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INVOLVE

Top players drop in for a chat

FOOTBALL IN FOCUS ATOUR PORTSMOUTH HOSTEL

From running to skydiving, find out how you can make a difference

BE A FUNDRAISING FRIEND IN 2013

Local author lends support to our Andover book club

READ ALL ABOUT IT

December 2012

Welcome to the Christmas edition ofINVOLVE! Life at Two Saints continues tobe very challenging in these ‘austerity times’ – but that doesn’t mean we are miserable!I am constantly encouraged by thepositive spirit of Two Saints’ staff andhugely impressed by the achievementsof many of our clients.

But resources are very tight, and it is more important than ever that we are really efficient and can genuinely claim to offer good value for money in all our services. One of the ways we are held to account is by our client scrutiny group, known across Two Saints as ‘the PAT team’. They carry out independent quality assessments of all our services and make recommendations for improvements. Our Managers are expected to respond positively and improve services. We give clients training opportunities to help them develop their skills and get involved – see page 6 for the experiences of a group of enthusiastic members of the PAT team.

I’d like to thank all the people who have offered Two Saints their time and fundraising efforts in recent months – a huge range of activities from a sleep out to a sponsored chocolate amnesty to the Great South Run! All have raised money which helps our clients with their chosen path towards work or education and training – and these are the key to independence and a secure home.

We were delighted that the new Chief Executive of Homeless Link, Rick Henderson, was guest speaker at our AGM this autumn (see page 9). Homeless Link has a strong voice in lobbying government to support funding and policy which will benefit homeless people.

And I am very pleased to have been elected recently as one of Homesless Link’s Trustees – I shall be working alongside colleagues from other organisations like Two Saints to make sure that we are influential locally and nationally on behalf of the people we work to support.

WELCOME

Louise BarndenChief Executive

Pictured on front cover photo is Linvoy Primus, at our Portsmouth hostel.

— Louise Barnden Chief Executive

To support Two Saints – either as a fundraiser, by making a donation or volunteering your time please call us on 01329 234600 or visit our website www.twosaints.org.uk for more ideas of how you can get involved and make a difference.

Contents

Go to page 4

for more details.

03 Our latest news

04 Get reading in Portsmouth

05 Ahmed’s story

06 Clients get involved

07 Praise from the top

08 Volunteers make a difference

09 AGM

10 Author visit

11 Trip to the theatre

12 Fundraising ideas

NEWS

Page 03 / News Involve Two Saints

Two Saints’ staff put their best foot forward for charityA 12-strong team of Two Saints runners have taken part in The Great South Run to raise much needed funds.

The runners included Two Saints staff, supporters and a Board member. Together they raised over £1200 which will make a direct impact on helping

us support people who are homeless this Christmas.

If your New Year resolution is to get fit why not set yourself a target to compete in a local fun run in 2013, and raise funds for Two Saints at the same time? Get in touch today for lots of other great fundraising ideas.

Help for families in emergencyaccommodation

NEWS

— Jeni Gordon Supported Lodgings Coordinator

There are many ways you can help support Two Saints, from fundraising (see the back cover for ideas) to volunteering (see page 8). If you’ve got clothes you no longer wear or books that you’ve read please donate them to your local Two Saints hostel or day centre who will put them to good use (check out page 10 for details of our successful book clubs).

Lots of ways to help

Jeni Gordon, Supported Lodgings Coordinator for Two Saints says

“Our team in Poole work hard tosource good quality, private rentedhomes for vulnerable single peopleso it makes sense to work with PooleBorough Council to find family homesas well. It means more families willsecure a better home and will producelong term savings for the council.”

Most of our work involves supporting single homeless people to develop their skills and independence and move into a home of their own. However we have recently extended our service in Poole, Dorset to support families living in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Page 04 / Tackling poor literacy Involve Two Saints

Tackling poor literacyis as easy as ABC

Football starssupporting Two Saints

But whilst many are comfortable talking about accommodation and housing problems, when it comes to admitting a lack of education most people are too embarrassed or ashamed to admit they cannot read or write.

We are working with a South of England based enterprise, Read and Grow, to get more of our residents at our Foster Road hostel reading. This will help to build their confidence and give them the skills to work and live independently.Set up by Andy Paradise as a social enterprise, Read and Grow is proving a huge success.

“With one to one support, anyone can learn to read and even the most reluctant learners see fantastic progress in just one session. We show learners how easy it is to achieve their goals quickly, which in turn builds their skills and self-confidence.” said Andy.

The sports stars dropped in for a chat to hear some of the inspirational stories of clients who are turning their lives around including resident Greg Sotheran who gave the footballers a guided tour of the hostel. The visit was organised by charity Faith and Football which encourages professional players to be positive role models in their local communities.

Foster Road is a ‘clean and dry’ hostel where residents support each other in their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. We achieve great results; Michael, Greg and Duke were able to tell Linvoy and Mick about the progress they have made with support from the Foster Road staff team and fellow residents.

Many of the people we support have had a poor experience of education and have learning barriers to overcome as well as housing issues.

Former Portsmouth footballers Linvoy Primus and Mick Mellows met residents at our hostel in Foster Road, Portsmouth recently.

The reading bug is catching, with residents in two of our hostels setting up successful book clubs.

— Michael Shrubb, Linvoy Primus, Greg Sotheran, Duke Harrison-Hunter at our Portsmouth hostel.

— Andy ParadiseRead and Grow

Go to page 10 for more details.

Ahmed’sstory

Page 05 / Ahmed’s story Involve Two Saints

“I can honestly say that I am only here today because of Karen my Two Saints key worker. She believed in me. She convinced me that I was an intelligent human being with a future ahead of me.”

“Before I came to Two Saints in Portsmouth I was living in London and had hit rock bottom. I was a drug addict and didn’t think I was strong enough to ever beat my addiction.”

“I had no self-esteem but I knew that if I carried on I would either end up in jail or dead.

“After several stints in rehab and a period in a mental health hospital I thank God I ended up at Two Saints.

“Two Saints arranged work experience, which led to a reference and a real confidence boost. Once I realised that I was capable I decided to go back to education and train to be a counsellor. Two Saints even provided funding through the Two Saints Trust to enable me to study and staff were always there to help me with my English.

“I am so happy in my life right now. I cannot believe how lucky I am!”

Originally from Palestine, Ahmed arrived in this country with no English skills and an all-consuming addiction to drugs. His life quickly spiralled out of control to the point that he thought death was the only option.

However five years ago his life took a turn for the better when he checked into our Portsmouth hostel, and then things started to change.

With the unwavering support of his Two Saints key worker, Ahmed began to believe in himself once again. He developed the self confidence needed to beat his addiction and look to the future. And what a future it turned out to be.

Ahmed has been clean for five years, he speaks three languages and is training to be a counsellor so that he can help other refugees and asylum seekers.

Encouraging our clients to get more involved with our services is an important part of helping them to build their skills and confidence to plan for their future. Plus who better to tell us how we are doing and help us to improve as an organisation than the people at the very heart of Two Saints; those who have experienced homelessness and rely on our services.

And if that didn’t keep them busy, the four also lend a hand in the hostel’s learning service and IT Suite helping others to use computers. They also organise regular social activities for their fellow residents including darts and bingo nights!

Kevin, Sam and Steph met Two Saints Board at the end of November to discuss with them the work of the PAT team and ways clients can help improve Two Saints’ services.

Steph, a resident at Lucy Faithfull House

Page 06 / Helping us get it right Involve Two Saints

All four are members of our Project Assessment Team (PAT), an independent group set up by clients to assess our services and make recommendations for things we could do better. Members of the team carry out regular quality control checks at all our hostels and report their findings straight to the top, with a direct link to senior managers and the Two Saints Board.

Steph, Kevin and Sam have recently completed a two-day housing training course to help them understand how and why our performance is measured on things like repairs and complaints.

Meet Andrew, Steph, Kevin and Sam,clients at Lucy Faithfull House in Oxfordwho volunteer to help us deliver abetter service for everyone.

“The course helped my understanding and gave me ideas for the PAT team. It was great to meet other people from across the country and hear the way their organisations work and also talk about our own experiences.”

Helping usget it right

Government Minister, Nick Hurd

Dominic Tunks from Grant Thornton said

Nick Hurd praised the work that Two Saints’ staff do at the Day Centre and was pleased to see the organisation welcoming local business volunteers.

‘We recognise the benefits of sharing our skills and time with the local community. Local organisations like Two Saints benefit and our employees also benefit through understanding some of the wider issues in society.’

Page 07 / Seal of approval Involve Two Saints

Seal of approvalfrom the top

Could yourbusiness help?

The Minister for Civil Society met staff from Two Saints and Southampton-based Grant Thornton, who help support our clients by volunteering at the Day Centre, fundraising, and delivering free skills training for our own staff. He heard how the voluntary help we receive frombusinesses like Grant Thornton has a huge impact on our services. The event was organised by Business In The Community – a charity which works to promote responsible business practice.

However you choose to get involved we guarantee that your input will directly benefit people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Plus employee volunteering provides real benefits for your workforce including boosting staff morale, and developing skills to help you attract and retain the best staff.

Local businesses can help us in lots of different ways including:

• Enabling staff to volunteer their time (see the next page for more details).• Becoming a mentor to help someone who is homeless develop their self confidence and improve their CV.• Donating resources such as furniture or IT.• Encouraging staff to organise fundraising activities.

Our Southampton Day Centre played host to Government Minister, Nick Hurd, when he met with local business leaders to see how they can benefit vital community services like Two Saints.

Many of our volunteers come from local businesses who meet their corporate social responsibilities by enabling their staff to get out of the office and find out about homelessness issues by lending a much needed hand.

Staff from HSBC and Grant Thornton have been helping out at our Day Centre; cooking and serving meals, working on reception, sorting clothes and helping people in our IT suite.

Lisa Ross from Grant Thornton says her volunteering experience at our Southampton Day Centre was humbling:

“I helped out in the kitchen, which involved mountains of washing up (from the breakfast service) and serving teas and coffees to customers. It was great to sit and talk to some of the clients and listen to their stories. What I heard ranged from heart-breaking to downright hilarious! But mostly it was an eye opener. It is very difficult to fully appreciate what some people go through on a day to day basis, just to survive. In some ways it’s so completely outside our comprehension that it’s really hard to imagine how anyone could live in these circumstances.

“The experience was life changing in a strange way. My colleagues and I were uplifted by the work we saw at Two Saints, by the simple services offered to clients. Whether it is advice, a shower, clean clothes, hot food or just somewhere to chat over a cup of tea, the work they are carrying out is vital to some of their users’ very survival. I was definitely inspired to try and help.”

Page 08 / Volunteers make all the difference Involve Two Saints

We rely on help from local volunteers to support hundreds of people who are affected by homelessness across the South, every single day.

As well as volunteering, businesses can also get involved in fundraising activities

(see the back cover for ideas).

Volunteersmake all thedifference

Page 09 / AGM Involve Two Saints

“Tough times aheadbut we’re prepared”

Get involved

The event, which was attended by senior politicians from across the region as well as the High Sherriff of Berkshire, was a chance to outline our positive progress supporting people who have been homeless whilst looking ahead to the future.

Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, spoke of the importance of organisations like Two Saints who are working to help the increasing numbers of rough sleepers on our streets.

At our AGM we launched the Friends of Two Saints. Anyone can help make a difference by becoming a Friend of Two Saints and donating, fundraising or volunteering. The more people who join us, the bigger difference we can make to people when they need help the most.

Please contact us on 01329 234600 or through our website at www.twosaints.org.uk if you can help.

With less funding available and increasing numbers of people needing our support, your help is vital.

Louise Barnden, Chief Executive of Two Saints says the future will be tough:

This was the message from our AGM held in Newbury back in August.

Rough sleeping – the figures

— The Mayor of Southampton Councillor Derek Burke (on the left) helps to launch The Friends of Two Saints

— Rick Henderson, Chief Executive Homeless Link

“It’s getting much harder to win a decreasing amount of funding, but we still remain as committed as ever to offering great services to those people who need our support the most. Despite the gloomy economic climate we managed to reduce costs and deliver a small profit last year which was reinvested straight back into our services to directly benefit people who are homeless or who risk losing their homes.”

• Since November 2010 more than 3200 beds for homeless people have been lost across the UK (due to local authority budget cuts).

• In just one year (2010/11) rough sleeping across the UK increased by 23%.

• All of our services are under increased demand. For example, at our 55 bed hostel in Newbury we received over 400 referrals in 2011/12, but were only able to offer accommodation to 108 people.

Peter, himself a former rough sleeper who struggled with drug addiction before turning his life around, donated copies of his book ‘Out of The Ashes’ which charts his inspiring life story.

The book club, which was established by residents themselves, is proving hugely successful in helping people who are homeless to develop a positive hobby,

make friends, boost self confidence and engage in learning activities. The group meet regularly to read together. Our photo shows author Peter Gladwin (on the left) with Andover residents Maureen and Luke.

If you have any books you could donate to our Andover and Portsmouth hostels which both run popular book groups for residents, please let us know.

Andover residents think of others

Despite having so little themselves, residents living in our Andover hostel have shown a great awareness of others even less fortunate. They have been busy getting involved in their local community and organising a variety of charity events recently, including a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan Cancer and a car wash event for Children In Need.

Homemade cakes were sold at both events made by residents who have been developing their skills and have achieved food hygiene certificates.

A unique 2013 calendar featuring these fundraising activities, along with other special events held at Dene Court over the past year is now on sale. All proceeds will go straight back to the hostel to benefit the residents there.

To order a copy of the calendar contact Dene Court on 01264 359959.

Residents at Dene Court in Andover whohave set up their own book club receiveda boost when local author Peter Gladwinvisited them recently.

Page 10 / Author visit Involve Two Saints

Book club

Curtain call for Southampton hostel residents

Page 11 / Theatre trip Involve Two Saints

A group of residents from Patrick House in Southampton had the opportunity to experience live theatre for the very first time when the Nuffield Theatre generously offered free tickets for a recent performance of Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Enjoying positive experiences like this, building trust and friendship, and developing self confidence are all part of the journey back to an independent, stable lifestyle for our clients.

As such, we have been working with local businesses in Southampton including The Nuffield Theatre to offer community activities that will benefit and help the people we are here to support.

Michael Webb, one of the Patrick House residents who went to see the play said he had no idea what to expect:

“I’ve never seen a play before – certainly not Shakespeare - and thought it would be boring, but when I got there it turned out to be pretty good. I found it very interesting and it was much funnier than I thought. Everyone was laughing, it had me in stitches at times. The bits I liked most were when they talked about homeless people. I could relate to it.

“It was a good experience for all of us. Thank you to Patrick House and all of the staff who took us there and treated us to a great day out. I’d love to go and do it again.”

Michael Webb

“I was both astonished and humbled by how hard the girls worked on this. They really want to do more to help people who are homeless”

www.twosaints.org.uk

Page 12 / You can make a difference Involve Two Saints

YOU can make a differenceIt doesn’t matter how mad the idea or how much you raise and whether you do it on your own, with your family and friends, or with your whole office. Whatever you can do to help raise money for Two Saints is hugely appreciated! Thanks to all the following for their fundraising efforts:

A whole team of staff from Grant Thornton’s Southampton office spent a night on the streets raising nearly £2500 for rough sleepers as a result. “It was really cold and certainly opened our eyes to the plight of homeless people in the city” said Leah Ross who braved the cold to take part.

Proving that age is no barrier to fundraising, members of the 6th Hedge End Rainbows group who are all aged under 7, held a sponsored chocolate amnesty which raised over £530. Rainbows Leader, Joanne

When Andrea Bentote decided to cut out booze for a month she set out to raise some money from her colleagues at HSBC who laughed at her target! Thanks to an online fundraising page, sponsorship forms and donations, plus a generous pledge from HSBC to match fund whatever she made, Andrea presented us with a cheque for over £750!

Sleeping rough

Chocolate challenge equals cash

Abstinence makes thecoffers grow stronger!