Aid a Brentford Charity?

Andy Ward is trying to help a newly formed charity in Brentford called Project Siloam. The Charity has got a vision to help vulnerable and marginalised adults move towards permanent housing solutions and employment through a range of services. These services range from practically equipping those in need with furniture and clothing, to guiding beneficiaries through a variety of training and employability schemes. The charity is working out of the industrial unit in between Sotherby’s and SEGA in Brentford. If you would like to know more about the charity see further details below or please feel free to email Andy Ward or telephone him on 07971 572 654.

As I am sure you will understand setting up a new charity is hard work, however if you can help in any way with the wish list below it would be fantastic.

Project Siloam

(registered under 1074977 – charity number for The William Wilberforce Trust)

The Need

Homelessness, long term unemployment and a lack of hope are prevalent within society today. The current national and global climate is having a definite and negative impact on those already struggling to survive. The third quarter of 2010 showed a sustained increase of 14% in homelessness compared to the previous year. In London there has been an increase of 10% in homeless acceptances. The area with the second highest increase across London was Kensington and Chelsea, our partner homeless project is based here and we expect a high proportion of referrals from the area. London also struggles with almost 37,000 households in temporary accommodation (accounting for just under three quarters of the England total), 50% of who remain in temporary accommodation for over 2 years. Unemployment is also increasing; ONS figures from December 2010 cite a unemployment rate of 7.9%, with London having a higher rate of 9.1% unemployment.

These worrying trends come against a background of London Councils confirming that pan London homeless projects and housing support will have wide scale funding cuts. This looks to be compounded by provisions made in the new Localism Bill that reduces the right of homeless people in terms of support from their local authority. It would seem that projects and charities such as Project Siloam will be an increasingly vital and demanded source of support for some of the most vulnerable in our society.

The UK’s 2010 manifesto to end homelessness by 2012 pledges to tackle the deep social exclusion of people with multiple needs, to deliver top class access for homeless people to the right mental health, drug and alcohol support, and to extend support for positive activities, learning, skills and employment. Through our existing close links with day shelters, city council teams (working with the homeless, resettlement, youth offending, shared housing), housing associations, local churches, Joint Homeless Team, NHS community, hospital teams and mental health workers, Job Centre Plus, Caring for Ex-offenders and Recovery Course we are aware that there is a definite and wide ranging need for assistance and support.

Through engaging with a wide demographic of vulnerable and marginalised groups, the vision of Project Siloam will adhere to these manifesto pledges and reach out to affect lives across London through the provision of emergency support services and the tackling of issues of employability and social enterprise.

Project Siloam – Answering the Need

The Project Siloam aims to enable the homeless, temporarily housed, long term unemployed, ex- offenders, asylum seekers and other vulnerable marginalised groups to cement a move towards permanent housing solutions and employment through a holistic range of services. These services range from practically equipping those in need with furniture and clothing, to guiding beneficiaries through a variety of training and employability schemes to equip, teach and release the marginalised who are thirsty for growth.

The project will give the recipients a better chance in life by restoring dignity, giving hope, encouraging development and independent living, offering friendship, developing skills and self confidence through structured training, helping people to grow creatively and assisting people to build a home and a future.

Furniture and Clothing

A furniture, clothing, emergency food and toiletry store will distribute to those in need. Furniture, clothing and electrical items will be collected from donors who will predominantly be local community members in addition to The Regeneration Trust which has an established network of community organisations and churches with a combined membership of over 5,000 members.

Once collected, donated items will be delivered to the warehouse where they will be distributed to those in need. An essential part of regaining dignity and individual empowerment stems from an ability to create a home, so the items will be for sale at both a nominal charge and higher rate dependent upon individual financial circumstance. The collection, delivery and sorting of donated items will be powered by a team of committed volunteers and trainees engaged in our employability training schemes.

In addition, there is a positive environmental impact. By collecting and reusing unwanted furniture and goods we will be diverting significant tonnage that would otherwise have been sent to landfill. Reusing items not only saves them from the waste stream, it also efficiently puts them back into meaningful use. We have already established good links with London Community Reuse Network and are committed to working with them and other local projects to maximise reuse in the area, ensuring that those struggling with the effects of poverty benefit most.

Employability Scheme

The Employability Scheme will equip, resource and train those who are committed to taking practical steps towards gaining or re-accessing employment. Geared towards those for whom returning to work is a daunting challenge, the employability scheme will build confidence, increase skill base, provide a CV and working reference from a mentor within the corporate world, refine interview techniques and interpersonal skills, and address issues such as team building and conflict management within the workplace.

The scheme will encompass a carefully constructed, tailored 20 week-long work experience schedule, embodying both work training elements and general life skills. Spanning three to five days a week, around 10 new recruits will attend a monthly induction, of which we anticipate just over half will remain committed to the entire programme. We expect this early drop off of around 40% as we will intentionally work with those who find the work environment challenging and lead chaotic lives. As per statistics from similar projects this typically means that some of those initially interested in the training will reconsider and not complete the course, which is something that we anticipate.

In the initial opening stages of the training scheme, participants will attend training courses and workshops in-house, experiencing peer support through the rolling programme and, in addition, they will be involved with all aspects of running Project Siloam where the flexible working environment will help those who struggle with the transition from joblessness back into flexible working routines. Selecting from categories of Warehouse, Office, Catering and Driving, trainees will select an area of speciality to intensify a specific level of growth, training and learning. At the end of the 20 week scheme trainees will have the option of undertaking a 4 week work placement with a local employer, enabling them diversify their work experience whilst gaining further valid evidence
of employability for future employers.

Every participant on the scheme will be paired with a carefully sourced mentor currently working within the corporate world to provide guidance, advice, support and measurable goals on a personal level throughout the 20 week scheme. It is our intention for the mentor/ trainee relationship to extend beyond the timeframe of the scheme itself to be a lasting relationship of support and encouragement.

Workshops

A calendar of workshops will be rolled out throughout the year engaging both trainees participating on the employability scheme and external clients who wish to grow and learn. The workshops will cover elements critical to the employability scheme such as anger management and conflict resolution, motivational workshops, interview skills, CV writing, applying for jobs online, and driver training. Sectional tutors will range from external volunteers and corporates who have relevant experience to specifically qualified tutors who will enable trainees to gain useful and relevant qualifications.

Those on the employability scheme will have access to variety of NVQ Level 2 qualifications to include Customer Service, Waste Management, Food Safety and Driver Training lead by external training groups.

Social Enterprise

As an extension from the Employability Schemes, committed and skilled trainees will be supported and employed through a series of social enterprise schemes designed to instigate further growth and stable income.

The Social Enterprise schemes will sit under the umbrella of Project Siloam, and will incorporate schemes such as PAT Testing and furniture restoration with scope to grow to include bicycle repairs, window cleaning, catering, cleaning, and furniture and office clearance as demand and skill-set determine.

The social enterprise schemes will have a dual function to both support trainees with further sustainable income whilst generating income and providing further skill training to other trainees engaged in the Social Enterprise programme through weekly work placements within each area of social enterprise.

Pat Testing

All donated electrical items will be PAT tested on site by beneficiaries who will have completed the necessary PAT testing qualification. This will empower individuals by equipping clients with new and transferable skills that are relevant both within Project Siloam through enabling successfully PAT tested items to be recycled and distributed, and externally in the working environment.

Catering

The Siloam Project will also accommodate a full catering facility to be used to support both internal and external catering. Trainees on the Employability Scheme will be offered the element of catering as a specialist area of study which will involve a tailored catering training course for the 20 week duration of the Employability Scheme.

The Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries will include the homeless, recently housed, long term unemployed, asylum seekers, those struggling with or recovering from addictions and the vulnerable.

Each group of beneficiaries is hard to reach, on the periphery of society, disadvantaged, potentially has persistent long term problems such as poor mental health or long term unemployment, or lacks family support. They include a number of minority ethnic groups and people from the A10 countries who have limited access to support.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The outputs listed above will be monitored through the following methods:

• All new guests to the service will be registered on our database on entrance
• All stock in and out of the warehouse will be logged
• Employability scheme and workshops will have clear coursework objectives and recorded
• outcomes
• We will form a guest forum to ensure beneficiary feedback is incorporated into the project
• All volunteer hours worked within the project recorded

Governance

The Regeneration Trust has a Child Protection policy and completes CRB disclosure checks on all relevant staff and volunteers.