promoting voluntary action
Liaison - Representation - Development Work - Strategic Partnership - Promoting Volunteering & Voluntary Action - Quality Services - Governance & Performance
Southampton Voluntary Services
actively promotes equality & embraces diversity
Street Homelessness Prevention Team
Southampton
Contact Details:
Southampton Voluntary Services
Voluntary Action Centre
Kingsland Square
St Mary Street
Southampton
SO14 1NW
Tel: 023 8021 6000
Fax: 023 8022 2929
Street
Homeless Prevention Team - Leaflet
Day Centres -
Information Leaflet
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Street Homeless Prevention Team |
Southampton Voluntary Services
Team Leader – Julie Marron
Support Workers – Sarah Jeffery
Sarah Gale, Dave Cotton, Martin Smith
Tel: 80216000
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE |
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The Street Homeless Prevention Service exists to assist and support people who are street homeless or at imminent risk of street homelessness by accessing services appropriate to meeting their needs and supporting them through a range of accommodation therefore preventing their return to a street lifestyle. We therefore offer many practical ways for this to happen. This can be anything from obtaining a birth certificate to providing a travel warrant, so people can return home to their family. For people who are street homeless, we can offer practical support, someone to talk to, help to find more positive solutions to meet their immediate needs or put them in touch with a particular service (doctor, dentist, accommodation). The team manages the hostel vacancies in the city via the hostel referral session held from Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 11am at Two Saints Day Centre. We prioritise service users to ensure those in greatest need are offered accommodation. The team manages the referral protocol for supported housing in the city, ensuring all applications are dealt with fairly and appropriately. The team manage the Risk of Eviction notification scheme. We can work with service users and accommodation providers to try and prevent an eviction taking place. Through the scheme we hope to prevent a service users accommodation from breaking down therefore providing them with the best chance to maintain a lifestyle away from the streets and making a positive move towards staying in accommodation. |
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Street Homeless people can access our service via the hostel referral sessions held daily at Two Saints day centre, Monday to Friday 9:30am until 11am or ring our office during duty, Monday to Friday 1pm until 5pm on Tel: 80216 000.
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STREET HOMELESS PREVENTION TEAM
TASK FORCE VOLUNTEER PROJECTS
The Street Homeless Prevention Team assist and support people who are street homeless or imminently at risk of becoming street homeless. The Task Force Volunteer project offers meaningful activities and learning opportunities to people who are living in temporary homeless accommodation or have recently resettled into more permanent housing.
The Street Homeless Prevention Team is part of Southampton Voluntary Services. Southampton Voluntary Services is a registered charity.
Project Aims
To help people rebuild their lives after a period of street homelessness by offering activities to build self esteem, combat isolation and facilitate positive lifestyle changes.
Identified Need and Context
It is widely recognised that getting off the street is only the first step in the recovery from homelessness. Projects that offer meaningful activities within a safe and supportive environment play a key role in this journey. The Task Force Volunteer Project is the only service in Southampton providing these opportunities specifically to people with a homelessness history, thus providing the confidence needed for these individuals to take the first tentative steps towards mainstream training and employment options. The service works in partnership with other homelessness services in the city and provides a range of support and activities that individuals remain involved in throughout their journey from hostel to settled accommodation.
Description of Project
The Project currently focuses on four main activities:
- Allotment and Gardening Project
- Community Painting and Decorating Project
- 5 A Side Football Sessions and Annual Homeless Partnership Tournament
- Befriender Service
In addition to these main activities, the project coordinator provides one to one advice and support to enable service users to access learning and volunteer opportunities specific to their goals and aspirations. The project also runs ad hoc craft sessions which assist with engagement and motivation.
Monitoring Effectiveness and Achievements
The project provides quarterly reports against agreed outcomes. Outcomes are measured by the number of individuals participating in activities and the number moving into more mainstream education, training and employment as a consequence of their involvement in these initial activities. The project always exceeds agreed hard targets and partner organisations report noticeable positive changes in service user’s confidence, self esteem and motivation following participation in the projects.
The project coordinator relies on volunteers (many of whom are ex service users) to assist in the supervision of projects.
Football Sessions - These are currently held fortnightly from September to June. The sessions are extremely popular. In 2008 - 2009, 97 service users participated in the sessions from 13 different homelessness services.
Allotment Project - This is a highly successful project that has expanded to take on a further plot during the last year. The allotment not only provides the opportunity to grow home produce but also brings people together and encourages team working.
Painting and Decorating Task Force - This project involves a small group of ex and current service users with a range of skills. Many of these individuals were employed in this area before becoming homeless; others are learning new skills from their peers. The projects are community based and provide a service to those who, for various reasons are unable to do the work themselves
Befriending Service - The befriending service offers informal support on a ‘one to one basis’ to individuals unable to participate in group activities. It aims to combat the isolation that is often experienced by people moving away from a street lifestyle. The service provides a variety of individualised support to help people achieve a fulfilling and independent lifestyle. Activities are varied and have included playing badminton, watching a football game, attending bingo, going for walks and day trips, shopping and going out for coffee. The activities are restricted by funds which are needed to cover the cost of volunteers travel and contribute to the cost of activities. The project encourages and supports ex service users to become befrienders as peer mentoring has proven to be extremely effective within homelessness services.
In addition to these specific areas (above). The project coordinator is constantly looking at new ways of engaging service users who have not become involved in existing activities. Activities are dependent on individual small grants that are secured throughout the year. Recent activities have included a card making workshop, silk screen printing, gym sessions, badminton, service user meetings and the publication of a service user magazine.
For more details see links
