ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
ANNUAL REVIEW 2012
Our mission Watford New Hope Trust (WNHT) exists to serve homeless and vulnerably-housed people by providing accommodation and opportunities to rebuild damaged lives. Founded upon Christian values, which are at the core of our operation, we support people regardless of faith. We house over 50 people every night and help over 600 homeless people every year through accommodation, support and development services.
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CHAIRMAN & CEO’s WELCOME Overview 2011/12 our services outreach day centre mental health support tenancy sustainment team central support team client stories central support team (Continued) sanctuary night shelter Community Home NEW HOPE HOUSE MOVE ON HOSTELS workshops furniture SCHEME market garden finances 2011/12 thank you
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Mike Smith, CEO
CEO & CHAIRMAN’s welcome We begin this 2012 Annual Review by saying THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved with the work of Watford New Hope Trust (WNHT) over the last year. You have enabled us to provide accommodation, support and development services to 617 homeless and vulnerably-housed individuals in Watford. We are extremely grateful to God for everyone who has made this possible.
behind our existence. The biblical definition of love explains that, among other things, it is patient and kind, it never gives up, it always perseveres, it always hopes and it never fails. In these challenging times, love is the reason why we will not give up helping those in need. Also, love motivates us to continue to provide the most comprehensive homelessness support programme in the Watford area.
In the past year homelessness has continued to increase across the UK and this is no different in Watford. Excluding periods of changeover between residents, our 50 beds were full throughout the year. In addition, we have witnessed a ‘bottleneck’ effect in the past year as the flow through our services has slowed down due to a lack of affordable accommodation beyond the Trust. However, towards the end of the year we were pleased to be awarded funding from the Homelessness Transition Fund, which will enable us to provide six additional emergency beds and more help to first-time homeless people over the next three years.
Finally, we would like to share with you some recent and encouraging words spoken by our Member of Parliament, Richard Harrington:
We celebrated our 22nd birthday in March with a themed event, entitled Love Never Fails. Love is imperative to the way we work and it is the reason
‘For me, the New Hope Trust typifies what’s the best in Watford. It offers so much. So much love and decency and hard work and effort is given by everyone – employees, trustees, volunteers, and everybody alike.’ In addition to Mr Harrington’s words, we recognise that so much is also given by our supporters. Once again, thank you! We do hope you will enjoy reading more about our recent work in the following pages.
MIKE SMITH (CEO) & the REVD MIKE JONES (CHAIRMAN)
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OVERVIEW 2011/12 Of the 617 people supported by us this year 84% were male, 40% suffered from mental health problems, 39% suffered alcohol addiction and 24% suffered from illegal substance misuse. The overwhelming majority of homelessness was caused as a result of emotional, physical and financial poverty. When asked for the triggering cause of homelessness, our service users gave the following reasons:
Life circumstances (22%) Eviction by landlord (20%) Asked to leave by friends or family (17%)
WHY?
Relationship breakdown (15%) Undisclosed (12%) Discharged from prison (6%) House repossession (3%) Domestic violence (3%) Property - unsuitable conditions (2%)
The average age of our service users was 40 (94% were aged between 20 and 60). A breakdown of service users by age can be seen in the following graph:
35 - 43 (26%) 26 - 34 (22%) 44 - 52 (18%) 20 - 25 (13%) 53 - 59 (10%) Undisclosed (5%) 18 - 19 (3%) 60 - 64 (2%) 65 + (1%)
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AGE
A marked change, when comparing this year’s statistics to last, is that the ethnic makeup of our service users has been noticeably different. In 2010/11 approximately 82% of our service users were white British; whereas this year that figure has reduced to 71%. This difference is explained by the rise in the number of people who came to the UK from abroad to work and, having lost their jobs, they were ineligible for benefit entitlement. Such people have been extremely vulnerable to homelessness. A more detailed breakdown of service users by ethnicity is as follows:
White British (71%) White other (9%) African (5%) Caribbean (3%) Undisclosed (3%)
Ethnicity
White & Black Caribbean (2%) White & Black African (2%) Any other mixed background (1%) Indian (1%) Pakistani (1%) Bangladeshi (1%) Any other Asian background (1%)
Throughout the year, our houses and hostels operated at capacity. In this sense, our overall occupancy of 92% is somewhat misleading and requires explanation. This figure takes into account periods of changeover, when rooms are empty for cleaning and maintenance work. Very occasionally, our rooms are unoccupied when we are faced with issues surrounding eviction and criminal investigations. In terms of future developments, at the end of the year we were successful in a threeyear funding bid for ÂŁ250,000 from the Homelessness Transition Fund. This will enable us to improve our emergency accommodation and outreach services over the coming years.
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OUR SERVICES ‘Watford New Hope Trust is Watford Borough Council’s preferred provider of homelessness services because it offers real wrap-around care, from a street doorway to a stable home.’ Dorothy Thornhill MBE, Elected Mayor of Watford
We offer a very comprehensive service to homeless and vulnerably-housed people, which can be explained in the following three categories:
SUPPORT SERVICES Street Outreach (floating support) Day Centre Mental Health Worker (floating support) Tenancy Sustainment Team (floating support) Central Support Team
ACCOMMODATION The Sanctuary Night Shelter (emergency accommodation) The Community Home (a ‘damp’ house) New Hope House (a ‘dry’ house) The Sanctuary Cluster Flats (move-on accommodation) The Manse (move-on accommodation) Alpha Court (move-on accommodation)
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Workshops Market Gardening Scheme Furniture Restoration Scheme Further information about each of these services can be found in the following pages.
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THIS YEAR The average age of rough sleepers was 35 The most common reason for homelessness was due to financial poverty More than 200 individuals were supported this year
‘Outreach gave me advice about housing which meant I didn’t lose my flat and was able to resolve things with the council’
STREET OUTREACH Our Street Outreach Team works alongside rough sleepers and other homeless people by offering guidance on issues relating to accommodation and statutory benefits. This year we saw a large rise in the number of people who are facing homelessness purely because of their economic circumstances. Many had lost their jobs (in the UK and abroad) while others had experienced a decrease in their statutory benefit payments. Disappointingly, many of these people were former service users of the Trust, who were in need of our support again. Although many of these people had settled into their own accommodation, they remained living on the margins of society and, as a consequence, they were the first to fall victim to changes in benefit entitlements. We are always available to people such as these.
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THIS YEAR Between 60 and 70 people visited every day 17 volunteers helped on a regular basis 250 individuals were supported
‘The Day Centre supported me from the streets. It was the first step for me getting a place’
DAY CENTRE The Haven Day Centre provides a drop-in service to homeless and vulnerably-housed people in Watford. Clients receive housing advice, hot food, clean clothes and can also use the washing and laundry facilities. God’s love has an enormous impact on the way we run the Day Centre both practically and spiritually. We feed people hot meals, we can supply clean clothes and we have shower and laundry facilities on site. We also provide volunteer opportunities to service users in the kitchen, which boosts their confidence. But the support we offer our service users is more than practical. For instance, when clients are sharing their issues with us we offer to pray for them and many appreciate this. We believe in a structured approach at the Day Centre and insist that individuals
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attending the centre abide by our rules and engage positively with our services. For example, we have a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use or dealing, and we don’t tolerate abuse, lying, swearing and violence. Occasionally we have had to ban people, but they know that the door is open to them again once the ban is up. We’re always prepared to give people a second chance and we are pleased to forgive any misdemeanours that have been committed. Over the last year, we have seen a number of clients who have come for help because they have lost their jobs, used up all their savings and have run out of friends to put them up. There have been several deaths over the last 12 months, which is always extremely difficult for all at the Day Centre. Sadly, this is part of the consequences of some of our clients’ lifestyles. The frequency of life’s ups and downs is intense at the Day Centre, which means that every day is full of surprises!
‘We’re always prepared to give people a second chance’
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THIS YEAR 46 individuals were supported by our Mental Health Floating Support Worker The most common type of mental health problem was depression 40% of WNHT service users suffered mental health issues
‘My support worker has helped me gain independence and see things in a different light. It has been excellent for my mental health.'
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT The Mental Health Floating Support Worker provides specialist advice, one-to-one support and links with other health agencies. Over this year, we have seen more and more people struggling with debt problems. Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health issues that we see and these are often money-related – particularly where eligibility for sickness benefits has been cut. A concern which has been highlighted over the past year is that, for many of our service users, statutory services are failing their needs. The full extent and impact of statutory benefit cuts will be felt over the coming year. During Mental Health Week in October 2011 we ran a series of workshops in conjunction with the workshop programme. Themes included ‘Eating Healthily’, ‘Keeping fit’ and ‘Noticing the world around us’.
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12 THE SANCTUARY
THIS YEAR 88 individuals were supported 86 people maintained their tenancy 20 people successfully completed four pre-tenancy courses
‘TST are such a great source of knowledge and support.’
tenancy sustainment team The Tenancy Sustainment Team (TST) provides support to former homeless people who are now living in their own accommodation. Their aim is to prevent homelessness. Over the past year TST have provided three core areas of support to people who are considered to be ‘vulnerably-housed’: (1) pre-tenancy, (2) tenancy and (3) community support. Pre-tenancy involves helping service users to understand a tenant’s rights and responsibilities. We assist in obtaining appropriate benefits and we
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accompany service users to view prospective accommodation. We ran four pre-tenancy courses throughout the year, which included sessions on budgeting, cookery and relationship management. These courses increased the likelihood of people sustaining a tenancy. Over the past year TST helped many people to move into their own accommodation and manage their tenancies. We assisted with the renewal of housing applications, tenancy agreements and benefit claims. Incredibly, 84 of the 86 people that TST worked with throughout the year were prevented from homelessness. In terms of community support, in the past year we provided our service users with opportunities to interact with their community through fortnightly coffee mornings and day trips. Over the year, we have persisted in reaching out to our service users even when they seem to be turning their backs on the help which is offered. We never close the door on a client, but we do require them to make steps towards us in order to receive our help.
‘We never close the door on a client’
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CENTRAL SUPPORT Team The Central Support Team is responsible for administration, facilities maintenance, finance (including the collection of housing benefits), communications, fundraising, HR, IT and retail. We have seen a great deal of change within the Central Support Team this year. In particular we said farewell to Pip Leese, our Human Resources Director, who retired after 13 years of faithful service to the Trust. Our finance team have been grappling with forthcoming changes to the housing benefit system and our maintenance supervisor has done a fantastic job in looking after our various buildings across Watford, and helping when anything or anyone needs moving! Throughout the year the Central Support Team has supported the 214 volunteers (70 of whom regularly give their time) and 77 members of staff who are at work in 10 locations across Watford and Chorleywood.
Fundraising & COMMUNICATIONS We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported the Trust, particularly in this prevailing economic downturn. Through various means, the Trust’s needs were met through the generosity of the
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local community. We ran a number of successful fundraising events during the year, all of which generated a surplus and all of which involved our service users. Events included an Abseil Challenge from St Mary’s Church tower (which raised more than £9,000) and three sleepouts (one in the summer and two in the winter). We’re particularly grateful to Dami Siyanbola, who ran the London Marathon, to Jane Lacey, who took part in a halfmarathon, Chris Ellis, who cycled from Lands End to John o’Groats and to Symphonia Academica who organised a concert of classical music to raise money for the Trust. We were also thankful to the many schools, local church youth groups and West Herts College, who all got involved with Watford New Hope Trust this year. We enjoyed our most overwhelming Harvest since records began, which generated more than £80,000 worth of food and toiletries for people in need. We spoke about our work to 9,550 people at 64 talks in 58 different places, had donations from 151 schools, churches, community groups and companies and were helped by a team of fantastic volunteers who collected donations, sorted items and then distributed to our different services. We celebrated a very successful year in terms of awareness-raising and generating new supporters. We appeared in radio interviews on BBC Three Counties Radio and Vibe FM three times during the year and articles about our work were featured in the local press on more than 60 occasions. In addition, we enjoyed working with Watford Football Club, whose players warmed-up wearing our T-shirts during their last game of the season. Harry the Hornet took part in our abseil event and they organised a Christmas Carol service for our benefit. Also, we launched our new website at www.wnht.org and we became active in the world of social media.
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CLIENT STORies BOBBY’s STORY (AGE 20) ‘The Trust really encouraged me to get work and helped me get back on my feet again.’ I grew up locally, living with my mum and sister, but not my dad. At school, I wasn’t great – I was good at the learning, I just got into trouble a bit, so I didn’t get many GCSEs. I then went to college and got my level 2 in plastering.
The Trust really encouraged me to get work and helped me get back on my feet again. I’ve stayed in the Manse for nine months, and for the last three I’ve been working in catering in a local department store.
I became homeless after my mum and I lost the house we were renting, so I stayed on the sofa at my sisters for about six months and then heard about Watford New Hope Trust.
Life is better now. I enjoy working and I’m just about to move into my own place. I feel less worried about the future. I hope to one day have a lovely flat, to progress in my work, and to continue to get qualifications.
I applied to get into New Hope House and was accepted. So I moved in, and lived there for five weeks. I then moved into the Manse as I needed to get work and the rent at New Hope House is too expensive when you stop claiming benefits.
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My perception of homelessness has totally changed in that I now know how easy it is to become homeless. I’m never going to become homeless again.
JILL’s STORY (AGE 49) ‘I’m able to speak to staff whenever I need support. – They’ve helped me so much.’ I met my partner almost twenty years ago, and we lived together in Watford until last year. Throughout that time we had various houses together. We both worked, but we also liked to drink. Ten years ago, when my mother died, I started to drink more heavily, and when I drank we’d get into a lot of arguments. Our relationship broke down in the March of 2011, when my partner applied to court for a single tenancy. After a bit of trouble, I ended up getting arrested and sentenced and was sent to prison in Peterborough. I served my sentence and when I got out of prison, I had a black bag for my possessions and was released on to the streets. I made my way back to Watford and stayed for two nights in a hotel and then my money ran out. Then I was told that I could be helped if I attended the Haven Day Centre.
After going to the Day Centre, I was referred to the Sanctuary Night Shelter and got a bed and a room. The staff were amazingly helpful and it was reassuring to know that I would have up to 28 nights with a roof over my head. Throughout this time I got a place and moved into New Hope House. It’s been good to have a place to sleep, a place where I can stay clean and a place where I can be helped to find somewhere more permanent to live. I’m able to speak to staff whenever I need support – they’ve helped me so much. I thank God that I’m here. I’m desperate to have my own place though and I look forward to getting settled in a flat one day.
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THIS YEAR 6,000 people visited our website
CENTRAL SUPPORT Team (CoNTinueD)
£433,385 was raised through fundraising
RETAIL
£221,987 was raised through retail
This year saw us open a new charity shop in Chorleywood – the home town of Janet Hosier, one of our co-founders. The little shop on Lower Parade opened in November 2011 and was filled to the rafters with stock, reflecting the amazing generosity of the people of Chorleywood. We’re thankful too for the support of local companies, such as Costco, who donated samples for us to sell and to our volunteers who have given so freely of their time and energy.
‘We seek to give away as well as receive’
Mike Jones, Chair of Trustees, officially opened the shop by cutting a ribbon of parcel tape surrounded by cardboard boxes – symbolic of the shelters many of our service users have used
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when sleeping rough. Shoppers were entertained by a string quartet of talented pupils from Watford Grammar School for Girls and we took £2,300 in sales! Our charity shop in Watford continues to thrive, despite the struggles which other charity shops have experienced. We have been blessed by an abundance of donations of clothes, bric-a-brac, books and furniture from local people, and we have sought to give as well as receive. We offer starter packs to service users who are about to start again in their own accommodation, and pray for those in need. The Watford shop is run entirely by volunteers including the shop manager, Polly Odbert. Polly was short-listed this year for the Institute of Fundraising’s national Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year award, in recognition of her many years of hard work and joyful service. Well done Polly!
‘There’s a huge variety of interesting items at the shop. The staff are friendly, the service is efficient, and prices are reasonable. It’s nice to help people through a local charity’.
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THIS YEAR 62% of people moved on positively The average length of stay was 31 days 112 individuals benefitted from this service The occupancy rate was 98%
No. OF BEDS: 12
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff in residence 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY 28 nights
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SANCTUARY NIGHT SHELTER This hostel is Watford’s only emergency accommodation. It provides individuals with short-stay accommodation, meals and laundry facilities. Staff work with other services to provide a tailored package for each person, as well as help towards moving into more stable accommodation. This year, like many others, has been challenging. We have struggled with a shortage of staff and have spent a lot of time and energy on recruitment. It has been encouraging to see the highest ever number of residents move-on positively to more stable, secure and long-term accommodation. Sadly, we have seen more repeat stayers this year but we don’t give up on our service users. We seek to offer
unconditional acceptance and support to people regardless of what has happened in the past. The Night Shelter has operated at capacity throughout the year so, unfortunately, we often have to turn people away. This situation led us to apply for a grant from the Homelessness Transition Fund to provide short-term basic accommodation for those who are first-time homeless. We were successful, and the new Transition Service will launch in 2012/13. This funding will enable us to provide six additional beds at the Night Shelter and we will also launch Watford’s first 24/7 advice line for people facing homelessness. The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) operated during the winter period (when the temperature fell to below zero degrees centigrade for three consecutive nights). During this period, 15 people were supported at the Sanctuary.
‘We seek to offer unconditional acceptance’
‘From day one I’ve had help and support from the keyworkers. They have been very helpful, understanding, patient and tolerant.’
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THIS YEAR The average length of stay was 125 days 11 residents were supported The occupancy rate was 97% 67% of people moved on positively
No. OF BEDS: 5
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff in residence 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY 2 years
COMMUNITY HOME The Community Home is a house offering longterm accommodation for people with alcohol addiction issues. Residents are allowed to drink a controlled amount of alcohol on the premises, with the aim of stopping drinking altogether. For this reason it is called a ‘damp’ house and it is the only hostel of this type in the Watford area. During the past year the Community Home has been a safe place for men who have lost everything to begin to rebuild their lives. We don’t give up on the residents but give them every opportunity to engage with us and the help we offer. Once again, a group of staff and residents went to Cornwall for a week’s holiday. The highlights included fishing, a trip to the Eden Project and plenty of games of pool!
‘I’m really happy at the Community Home. I know they’re not my real family, but it feels like it. The staff are really good to me, they are brilliant at looking after me and taking me back, when I mess up.’
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THIS YEAR The average length of stay was 111 days 32 residents were supported The occupancy rate was 92% 50% of people moved on positively
No. OF BEDS: 10
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff in residence 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY
NEW HOPE HOUSE New Hope House (NHH) is a hostel offering short-term accommodation to people who are not drinking (‘dry’) and stable. On arrival, each resident is assigned a key worker to provide support in preparing to move on to more independent accommodation and to encourage the development of skills needed to live away from hostel accommodation. This year there were more female residents than in previous years. We also saw a greater number of service users who had become homeless because of redundancy or job loss.
1 year We celebrated the house’s 18th birthday in October with 26 former and current residents, staff, volunteers, trustees and Friends of the Trust. We reminisced over gammon boiled in Coca-Cola!
‘NHH is a great place the help is definitely there and available, but you have got to be willing to take it. There is always someone on duty you can talk to if things are tough.‘
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THIS YEAR The average length of stay was 153 days 34 residents were supported
MOVE-ON HOSTELS We run three move-on hostels. All three exist to give residents a stepping stone from our services to independent living.
The occupancy rate was 85%
‘The help and support I have received personally and witnessed for others has been both excellent and admirable at all levels.’
In the past year, more than 85% of the people supported through our move-on services were moved into more appropriate and stable accommodation. We were particularly encouraged by this figure, because an ongoing problem that we face is a lack of access to accommodation beyond the Trust. For example, many private landlords are unwilling to rent to people coming from homelessness services. In addition, financial access to the private rented sector is often unattainable for most of our service users. For this reason, we hope to launch a rent deposit scheme for homeless individuals in the coming year. Our three move-on services are summarised as follows:
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No. OF BEDS: 13
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff on call 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY 1 year
No. OF BEDS: 6
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff on call 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY 2 years
No. OF BEDS: 4
LEVEL OF SUPPORT Staff on call 24/7
MAXIMUM STAY 2 years
SANCTUARY CLUSTER FLATS
The Cluster Flats are self-contained flats which provide space for residents to have independence whilst receiving support as and when it is required. This year we were able to enjoy an encouraging number of positive move-ons, given the lack of accessible accommodation beyond the Trust. We were particularly pleased to be able to help some relatively long-term residents to find their accommodation and pass them onto the capable hands of the TST. Towards the end of the year, we took one two-bed flat out of action, to bolster our emergency accommodation, which operates from the same building.
ALPHA COURT Alpha Court contains self-contained flats with Assured Shorthold Tenancies. Tenants are supported in finding permanent employment and planning a successful move to independent living. Each resident receives a low level of support from the Trust and are encouraged to develop the skills they will need to live independently. For example, cooking, cleaning, budgeting and grocery shopping.
THE MANSE The Manse provides individual bedrooms, with a shared kitchen and living area. Previously part of New Hope House, in January 2010 the Manse became a residential project for people preparing to leave the support of hostel accommodation for good. To prepare residents for living independently, the Manse is not staffed 24 hours a day, but support is provided through individual key-working sessions. Service users cook and clean for themselves and are offered support to move-on.
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THIS YEAR
workshops
199 individuals were supported 41 subjects were offered
‘The workshops helped me meet new people in my situation and made me realise that I was not alone. I’ve met some amazing people, built on my current skills and learnt and tried new things!’
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We offer a wide variety of informal training and development workshops covering a range of activities. This year saw an increase in the number and variety of workshops offered. Workshops included IT support, book club, cookery and Advice 4 U (individual advice sessions with an experienced volunteer). Three service users set up and ran their own workshops. Through our Look Ahead sessions (in partnership with ASCEND), we have seen 15 clients make significant steps forward. Two went on to paid employment, one took and passed the Construction Scheme Certification Scheme, three took up courses at West Herts College and nine people took up places on other courses.
THIS YEAR 23 individuals were supported 8 service users were ex-offenders 14 people suffered mental health issues £12,079 was generated through furniture sales
‘Thanks to the help I’ve had, I’m now back on my feet and have stopped drinking.’
FURNITURE scheme This scheme offers service users the opportunity to learn skills in woodwork and furniture restoration. The service users restore donated gifts of furniture in our workshop. The furniture is then sold in a shop on Queens Road, Watford. We are grateful for the many donations of furniture from members of the public that we have received throughout the year. We have also found that sales have increased as people are on the look-out for cheaper alternatives. Throughout last year one of our main struggles was a lack of available storage and sales space. This constant problem has meant that we have been forced to turn away more furniture than we can accept. We managed to add a small amount of space to the shop during the year by opening up a disused basement below the shop floor, however space shortage remains a problem and we are on the lookout for additional premises in the coming year.
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THIS YEAR 23 service users were committed to volunteering at this project 4 service users were ex-offenders 6 people were suffering from mental health issues
‘We nurture an environment where our service users feel free to share laughter, smiles as well as worries and concerns’
MARKET GARDEN The garden is set in one acre of land in west Watford and it serves both homeless people and the community. Service users are offered ‘ecotherapy’ through teaching on horticulture, environmental awareness and healthy living. In the past year, the garden has been a bridge between WNHT and the local community and this has enabled some really exciting developments to take place. It has provided a fantastic opportunity for us to host local companies and groups of individuals who are interested in knowing more about homelessness, as well as gardening. The substantial investment that we made in the garden this year was the result of a major change to our lease. Watford Borough Council have granted us a 10 year lease, which has given us much more certainty than
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we had with our previous three-year rolling lease. With this new lease, WBC also threw in an extra tranche of land for us to use! There will be more exciting changes to report in the year ahead and we hope to open up this service to many more of our service users as a result. We have been blessed throughout the year by the help and support of a number of companies who have served us by giving us their time. such support has brought a new lease of life to the garden. Thank you Tesco for the new pond, Kraft for painting fences, Medtronic for developing the woodland area, Skanksa for putting in new paths and Barclays Bank for buying and putting in paving slabs! Towards the end of the year the ASDA Foundation gave us a grant of ÂŁ22,000 to buy polytunnels, tools, a workshop, a toilet, fences as well as funding for a new entrance way. These important additions will enable us develop the garden for our service users and the local community in the years to come. There is a real community spirit to our Market Garden. We nurture an environment where our service users feel free to share laughter, smiles as well as worries and concerns. They believe in what they are doing, they are committed and they work as a team to get jobs done.
‘I like coming to the Garden Project for the social interaction. I have learnt many new skills since attending the project and look forward to my days at the garden each week.’
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FINANCES 2011/12 This year, our income and expenditure increased by 3% and 4% respectively in comparison with the previous year. We enjoyed a very small surplus of £6,107. A more detailed breakdown of income and expenditure is as follows: Statutory contract income (33%) Housing Benefit (27%) Retail (11%) Fees, service-user contributions and other (9%)
INCOME £1,904,535
Individuals (6%) Local authority (6%) Trusts & Foundations (4%) Community Groups (3%) Schools (0.5%) Companies (0.4%) Legacies (0.2%)
Sanctuary (Night Shelter & Cluster Flats) (29%) New Hope House (15%) Community Home (11%) Haven Day Centre (10%) Fundraising & Publicity (8%) Tenancy Sustainment Team (6%) Retail (5%) Furniture Restoration (4%) Street Outreach (3%)
EXPENDITURE £1,898,428
The Manse (2%) Market Garden (2%) Alpha Court (2%) Workshops (2%) Governance (1%)
Please note, the information above is a summary of our financial activities in the year ending March 2012, approved by our trustees. Our full audited accounts are available on the Charity Commission website. They can also be requested from our Head Office.
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THANK YOU This year, 617 homeless and vulnerably-housed people have been offered a ‘new hope’ through our services. This has only been possible because of the supporters of Watford New Hope Trust. If you have contributed to our work then, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Of particular note, we would like to thank our 10 trustees, all of whom volunteer their time to govern our work and pray for us. We would also like to thank every one of our volunteers, particularly our committed shop workers and Day Centre helpers. Throughout the year, our income was generated by 402 individuals (including 200 committed supporters – the Friends of WNHT – 12 of whom donated more than £1,000 each), 87 churches, 83 schools, 35 other community groups (including 8 synagogues), 30 companies, 15 charitable trusts and 2 local authorities. Particular thanks must be given to those who have supported us with gifts of c.£900 or more. These are as follows:
CHARitaBLE TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS
faith & community groups
29th May 1961 Charitable Trust ASDA Foundation Donald Forrester Trust Dorema Charitable Trust J and S Ford Charitable Trust J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust Leavesden Lodge Benevolent Fund Maurice and Hilda Laing Charitable Trust SMB Charitable Trust The Souter Charitable Trust
Bushey Baptist Church Bushey Hall Lodge 2323 Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Alban Christ Church Chorleywood Christ Church Radlett Christians Across Watford Church of Our Lady and St Michael Derby Road Baptist Church Emmanuel Church Northwood Rotary Club of Watford Soul Survivor Watford Church
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St Andrew’s Church Chorleywood St Edmund the King Northwood Hills St George’s Day Charity Club St James Road Baptist St Lawrence’s Church Abbots Langley St Lawrence’s Church Eastcote St Luke’s Church Bricket Wood St Luke’s Church Watford St Mary’s Parish Church Watford St Michael & All Angels Church Sunnyside St Paul’s Church Chipperfield Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue Watford Community Church Watford Catenians Watford Football Club Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy West Watford Free Baptist Church
COMPANIES ACI Ltd Avica BRE Costco Wholesale UK Ltd Elstree Film Studios Kraft Foods Medtronic Ocado Pret a Manger Skanska The Entertainer Trynity Solutions (www.trynity.co.uk)
SCHOOLS Aldenham School Bushey & Oxhey Infant School Christ Church C of E School (Chorleywood) Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls Heathfield Girls’ School Merchant Taylors’ School Merry Hill Infant School Northwood College Northwood Preparatory School Rickmansworth School St Margaret’s School for Girls St Martin’s School, Northwood Watford Grammar School for Boys Watford Grammar School for Girls
LOCAL AUTHORITIES Hertfordshire County Council Watford Borough Council
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ADDRESS Watford New Hope Trust
67 Queens Road Watford WD17 2QN
phone
01923 210 680
WEB
www.wnht.org
info@wnht.org
t
Search for @wnht
f facebook.com/watfordnewhopetrust
Watford New Hope Trust is a registered charity (1080784) and a company limited by guarantee (03969063) Registered office: Cansdales, Bourbon Court, Nightingales Corner, Little Chalfont, Bucks, HP7 9QS.