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INVOLVE

Shining a light on homelessnessMeet the Bonneys our festive supporters

Soccer Success

Cooking up a storm

Small Screen Stars

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...to the winter edition of INVOLVE! I hope you enjoy reading the latest news and views from around Two Saints.

At our recent Staff Conference I urged all our staff to ‘get on board’ with the big changes which will affect Two Saints over the next couple of years. Faced with the challenge of government funding cuts, we are taking a positive approach and aim to develop our services so that they are even better at meeting every individual client’s needs. We focus on helping people move on into their own accommodation and importantly to gain access to training and work.

We also support people living in the community who need help to maintain their tenancy; our ‘Floating Support Workers’ make a real difference to people’s independence and can prevent repeat homelessness. They offer advice on a whole range of issues like managing bills and money or how to access other services in the community.

The stories of Jordan (page 6) and Simon and Steve (pages 8-9) show how Two Saints is supporting people with real talents whose lives have been affected by homelessness but who are keen to gain qualifications and work as well as having fun and engaging in community fundraising events. Simon was interviewed recently by BBC reporters, and he explained how ‘one bump in the road’ had led to him becoming homeless after the breakdown of his marriage.

Winter is a particularly difficult time if you are homeless. Relationship breakdown and being asked to move out by family or friends are the commonest causes of home-lessness. Some Two Saints’ services are ‘direct access’ meaning people can come to us in an emergency and if we have room we can offer accommodation straight away. We also have outreach services which make contact with people sleeping rough. Having a safe, warm place to stay and the support of well trained staff can make all the difference: this is what Two Saints can offer and much more. OUR VISION IS TO...

significantly improve the lives of those who are homeless, vulnerable or in need of support through the provision of high quality, effective, reliable housing, support and learning services.”

ContentsWELCOME...

Page

3

4-5

6

7

8-9

On the cover...

We’re stars of small screen

Tackling homelessness on the football field

Places of Change

Cook off challenge

Equality and diversity10

11

Meet Peter and Carol Bonney who illuminatetheir Oxford home to collect donations for Two Saints. Full story on page 4.

LOUISE BARNdEN,CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Fundraising round up

Focus on Andover

THEINnews

Support us while you sell

Did you know that you can now support your favourite charity whilst selling items on eBay?

Lights, camera, action!

Several of our clients and staff were turned into television stars recently when a BBC film crew catapulted our social enterprise workshop ‘Spark’ into the limelight. The TV coverage on BBC South Today in October highlighted the range of activities and training in steel fabrications and pic-ture framing services on offer to help homeless clients learn new skills and develop their self confidence. Several of our residents were interviewed on camera about how the support and facilities provided by Two Saints are helping them to build a new life, find work and a settled home.

With just the click of a button, you can donate a percentage of your final selling price to Two Saints. Not only will your generosity massively benefit those who need your help, but eBay will thank you by refunding a percentage of your insertion fee and giving your item more visibil-ity by listing your ad on the charity page. And to top it off, if you are a tax payer, then eBay will claim back

an extra 28% from the government and add it to the donation.

donating to your favourite cause couldn’t be simpler. So next time you log onto eBay, spare a thought for Two Saints. For more information about how to donate, visit us online at: www.TwoSaints.org.uk and search ‘E-Bay’.

Create a SPARK with an unusual stocking filler

Looking for a unique and ethical Christmas present?

For gift ideas that you won’t find on the high street take a look at the wide range of products on sale at SPARK. From framed prints to wellie boot racks and bespoke rocking horses to decorative steel artwork there is something to suit all tastes and budgets – and everything is produced by homeless volunteers who are learning new skills to help them build a new life. There is even a range of handmade Christmas decorations and ‘Santa Stop Here’ signs.

Check out their website at www.sparkfabricationsandframing.co.uk, call 023 8078 8375 or pop in to the workshop next to Patrick House at 361 Millbrook Road West in Southampton.

Meet Peter and Carol Bonney who illuminatetheir Oxford home to collect donations for Two Saints. Full story on page 4.

Focus on Andover

The BBC film crew at SPARK.

FUNDRA IS ING

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Fundraising

What do you get when you cover your house in Christmas lights seven weeks early? Sleeping bags, warm clothes and food! Peter Bon-ney and his wife Carol have spent the last six Christmases illuminating the inside and outside of their home in Oxford with lights and decora-tions; all in aid of homelessness.

This year the ‘big switch on’ was made by Louise Barnden, the Chief Executive of Two Saints and residents of our hostel Lucy Faithfull House, Malcolm and david.

Mr Bonney, who was himself once homeless said he is delighted with

Christmas Lights Illuminate Homelessnessthe amount of donations that visitors make when they come to enjoy his bright show of lights and festivity. Last year Peter and Carol donated over 100 gifts to homeless people in Oxford including sleeping bags, warm clothes, toothbrushes, shoes, tents and food.

This year, they hope their Christmas lights will result in even more contri-butions which will be passed on to Two Saints. We will then distribute the gifts across the region to help make a real difference to people without a roof over their head this Christmas. Mr Bonney said ‘We really enjoy putting on the lights

every year and handing out the do-nations. From November through to January, we have hundreds of peo-ple visit including children from local schools and nurseries who come to see the lights both inside and outside our home.’

Help support the Bonneys by taking

a donation to their home at Nuffield

Road, Wood Farm in Oxford or check

out our website at www.twosaints.

org.uk for more ideas on donating,

fundraising and volunteering.

Peter and Carol Bonney welcome Two Saints Chief Executive Louise Barnden (Second from right) and homeless clients (Dave Pearcey& Malcolm Plaisted) to switch on the lights.

FUNDRA IS ING

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FundraisingTwo Saints’ staff were joined by a group of over 50 people including volunteers from HMS Collingwood and homeless people on a sponsored walk from Gosport to Fareham that raised over £700.

The four mile walk was organised by Katherine East, Intensive Support Worker for Two Saints in a bid to raise awareness for World Homeless day on October 10th.

Louise Barnden, Chief Executive of Two Saints, said; ‘Thanks to everyone who took part. The event was a great way to raise both money and awareness about what we do.”

The walkers set off from Two Saints’ Accommodation Resource Centre in Forton Road, Gosport which provides advice, training and

Running for cash

It’s not just staff in Portsmouth who have been using their feet to raise money for Two Saints! Service Manager James McDermott sprinted his way to the finish line in the Farnham Marathon in September, raising vital funds for Two Saints along the way. The marathon was the reali-sation of a lifelong personal ambition and James says he is absolutely delighted “It was a real challenge as the route involved hills, cross country woodland tracks and obstacles including climbing fences and steep dangerous pathways – probably not the best venue for my first ever marathon! Yes it was really tough but when I saw the finish line and my daughter joined me to run the last leg alongside me it was all worthwhile! What a journey!”

If you fancy making 2011 the year that you run a mara-thon, why not do it for Two Saints just like James? The Farnham Marathon will be held on Sunday 18 September 2011, for more details visit www.farnhampilgrim.org.uk or check out local fun runs and marathons in your area.

employment opportunities to help young, homeless people get back onto their feet. Katherine is planning on using the money raised to set up ‘moving in’ bags for new people arriving at the centre.

‘When a young person comes to us, they often only have the clothes they are wearing and maybe a bagful of other items. So I want to make these ‘moving in’ bags, which cost £25 each to put together, and inside will be a towel, shampoo, deodorant, razors and other things you need to clean yourself up.’

The walkers completed the distance in two hours, and were greeted by warm soup at the finish line, kindly provided by HMS Collingwood staff. The event was such a success that we hope the walk will become an annual event.

Pounding the Streets

Member of the HMS Collingwood crew lend a hand.

James relaxes afterhis marathon run.

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Combining team work and physical exercise, football is a fun and effective way to boost confidence, improve health and engage with homeless clients – particularly younger people. As a result we are kicking this into action and have formed several resident teams across the South who play regularly in a special league that has been set up by the FA, just for hostels.

‘The Faithfull FC’s’ team from Lucy Faithfull House in Oxford are managed by The Base Facilitator, Justin Andrewes. In response to World Homeless day on 10th October, Justin helped set up the ‘Oxford Social Inclusion Cup’ with Streets Revolution (a non-profit organisation that uses football to engage with homeless people). Two Saints’ teams from dene Court, The Faithfull FC’s and The Newbury Saints FC took part and played against 29 other squads from all over the country.

One of the play-ers in that tourna-ment was Jordon Thurston – a 19 year old resident at the Newbury Hostel. Jordon is currently undertaking a Sports diploma at college and plans to work in the sports industry. The Two Saints Trust is funding equipment for his course and his football team mates are helping him to organise a football tournament next summer.

England may have crashed out of the World Cup this summer, but passion for the ‘beautiful game’ is thriving at Two Saints thanks to a number of successful football projects across the region.

“It’s not the winning, it’s being part of a team that’s the achievement. If it wasn’t for the support of Two Saints and my team members, I wouldn’t have gone to college - something

which I really enjoy!’ says Jordon. Over 50 residents have got involved with Newbury Saints FC over the past year – benefitting from regular exercise and the chance to have fun and play together as a team at the Streets Revolution drop in sessions. But it’s not just about football.

Two Saints staff offer support and former residents provide help and advice on securing settled accommodation. The team’s Manager, Chris Mosher, a resident himself who has played for That-cham Town shares his motivation and skills to make sure his team are winners on and off the pitch!

TacklingHomelessness

“”

It’s not the winning, it’s being part of a team that’s the achievement.

Jordon Thurston is using football to help rebuild his life.

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Art rooms, allotments and herb gardens, IT and learning suites, health facilities and open friendly reception areas – these are just some of innovative ways that Two Saints’ have spent £1 million from the government’s Places of Change budget and money raised with local businesses to tackle homelessness in Southampton.

The money has been used to upgrade Patrick House Hostel and the day Centre and improve facilities and services to help encourage homeless clients develop the skills and confidence needed to move off the streets and into work.

Richard Cunningham of The Homes and Communities Agency, Southampton’s Mayor Carol Cunio and Cabinet Member for housing, Peter Baillie, were the special guests at a launch to mark the completion of the work in September. It was a chance to say thank you for the funding and for Two Saints staff and homeless clients to celebrate with supporters and local dignitaries.

Thanks to the grant the day Centre has been refurbished to make it more accessible and user friendly. Clients can now benefit from a refurbished medical and GP service, new shower rooms and an art room and improvements in the garden, kitchen, TV room and cafeteria. The cafeteria is open to the public and is becoming popular with the local community. At Patrick House, all of the bedrooms have been upgraded and two new rooms have been designed for couples. The din-ing room, reception area and interview rooms have all been completely remod-elled and the wide range of therapeutic crafts and activities for clients on offer have also benefitted from the funding investment.

Louise Barnden Chief Executive said “The funding has made a huge difference to the range of services that we can provide, and to the quality of the environment in which they are delivered. Two Saints is about so much more than just a bed for the night. We are commit-ted to working with all of our service users and to support and help them rebuild their lives by developing the confidence and skills needed to move forward.”

Unveiling our new look

IT facilities give access to work opportunities for clients.

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for Two SaintsTandoori Triumph

The tasty event is just one of the many ways that the Sainsbury’s Hedge End store is supporting Two Saints after naming us as their charity of the year.

Peter Ryan our Head Chef at Patrick House Hostel joined Two Saints’ clients Simon Blythe and Steve McGowan to prepare an imaginative

Indian banquet and compete in the kitchen against a chef and staff from Sainsbury’s.

The judging panel, which included representatives from the Asian and Ethnic Community Radio station Unity 101 and Southampton’s leading Indian restaurant Rasraj said they were very impressed with the standard of cooking from both teams. Eventually Two Saints’ meal of sweet potato dahl with chicken tikka, tandoori seabass with curried vegetables and saffron rice and masala and almond crème brulee,

One of our hostel chefs and two former homeless clients have recently been crowned ‘Curry Kings’ following a special Indian ‘Cook Off’ with Sainsbury’s.

Left to Right: Simon Blyth, Pete Ryan, Steve Williams, Justin Guest, Kim Munday, Rob George.

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for Two SaintsTandoori Triumph

was declared the overall winner. Ram Kalyan ‘Kelly’ from Unity 101 said he was enormously impressed and surprised that no Indian chefs were involved. ‘The standard of cooking was very high and I would definitely eat the dishes if they were placed in front of me in a restaurant.’

Confidence building with curry!

The ‘cook off’ has had a hugely positive impact on the lives of Simon and Steve – the two clients who took part in the competition.

Simon, 25, says the experience has reawakened his love of cooking and he has a new enthusiasm to work his way back into a career in catering. With two years experience of cooking in the Army before he came to Two Saints, Simon already has professional qualifications.

However he hasn’t worked since his relationship broke down and he found himself homeless. Now he says that the competition and the ongoing support of Two Saints has helped to rebuild the confidence needed to get his life back on track once again. ‘I have moved to the Booth Centre Hostel and really want to continue with cooking and hopefully gain a job in a restaurant.’

With no experience of cooking before the event, Steve, 26, has shown himself to be a natural in the kitchen. His success at the cook off has sparked a desire for a career in catering, which he hopes will mean never having to sleep rough again. Steve stayed at Patrick House for

Following the huge success of the event; we’re planning to hold a

black tie charity ball and auction early in 2011 when the Two Saints

and Sainsbury’s teams will return to the kitchen to prepare their Indian

feasts once again.

Tickets cost £40, and all of the money raised will be used by Two

Saints to help support more homeless people rebuild their lives.

If you would like to sponsor the event or donate raffle prizes contact

Two Saints on 01329 234600.

six weeks following a stint on the streets, and is now living in a shared house in Eastleigh. He is applying to study for an NVQ in cooking and plans to volunteer in the kitchen at Patrick house. ‘I never thought I would enjoy cooking so much; I’m actually quite good at it! I’m really looking forward to studying towards a qualification!’

Feeling Hungry?

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‘Equality and diversity’ are two very important values at Two Saints. We are proud to employ a diverse mix of staff and work hard to ensure that all of our employees and our clients are treated equally – regardless of their religion, ethnicity, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

A diversity Group of 12 members representing a cross section of the work force meet regularly with the Chief Executive to make suggestions to ensure that all staff and clients’ needs are met fairly. They each bring their own experiences and knowledge to the group and raise important issues, for example the need to offer specific foods for religious festivals. The group have helped us to develop action plans to address issues – such as providing food after dusk during Ramadan and how to store and prepare Halal meat.

Volunteering DayTwo Saints were one of 40 organisa-tions who took part in The Big Event in September to celebrate the work of Portsmouth city’s voluntary and community sector. Launched by well known actress, Sheila Hancock OBE, the free event attracted hundreds of visitors. The Two Saints exhibition stand, which sported the message: ‘A Brighter Future for Homeless People’ aimed to raise awareness about our work and the important services we offer to homeless people in the local area. Former Portsmouth FC player Linvoy Primus ended the celebration by announc-ing the winners of the Volunteer of the Year award.

Our policies and procedures are assessed by staff and clients to ensure they do not adversely effect a particular group and that our services can be accessed by anyone who needs them. We always strive to listen to our customers and act on their suggestions. With more women using our services than ever before, we have introduced a female only unit at Patrick House in direct response to their requests.

At the staff conference in October our ‘dignity at Work’ agenda was launched to encourage every one of our 240 staff members to respect others and ensure everybody feels safe and happy at work. And it’s not just staff who must always treat everyone fairly. We expect all of our clients, visitors and contractors to do the same.

Show a little respect

Members of the Two Saints Diversity Group.

Sheila Hancock withJamie Hutchinson.

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Com

munity

The recession has caused a large increase in unemployment and homelessness; an issue which the Two Saints’ Andover team encounter every day.

Job losses, relationship breakdowns, mental health issues, offending histories and domestic abuse are just some of the reasons that people end up at dene Court. Once there, they are offered safe, clean accommodation along with ongoing support to help them get back on the road to perma-nent accommodation and a settled life.

Currently there are 18 residents at the centre. The team at dene Court work closely with local organisations including the police, Health Service, Test Valley Borough Council and other housing organisations to ensure a wide range of information and support is available to help clients rebuild their lives. Regular advice on writing CV’s and help with applying for voluntary and permanent jobs is offered by the local Job Centre.

Sainsbury’s supermarket regularly donates fruit and vegetables to the hostel and the Andover Food Bank provides homeless clients with food parcels and treats at special times of the year including food

boxes at Christmas and chocolate eggs at Easter.

dene Court carries out a great deal of community work, arranging fund raising events and increasing awareness amongst local people. An open day is to be held before Christmas for local residents to view the facilities, meet the team and see for themselves just what a difference they make to the homeless community of Andover.

There are also regular car washes for the public to get involved in and donate, and clients themselves are encouraged to join in fundraising activities such as jam and chutney making which is then sold locally. A resident at dene Court recently raised £110 by participating in The Great South Run; money which will go towards improving the facilities and resources for other clients.With the cold weather setting in dene Court is experiencing large numbers of people seeking food and shelter. Often staff can receive up to 35 referrals a month.

Manager Jane Parker says she has future plans to extend the centre to increase space and facilities in order to help even more people.

Focus on Andover

Show a little respect

Dene Court in Andover and some of our dedicated staff who work in the town.

Help Two Saints make sure that he celebrates Christmas in his own home next year. You can help us to help more homeless people rebuild their lives

and get off the streets.

For more info contact Peter Holding: 01329 234600 Email: Peter.Holding@twosaints.org.uk Web: www.twosaints.org.uk