Annual Report 2016

THE MENDICITY INSTITUTION UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF

His Grace The Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin,

Archbishop of Dublin

His Grace The Most Reverend Dr. Michael Jackson,

Archbishop of Dublin

Very Reverend Dr. William Morton,

Dean of St. Patricks Cathedral

Very Reverend Dermot Dunne,

Dean of Christ Church Cathedral

Management Committee:

Mr. Patrick Bewley The Chairman

Fr. John Collins Vice-Chairman

Mr. Trevor Lloyd Hon. Treasurer

Ms. Betty Sisson

Ms. Caroline Carson

Mr. Tony O’Rourke

Mr. John Conran

Mr. Julian Judge

Very Rev. Dr. William Morton

Very Rev. Dermot Dunne

Fr. Stanislaw Hajkowski

The Manager

Charles Richards

Registered Charity Number:

20001322

CHY Number: 834 Office Address: 9 Island Street,

Dublin 8

Bankers: The Governors and

Company of the Bank of Ireland

Auditor: Merry, Mullen and

Company, Chartered Accounted and Registered Auditors, 35 Westland Square, Pearse Street, Dublin 2

The Mendicity Institution was founded in 1818

to suppress begging, relieve poverty and ensure

that nobody in the Metropolis went hungry.

For nearly 200 years we have been creating

opportunities for homeless, destitute and

isolated people to live better lives.

We empower people to work their way out of

homelessness and deprivation.

We recognise the dignity and potential of

marginalised members of our community. We

see the homeless as a resource. We create

stepping stones to a life independent of

homeless services, and towards reintegration

with society. We prevent and fight homelessness

by helping disadvantaged people work.

We are inclusive, we are innovative, and we

provide a quality service to people who come to

us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Chairman’s Letter ...................................................... 6

2. Managers Report ....................................................... 7

3. Projects & Services

3.1 Food Centre ......................................................... 8

3.2 Employment & Advocacy ....................................9

3.3 Prison in Reach Project ...................................... 11

3.5 Mendicity Workshop ......................................... 12

4. Financial Statements ................................................ 17

5. History…………………………............................................19

6

CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

As we approach our bicentennial in 2018 our committee will ensure that our structures are adequate to meet the needs of a growing organisation. Accordingly, we commissioned a consultant’s report and took legal advice on the best way forward. We were advised to transition from an Incorporated Trust to a Company Limited by Guarantee. This gives Trustees the benefit of limited liability and allows us to dispense with the ex officio and adopted members and recruit committee members more widely. We were also advised to change our structure in order to better prepare us to meet the increasing and complex governance and operational challenges that face all charities today. To this end, in future the committee will concern itself with governance and strategy and we are recruiting an Executive Director to assist the committee with those areas and also to take on the operational responsibilities previously taken on by the committee. We also commissioned a survey into the best Models of Homeless Intervention to inform the development of our Strategic Plan 2017 -2022 which is now complete. Its general principles are summarised as follows: ‘For the Mendicity Institution to offer a genuinely holistic approach to challenging homelessness, it must provide both a supportive community and the opportunity of building employability and securing a home for service users.’ and ‘To enable The Mendicity Institution to offer the best services to its users, it is essential that the organisation has the internal capacity to deliver this. The Mendicity Institution will model best practise in non – profit leadership and governance and position itself as a leader in the homelessness sector.’ We look forward to our Bi Centenary in 2018 with confidence. There will be a calendar of events throughout the year that will celebrate our long history and highlight our current programmes and how they assist the most marginalised. Finally I would like to thank our staff and the committee for their hard work, especially our Treasurer Trevor Lloyd for ensuring that we meet the highest standards of financial control and probity. I would like to make a special mention too of new committee member Dr Eimhin Walsh who curated the report, survey and Strategic Plan. Patrick Bewley, Chairman

7

MANAGERS REPORT The consultant report and the survey commissioned by the committee in January 2016 recommended that the Mendicity should specialise and innovate, diversify our funding model and embed itself in the homelessness sector. I can report that good progress has been made. Our Workshop and Employment & Integration programmes work closely with and receive referrals from Simon Dublin, Merchant’s Quay Ireland, Crosscare, Housing First and de Paul. In recognition of the effectiveness of these programmes in providing a route out of homelessness and rough sleeping we have received funding from Dublin City Council, The St. Stephen’s Green Trust, the European Social Fund and the Department of Justice, the latter two commencing in 2017. The health effects of rough sleeping and alcohol abuse are cumulative and often fatal. We are grateful to Safety Net the homeless medical outreach charity that now run a fortnightly clinic on our premises and monitor the health of our service users. I would also like to thank Food Cloud and Heart to Hand; two charities that distribute food products that have been over produced or overstocked to organisations like ours. Our kitchen staff have responded well to the challenge of adapting the menu according to the raw materials supplied and significant savings have resulted. We thank our subscribers for their continuous support and confirm that should they wish to visit us in Island Street, they need just to give me a quick call to arrange it. Charles Richards, Manager

8

PROJECTS AND SERVICES

Food Centre

For nearly 200 years we have been serving homemade

meals, free of charge, no questions asked, to all who come

in.

19,629 hot meals served

22397 Meals Served Other Services We Provide for the Homeless are: Left Luggage – Poste Restante and Document Storage

9

Mendicity Institution Employment and Integration Project

January-December 2016 report

It may seem counterintuitive to look for work when you are homeless. You

don’t even know where you are going to sleep tonight, so why would you

want to look for a job?

The odds are against you anyway. Your resume is full of gaps and you

have no address to put on top of it. It’s difficult to keep your phone

charged, if it hasn’t been stolen along with your papers. It’s hard to present

well when you have to carry all your own on your back. Lack of

documents and certificates, and lack of skills. Maybe a daily struggle with

addiction, demons from the past and the loneliness. Fragile self-esteem and

social stigma.

It is hard. But we can help, update your resume, a poste restante address,

somewhere to leave your bags and store your documents.

You can’t level the field. You can’t speed up the waiting lists. But you can

try and change your path yourself. We are here to give you a hand.

Imagine where you would like to be. Dust off the skills you have. Try a

different routine. Meet different people. Create opportunities for yourself.

Try, maybe fail, and try again. Just ditch waiting. You’ll be surprised

where work may take you.

Project Aim: Enabling the people experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness

access to employment.

Total number of individuals assisted: 439 (including 247 new presentations to the service).

There were 439 individuals accessing the E&I Project on 1862 occasions.

There were 247 were new presentations to the service, with 148 confirming they were

newly arrived in Ireland.

Breakdown of presentations to the service by gender:

Gender Number

Male 354

Female 84

Total 439

10

Breakdown of presentations to the service by nationality:

Nationality Number

Romanian & Moldovan 211

Polish 94

Lithuanian 32

Latvian 17

Czech & Slovak 12

Estonian 2

Other EU 41

Other non-EU 13

Unknown nationality 17

Total 439

Breakdown of reasons for accessing the service

Primary reason for presentation Number

CV and job-seeking 158

PPS number 76

Bank Account 13

ID 16

Information, other and multiple reasons 176

Breakdown of presentations to the service by homelessness risk:

Risk Number

Homeless in Emergency Accommodation or

roughsleeping

104

Houseless (in Tourist hostels, charity

accommodation, overcrowded private rentals,

couch surfing)

122

In risk of homelessness (private rented +

poverty or substance misuse)

80

Unknown (information not provided) 133

11

Employment and Integration Project confirmed*** outcomes:

Outcome Number of individuals

Registered Employment secured*** 59

Relocation to another country 17

Other employment secured 4

Accessed social welfare supports 42

Documents secured 13

Completed work related training 7

Completed detox 16

Accommodation secured 5 (3 STA, 1 HAP, 1 PR)

Ongoing assistance

Ongoing assistance with job-seeking 75

Other ongoing assistance 77

**The outcomes include only outcomes as confirmed by the individuals assisted. In cases

of no-returns to the service and no telephone contact, no outcome was recorded.

***Legal employment means employment secured in the general labour market. The

figure of 59 does not include additional 15 long term homeless individuals that are

currently legally employed in the Mendo Workshop.

Prison Inreach Project Migrants constitute over 10% of all prisoners in Ireland. Many speaks

limited English, have no families in Ireland and receive no visits. Many

becomes homeless upon release, with no access to state supports and no

plan.

In 2016 Migrant Prison In-reach Project provided supports in native

languages to 27 migrants in Cloverhill and Wheatfield prisons.

12

Mendicity Workshop Programme Report 2016 The Mendicity Workshop Programme provides a comprehensive and innovative route out of homelessness through sheltered employment for people who have been long term homeless, predominantly rough sleepers. More specifically, we provide:

- Legal employment for homeless people through work

sessions twice a week;

- Facilities and training in manufacturing and craft;

- Support with reintegration, through linking the Workshop

participants with our Targeted English Language Learning

(TELL) and Psycho-Educational Training (PET).

In 2016, the Workshop Programme has grown from employing 4 homeless staff to employing 20, encompassing 12 nationalities (Bulgarian, Latvian, Italian, German, Romanian, Polish, Moldovan, Czech, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Slovakian and Portuguese). The Progression Route is predicated on the completion of five steps:

Workshop Visit hosted by the Parish of Athy

13

We are delighted with the many positive outcomes of the Workshop.

14

INTAKE December 2016

71% rough sleepers 14% short term Emergency Accommodation

81% have Emergency Accommodation or Supported Temporary Accommodation

0% had any income 85% have Supplementary Welfare Allowance

33% had valid ID 90% have valid ID

0% rented accommodation 1 person has private rented accommodation 15% have accommodation through Housing First

71% alcohol issues 1 detox completed 50% staff have reported a reduction in alcohol intake

0% attended English classes 75% attend Targeted English Language Learning

15

Robertas’ story The Workshop Programme changed Robertas’ life. He says: “I came to Ireland in 2004 to work. I became homeless, begging on the street and drinking every day. For 7 years. Mendicity Workshop gave me the chance to work again. I finished detox and started making sleeping bags, cards and decorations. Now, I have a bank account, medical card, a community that supports me. And a home. My home.”

16

The Launch of the Christmas cards On the 10th of November 2016, we had the pleasure of organising the ‘Launch of

Christmas Card Range’, handmade by the people affected by homelessness who

are currently employed in the Mendicity Workshop Programme.

Special guests included Leinster and Ireland’s Fergus McFadden and Dublin’s

GAA star James McCarthy.

Initiatives and Events

Calais – donating 75 Duffily bags to refugees in the Jungle.

Staff member Simone Sav and volunteers, including Emily Duffy, the designer went to the Calais refugee camp to distribute 75 Duffily bags.

17

Financial Statements

THE MENDICITY INSTITUTION & THE MENDICITY INSTITUTION TRUST

Income and Expenditure Account

Notes 2016 2016

2015 2015 € € € €

Incoming Resources

Voluntary Income:

Subscriptions 32,101 38,565

Bequests 9,061 33,507

41,162 72,072

Activities for Generating Funds

Rent Receivable 1,134 295

Grants Received 58,950

Investment Income:

Dividends and Interest 148,694 152,597

Bank Interest Receivable 2,185 858

Total Incoming Resources 252,125 225,822

Resources Expended

Charitable Activities:

Provisions 15,129 28,719

Projects 22,554 19,973

Donations 15,137 46,500

Portfolio Management Charges 18,055 19,355

Governance costs 1 50,975 15,698

Provision of services 2 278,213 183,798

Total Resources Expended 400,063 314,043

Net Incoming/(Outgoing) Resources

(147,938) (88,221)

18

THE MENDICITY INSTITUTION & THE MENDICITY INSTITUTION TRUST

Notes to the accounts

for the year ended 31st December 2016

1. Governance costs

2016 2015

€ €

Wages

Employer PRSI and PAYE

9,715

3,270

6,903

676

Staff Training 3,216

Light and heat 1,903 1,324

Legal and Professional 4,136 1,892

Audit

EAP

Depreciation

4,968

170

6,749

3,782

Bank charges 251 244

Research/Consultancy 12,397

Telephone

Recruitment

1,700

2,500

877

50,975 15,698

2. Provision of Services

2016 2015

€ €

Wages 177,128 132,706

Employer PRSI and PAYE 59,624 13,903

Security and office costs 6,443 3,506

Telephone 1,699 877

Light and heat 5,710 5,294

Sundry expenses 2,151 2,444

Travelling and subsistence 5,682 4,549

Insurance 3,863 4,412

Repairs and maintenance 15,913 16,107

278,213 183,798

19

To mark the centenary of the siege at the Mendicity Garrison we hosted a reception in our canteen for the 1916 Mendicity Garrison Relatives Committee and attendees at the wreath laying ceremony performed by the Lord Mayor, Criona Ni Dalaigh. On Culture Night, we recreated the cell in which Sean Heuston, the young garrison commander was held before his execution. Based on the testimony of his confessor Father Albert, a short piece was devised and acted by costumed members of Leeson Park Players. The piece was enacted twelve times over the course of the evening for appreciative audiences.

20

Daniel O’Connell’s Chair The other famous personage associated with the Mendicity is of course Daniel O’Connell, who served on the committee. The elegant chair pictured below is referred to as Daniel O’Connell’s Chair and bears a brass plate inscribed 1829. Daniel O’Connell was renowned for his gift of oratory and sitting in his chair will have exactly the same effect as kissing the Blarney Stone.