycle carried on for a good two years. Eventually, I managed to tell my best friend in London. I gave up for three months, and that was great. I managed to get my finances kind of sorted. But I kept finding myself falling back into these old habits, old patterns. I hated them myself, but there was such a pull to go and gamble.

I didn’t tell him I was gambling again. I became a very good liar. I’d say, ‘Oh, I haven’t had enough sleep, I’ve not eaten properly,’ when really I’d been in the casino until six in the morning, and trying to go to work at eight. And that was three, four times a week. All the time I was trying to keep up the perception that I was all fine, when really I was cut up inside, because I couldn’t stop.

After four years in London, I’d completed uni.

I managed to get a 2:1 despite my addiction.

I don’t know how – I did have some good friends with me. But then it started getting even worse. I didn’t feel like I had much of a purpose afterwards. I was just doing a regular job in the service industry. That spiralled my addiction more. I wanted a different kind of life, which I didn’t know how to get. I thought gambling was the answer. I started getting physically ill – stomach infections from stress, not being able to afford to eat properly. But I still carried on.

I started ringing family back home, and they would sub me. But they didn’t know about my addiction – they just knew there was something going on. I said my rent was expensive, or that I didn’t have enough hours at work, when really I was still working 35 hours a week on top of my course to cover my addiction. My student loans used to come in – about £3,000 a time – and that would go in a week, on gambling.

Last September, I ran out of money and I moved back to Bristol. My family still didn’t know. I moved back thinking, ‘I can sort myself out, this is going to be a new change, I won’t need to gamble.’ But really, I couldn’t stop. I was consumed.

“It was like God, through her, was saying, ‘No, we can get you out of this situation.’”

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I got a job pretty much straight away, and the same problems started to occur. I think I went to the casino once in October, a month after I’d moved back, and suddenly I was there four, five times a week. The highs and lows were insane. I would start upping everything – going from withdrawing £100 as a bankroll to taking in £1,000. I would come out with £4,000 from that. Then I’d go in the next day and lose £5,000. My body was all over the place.

I remember doing 12-hour stints on blackjack tables, trying to win back this money. And always trying to win more.

She got in contact with a guy named Rob Scott-Cook at Woodies, where she goes every week. She didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t know what to do. Then Stuart [Life Recovery Manager] just stepped up for me. He didn’t even know me. He just offered help.

We’ve been working with each other for nearly a year now. And man, it’s just saved my life. I see him like that: him letting God work through him to save me. And it’s the best thing I’ve done in my entire life, let alone gigging, or my degree. Working on myself, and working on old problems that I had. It was at first the addiction, then working on older problems, triggers, past family stuff. Things that might have contributed to me going into an addiction.

I didn’t tell anyone in Bristol what I was doing.

I would just put on this front, when really I was cut up. It came to January 28th this year, where I remember going into the casino and losing £10,000 in 15 minutes, maxing out everything I ever had, plus family money I’d been lent. I had just enough left to get a bus home. I remember getting in and my mum was up, and I just broke down. I wouldn’t like to say I would take my life, but I didn’t want to be on this earth anymore.

It’s still not easy. There are still a lot of challenges that I’m facing. But God, through Stuart, has given me tools to manage things, to turn myself mentally around. I’m a lot more positive about myself now. I understand my personality. Everyone’s got weaknesses, and I think I understand mine now. And it makes me realise I can cope with it, and move forward in life. I feel like I’m close to the other side – I’m still not quite there, still working daily and weekly to make myself mentally strong, to overcome this. I still get urges.

It’s a success story, but there are still battles.

And that’s when I believe God stepped in drastically. My mum’s always gone to church, and has always had a strong faith. And I remember that night she didn’t judge me at all.

I thought she was going to chuck me out of the house, but it was the opposite. It was like God, through her, was saying, ‘No, we can get you out of this situation.’

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d r o f f a s u p l e h Could you ? s t n e m h s i b r u essential ref welcoming drop-in centre for Bristol’s most vulnerable people.

Recent visitors to the Wild Goose drop-in centre will have noticed that it’s looking more than a little rough around the edges.

There’s a wonderful atmosphere, but the building itself – which also includes Life Recovery and our offices – is no longer ship-shape and Bristol-fashion.

Since then, we estimate that 10,000 people have been welcomed into the Wild Goose, and that we’ve served over 1 million meals.

We’re extremely proud of that, as it’s a testament to the amazing support of people like yourselves – our donors and volunteers.

But the building is showing signs of serving so many people. It’s time for a refurbishment, so that small problems don’t become big ones, which would result in emergency closure and more costly repairs.

Eight years ago, we moved from a small café on City Road to our current premises at Carpenter House. With your help we raised the £375,000 necessary to transform the building from a run-down pub into a 12

Christmas Appeal

This Christmas, please help us raise the £150,000 needed for essential refurbishments to the Wild Goose and Carpenter House.

Every donation, big or small, will make a difference for years to come. Each one will help provide a safe and welcoming place of hope for vulnerable and homeless people in Bristol.

G N I C U SPR

E S O O THE G We’ve drawn up a schedule of works that need doing, ranging from addressing damp issues and replacing rotten flooring to reconfiguring our toilets, upgrading our CCTV and making our offices fit for purpose. Above all, we need to provide a safe, welcoming environment for marginalised and vulnerable people in Bristol.

And we can’t do it without your help. The total estimated cost for these essential refurbishments is £150,000. It’s not cheap, but it’s what’s required to make sure that the Wild Goose and the rest of Carpenter

House is fit for the years ahead. So please consider donating to our refurbishment appeal this Christmas.

If there are other ways in which you think you can help, please get in touch with us.

(Our contact details are on the inside cover.)

For example, your company might be able to sponsor some of the refurbishment.

Everything helps.

However you can help, we’d be extremely grateful, as would the people who rely on the Wild Goose every day.

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Finance Income sources Businesses & Organisations – £21k Churches – £20k Individuals – £122k Trusts & Foundations – £102.5k Other Income – £9.5k

Total – £275,000 Expenditure Wild Goose Drop-in – £102k LIFE Recovery – £48k Spring of Hope –£54k Foodbank – £41k Fundraising –£29k

Total – £274,000

Figures rounded to the closest £500.

Our current financial status 2018/9 Year to Date (April 2018 to September 2018) Financial Status Actual Income: £275,000 Actual Expenditure: £274,000 Net surplus/deficit: £1,000 14

We wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s donated to us over the past few months. Your generosity has bowled us over once again!

As you can see, the Wild Goose team has been inundated with your harvest donations.

The store cupboard has never looked so full!

And this makes Andy, Deputy Manager for Provision, and Jean, our chef, very happy. It also makes a big difference to the people who eat at the Wild Goose. On top of staples like pasta and porridge, condiments like ketchup

and brown sauce and spreads like peanut butter are particularly beloved by our guests.

We’d also like to say another huge thank you to everyone who donated to our appeal for a Deputy Manager for Spring of Hope. As you may have already read in ‘News in brief’ on page 1, the new Deputy Manager will be starting soon. This will mean a crucial increase in the amount of support available to the vulnerable women staying there. And that’s all down to you! So thank you.

U O Y K N THA

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Upcoming events Addiction & Recovery Training

This training series, now in its fourth year, equips churches and pastoral care workers with a better understanding of how to support people struggling with addiction.

LIFE RECOVERY GROUP | SUPPORTING RECOVERY – GROWING FAITH | 2017–18

Trauma and Attachment This session explores the effects of trauma, and how relationships can help people recover.

UNDERSTANDING

ADDICTION & SUPPORTING RECOVERY IN THE CHURCH Saturday Morning Training Seminars 23.09.17 18.11.17 13.01.18 10.03.18 12.05.18 08.07.18

Addiction & the Brain Dr. Fergus Law, Consultant Psychiatrist Relapse & Recovery Ant Newman, Recovery Navigator Trauma & Attachment Fr. Giles Lascelle, Trauma Specialist Mental Health P-J Charters, BABCP Therapist The 12 Step Programme & Mutual Aid Groups Lydia Davenport, Drugs & Alcohol Counsellor From Homelessness to Independent Living Richard Sayer, Salvation Army Hostel Manager

Date: Sat 12th January Time: 9:30am–12:30pm

VENUE: Woodlands Church, Upper Hall, BS8 2AA TIME: 9.30–12.30am Coffee from 9.15am Suggested donation £5 per session on the door | Refreshments provided To book your place or for more information please go to: www.liferecoverygroup.org or call 07858 757 226

Mental Health This session looks at the physical, psychological and spiritual roots of mental health problems, and provides an introduction to psychosis and self-harm.

Date: Sat 16th March Time: 9:30am–12:30pm Venue for both events: The Old School Rooms, St Michael’s Centre, North Rd, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS34 8PD To book your place, please visit: crisis-centre.org.uk/LRGtraining120119

Vision for the Vulnerable

Do you work or volunteer with vulnerable people in Bristol? We’d love to see you at Vision for the Vulnerable. It’s a chance for those who work with vulnerable people to share their stories, encourage one another and come together in prayer. For this session, we’ll be joined by a speaker from LoveWell social enterprise.

Date: Tue 22nd January Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm Venue: Bristol Cathedral 16

Why your support is so important 1 2

The number of people rough sleeping in England has risen for the sixth consecutive year, to an estimated 4,134.1

3

Recent changes in welfare have led to people being evicted due to the inability to access benefits.3

4

The growing housing crisis is also fuelling homelessness. For example, rental prices in London have increased 24% since 2010 whilst average wages only 3%.4

5

A homeless rough sleeper is 35 times more likely to attempt suicide than someone who has never faced homelessness.5

One in every 170 Bristol residents is homeless.2

1. Department for Communities and Local Government, 2016: Rough sleeping in England: autumn 2016 2. Shelter, 2017: Far from alone: Homelessness in Britain in 2017 3. Housing Justice, 2017: Homelessness Overview 2017 4. Ibid 5. Ibid

Could you become a regular supporter?

ÂŁ8

could help provide a homeless person with a hot meal, emergency supplies and support work.

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Please return this form to: FREEPOST RSTX-XTYH-CJCA, Thank you for your support Crisis Centre Ministries, 32 Stapleton Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 0QY Winter 2018/19

Getting involved Everyone can make a difference to the homeless and vulnerable people in our community.

If you’re not already part of the work that we do, here are some ways to get involved:

Volunteer

If you’d like to give your time to serving vulnerable and marginalised people, you can volunteer at one of our projects. There are a range of volunteer roles available across the organisation, suitable for differing gifts and availabilities. Contact Steve Smith, our Volunteer Coordinator, if you’d like to find out more: 0117 405 7112.

Pray

As a Christian charity, prayer is integral to all that we do. If you’d like to join the group of volunteers that prays regularly 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.

Donate

With the number of homeless people increasing in Bristol, your donations are appreciated now more than ever. They help provide hot meals, shelter, love and hope to our city’s most destitute. To find out more about donating, visit our website or call us on 0117 405 7113.

Fundraise

If you’d like to raise money for homeless people in Bristol, we’d love to work with you. Whether you’re thinking about hosting an event or taking part in a challenge, visit our website to find out more about fundraising with us.

Follow us facebook.com/crisiscentreministries @crisiscentre Sign up for our monthly email newsletter at crisis-centre.org.uk