DEPAUL IRELAND ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Dublin Office / 18 Nicholas Street, Dublin 8. 00353 1 453 7111 / T depaul@depaulireland.org / E www.depaulireland.org / W
Belfast Office / Ravara House, 1 Fitzwilliam Avenue Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2HJ 028 9064 7755 / T
2011 THE YEAR AT A GLANCE
Depaul Ireland - Annual Report 2011
WELCOME The difficult economic circumstances in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland during 2011 have increased the demand for the services provided by Depaul Ireland but also resulted in greater challenge in meeting that demand. During 2011 the Trustees and Management of Depaul were delighted to welcome 2 new projects to Depaul Ireland through our commitment to collaboration with other service providers. Foyle Haven in Derry/Londonderry became part of Depaul on 1st April 2011 after being a single-service provider in the city for more than 10 years, providing day centre support to street drinkers. Also in 2011, the Rendu project in Dublin, which had previously been managed by the Vincentian Partnership, was integrated into Depaul. Our bed spaces increased by 50 per night, with the opening of an emergency service in Dublin to provide support for migrants, who are mainly from Central and Eastern Europe. This service was opened at short notice in July as a response to the increasing need for this client group. Depaul undertook a major refurbishment of one side of Back Lane Hostel, to provide long term accommodation for 18 men, in line with the plans for reconfiguration of the sector in Dublin. This building is owned by the Society of St Vincent dePaul and the building work was generously funded by the local conference, who are our partners in this service. We were very privileged that President Mary McAleese officially opened the refurbished building in her very last day in office. The Service Users, Staff and Volunteers greatly appreciated President McAleese’s expression of commitment to all parts of Irish society and her personal commitment to the Vincentian ethos as expressed in the services provided in Back Lane for almost a century. The end of 2011 saw the mobilisation of a new staff team to plan for the opening of a new HSE-funded facility in 2012, which will serve people with enduring mental health issues.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our statutory funders on both sides of the border; the Health Service Executive, Dublin City Council, The Probation Service and the Homeless Agency, the Housing Executive and Belfast Regeneration Office in Northern Ireland. In addition we would especially like to thank the Society of St Vincent de Paul for their ongoing support and collaboration with us. The outlook for the foreseeable future is for a continuation of growth in the underlying needs of the communities we serve but greater constraints on the sources of funding. We need to meet these challenges through close integration with partners in voluntary and statutory sectors, who share our commitment to addressing the acute needs of our fellow-citizens who find themselves on the margins of society. Depaul is fully committed to the principles underlying The Pathway to Home in Dublin and The Homelessness Strategy in NI. We fully recognise the constraints within which our funding partners operate and the need for stringent financial controls in the organisation. The year in review marked the end of Herbie Graham’s term as Chair of Depaul. In his quiet way, Herbie brought total dedication to the work of Depaul and great judgment in guiding the organisation through a period of growth. Finally, on behalf of the Trustees and the Senior Management Team we would like to thank our dedicated and committed staff and volunteers for their contribution to improving the lives of our service users. Kerry Antony MBE CEO Depaul Ireland Frank Allen Chairman Depaul Ireland
JAN
Duke Special’s “Ruby and the Duke” CD goes on sale in aid of Depaul Ireland. The CD was accompanied with notecards designed by Depaul service users during workshops in our Sundial House project. The CD was launched at Belfast’s “Oh Yeah” centre at an intimate gig with Duke Special performing the songs from the EP.
FEB
Our Sundial House Project introduced an innovative physical activity programme to combat the static lifestyles of many of our Service Users. The programme actively engages Service Users in sports and other fitness activities including Yoga, boxing and Keep fit classes.
MAR
On the 26th March Depaul Ireland hosted “Voice of the City” a spectacular evening of cabaret and music in the grand surroundings of Belfast City Hall. With the patronage of The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor Patrick Convery and hosted by ITV’s famous newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald OBE. The event marked the 5th birthday of Depaul in Northern Ireland and celebrated the voices of our Service Users and their stories, ably helped by a host of artists including Iain Archer, Declan O’Rourke, Katie and the Carnival, Silhouette and Sir Peregrine Ravengarde (from the Pigeon and Plum Cabaret).
APR
On the 1st April, Foyle Haven in Derry/Londonderry became the newest project within Depaul Ireland. Foyle Haven is a day centre and floating support service for street drinkers in Derry which opened in 2001 to address the needs of street drinkers in the city. The Foyle Haven amalgamation was followed with the amalgamation of the Rendu Apartments Project in North Inner City Dublin with Depaul Ireland. Rendu offers supported accommodation to up to 19 singles or families providing support and lifeskills to help service users move on to independent living and away from homelessness.
MAY
Foyle Haven Project won a prestigious GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT award for its outstanding contribution to healthcare among street drinkers in Derry. The IMPACT awards are a national healthcare award established in 1997 to recognise health initiatives that have had a major impact in the health of individuals and in the delivery of care to the wider community.
JUN
Castlehill Project in Dungannon played a major role in the Town’s celebrations for International Day. Supported by the Mayor, our celebration focused on the cultures and nationalities that live within the Project in Dungannon; people from all over the world including Portugal, Poland, East Timor and the Ivory Coast.
JUL
The new Volunteer Blog was launched, helping to capture the unique experiences of the more than 300 volunteers who support our services.
AUG
The Sundial House Project held an exhibition of their Art works for the public. The Art displayed was drawn from the talented paintings, sculptures, mixed media and installation pieces created by services throughout the year with the support of our art tutors and volunteers. The exhibition also travelled to the Electric Picnic festival where it was exhibited for the duration of the festival to much acclaim from the many visitors to the Depaul Ireland marquee who included many of the festival acts and indeed President Michael D. Higgins himself!
SEPT
The inaugural Depaul International Homeless Awareness Day took place, linking all charities within the Depaul International group (Ukraine, Slovakia, UK, USA and Ireland) together in a unified reflection and day of action on homelessness and its associated issues.
OCT
On World Homeless Day, we launched our National 2011 “Blanket Appeal”. The appeal is a call to the public to get behind the issues of homelessness and support our work. The blanket was chosen as a symbol of the basic needs of a person experiencing homelessness; it is a symbol of security, warmth and comfort.
NOV
We were honoured to host the last official engagement of President Mary Mc Aleese, to open the new long-term wing at our Backlane Hostel in Dublin’s Christchurch area. The new wing provides a dignified home for life for 18 men. Backlane holds the unique honour of hosting both the first and last official engagements of President McAleese.
DEC
William Cassidy, a volunteer for our Befriending service won the “2011 Ireland Involved Award” in the Social Work category. William came to know Depaul Ireland as a service user in our Backlane project and through his own hard work and the support of our staff has been living successfully in his own home for over 4 years. Williams desire to give something back led to his volunteering in our befriending programme where he helps support other men who have moved into their own homes. The award was such a deserving win for a passionate, enthusiastic and engaging volunteer!
Depaul Ireland - Annual Report 2011
AWARD WINNING WORK – AWARD WINNING VOLUNTEERS! 2011 was an award winning year for Depaul Ireland. In May Foyle Haven Project beat 450 other national projects to win a prestigious GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT award for its outstanding contribution to healthcare among street drinkers in Derry. The IMPACT awards are a UK national healthcare award established in 1997 to recognise health initiatives that have had a major impact in the health of individuals and in the delivery of care to the wider community. In June we were delighted to have been shortlisted from thousands of entries as one of 3 finalists in the prestigious UK Charity Awards for our Stella Maris project in Belfast. The Project was recognised for its longstanding commitment to street drinkers and the impact that the project has had in changing the sector throughout Northern Ireland. The UK Charity awards are the most prestigious award for any charity in the UK, established in 2000, they showcase the very best of Britain’s charity initiatives and are undoubtedly the most sought after recognition among UK Charities. Finally, In December, William Cassidy, our Peer Support Volunteer, won the Social Work Category at the Ireland Involved Awards Ceremony in Dublin Castle in the company of President Michael D Higgins. William has been volunteering with Depaul since 2010 and has been an inspiration to Staff, Volunteers and Service Users since then.
WILLIAM’S STORY William is a community based volunteer in our Befriending Programme who has been offering one to one support to a homeless man with an acquired brain injury since 2010. William was our first peer support volunteer, having successfully moved out of homelessness and into independent living with the support of our Befriending Programme for over 2 years. William spends 20 hours per week in our Back Lane hostel offering informal practical and emotional support to the men there. In addition to this huge commitment, William also fundraises and speaks as an advocate for the organisation. Previous to his successful move to independent living, William had spent 9 months in emergency accommodation in Back Lane Project. At this time, he was “a broken man”. He had lost everything that was dear to him and for a long time battled against suicidal ideation. When he moved out to his own flat he participated in our Befriending Programme where he received informal yet structured support from the team of volunteers. William’s depression continued to be a major issue in his life and he says today without the help of the Befriending team he would not be with us. After 2 years as a Service User on the team, William expressed an interest in “giving back” and agreed to work with us as a peer support volunteer. He completed his induction in November 2010, and in the past year has been an inspiration to everyone who meets him. He became responsible for the promotion of befriending in Back Lane and soon everyone was talking about the Befriending Programme.
What makes William unique is that he speaks the men’s language from a place of knowing where they are at and serves as a very real example that there was a way out of homelessness. William continues to bring hope to the men in the hostel and inspires those who had moved on to look at volunteering as a means to making significant changes in their lives.
FINANCIAL RETURN
Depaul Ireland - Annual Report 2011
A WORD OF WELCOME
STATS
In 2011 we have been delighted to welcome 2 new projects into the Depaul Ireland group of services. In April, we welcomed Foyle Haven, a long established project in Derry/Londonderry which has a number of initiatives working with street drinkers in support and healthcare within our drop in centre or their own accommodation. Furthermore, in May we welcomed Rendu Apartments in Dublin into Depaul. Rendu has been in operation for a number of years providing excellent services to homeless people in the north inner city.
No of Service Users: (1327 Male, 338 Female, 95 Children) No of Long Term stays: No of Short Term Stays: No of Move-On’s: No of People supported in befriending: No of Lifeskills courses delivered: No of Births: No of Deaths: No Volunteers: No Student Placements: No EVS: No Vol Hours:
THE DRY DOCK The Dry Dock, a space for Service Users to relax, unwind and take a rest from drinking alcohol was officially opened on August 29th in Orchid House. Orchid House is a project for people who struggle with alcohol addiction and together they decided to create a space for people making a choice to not drink for a period. It offers a great asset and an opportunity for service users to socialise and take part in activities without alcohol. "We wanted to give people the option of a space that was dry. It was traditionally used for this but not officially and we wanted to brighten it up and create a space people enjoy being in," said Sandra Losty, Depaul Ireland’s Life Skills Coordinator. "It's a great idea," said Anto who lives in Orchid House. "Some people don't like to drink all of the time and now they have a place to socialise." Christina, who works full time in Orchid House on the European Volunteer Service Programme, got the Service Users involved in painting the walls and remodelling the space to make it serene and colourful. The addition of the room highlights the value of Depaul Ireland's harm reduction approach and the awareness it can create in Service Users about the importance of reducing their drinking. A competition was held at the opening to decide the name of the room. There were 12 entries from Service Users and the winning name was “The Dry Dock”.
GREEN FINGERS
23,811 hours were donated by volunteers in Depaul projects in 2011
1760 518 881 383 83 643 7 18 174 76 18 23,811
A NEW RESPONSE CHARLEMONT STREET The plight of economic migrants to Ireland who have become homeless has increased significantly over the past few years. Increasing numbers of economic migrants who have lost their jobs in the economic downturn have found themselves without access to public funds and services and have subsequently become homeless. This group of people have been hard to identify and hard to reach and as numbers increased Depaul committed ourselves to action. With the help of Dublin City Council, we piloted the first ever accommodation project for economic migrants in Ireland during July 2011. Depaul Ireland Charlemont Street is a 50-bed emergency nightshelter for Non-Irish Nationals who are experiencing homelessness. It provides a bed, a hot meal and a chance to begin the process of regaining stability. Through partnership with partner agencies, our Service Users receive support around benefits, housing and legal rights as well as translation services. Although facilities in the building are limited, our team of staff and volunteers strive to create a homely and welcoming environment in accordance with Vincentian values and the belief that everyone has the right to a place called home.
ROI Depaul Ireland Income - Where the money is sourced
2011 €
2011 %
Homeless Executive / Agency Probation Services Ballymun Regeneration Core Rent Fundraising Other/SVP NI Recharges
5192342 444996 161004 335821 94820 174639 289806 6693428
78% 7% 2% 5% 1% 3% 4%
0
100%
Depaul Ireland Expenditure - How the money is spent 0
Homeless Services Outreach/Befriending Volunteers - EVS/other HR/services support Fundraising/Campaigns Management/Admin/IT/ Audit/Governance
5597756 183147 104852 101101 116014
84% 3% 2% 1% 2%
533543 6636413
8%
Depaul Ireland Income - Where the money is sourced
2011 £
2011 %
Supporting People Belfast Regeneration Office Housing Benefit/Core rent Start up income NIHE (Homeless Policy) WDACT Big Lottery Fund Fundraising Other
1674974 81802 535055 0 50625 69716 132989 48564 49846 2643571
63% 3% 20% 0% 2% 3% 5% 2% 2%
100%
NI
Homeless Services/Day services Education/Outreach Regional costs Volunteers HR/services support Fundraising Project Admin/IT/Audit
Percentages clockwise starting 0 0
100%
Depaul Ireland Expenditure - How the money is spent
As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, 2011 saw the development of a number of allotments across our services. In addition to the gardens and grow boxes in each of our services, we now have 4 allotments across Ireland, in Derry/Londonderry, Belfast, Dungannon and Dublin. A welcome addition to our lifeskills programmes, the allotments provide an excellent opportunity for Service Users to get up and active in the fresh air by getting down and dirty with the planting and harvesting of their own vegetables which are used in our cookery classes to make delicious and nutritious meals and plants which are used to decorate their homes!
Percentages clockwise starting zero
0
1904075 94438 251494 49335 140599 9168 46621 2495730
76% 4% 10% 2% 6% 0% 2% 100%
A full set of our audited accounts can be downloaded from the Depaul Ireland website / www.depaulireland.org
Dublin Office / 18 Nicholas Street, Dublin 8 00353 1 453 7111 / T depaul@depaulireland.org / E
Belfast Office / Ravara House, 1 Fitzwilliam Avenue Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 2HJ 028 9064 7755 / T
Registered Charity No. CHY14753
Registered Charity No. XR87991
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