Facing Homelessness - Annual Report 2009

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009

FACING HOMELESSNESS

our vision and mission 2

introduction 3

our services 4

outreach and night centre 6

jay’s story 9

day centre 10

rob’s story 13

workspace 14

nathan’s story 17

advice and housing 18

brigid’s story 21

volunteers 22

vicky’s story 23

corporate support 24

charitable trusts 26

income and expenditure 28

thank you 31

our board and directors 32

ANNUAL REVIEW 2009

FACING HOMELESSNESS

our visionThe end of street homelessness through programmes of prevention, intervention and reintegration, together with the opportunity for all vulnerable people in crisis to access appropriate services.

our missionTo provide an effective and relevant range of services to homeless people and those who are at risk of homelessness and exclusion in central London. Services which promote engagement and change, services which meet physical, personal and emotional needs and which clearly encourage and deliver solutions.

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introductionColin Glover, CEODame Diana Brittan, Chair

www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk

When we moved back into our fantastic building in July 2008 we faced our own challenges. Could we use our redeveloped building to provide better services, which both met need but also raised the expectations of everyone who came though the front door? Could we deliver on our strategic objective of ensuring that our services clearly solved rather than sustained homelessness? What we couldn’t know at the time was the length and depth of the recession.

The title of this review ‘Facing Homelessness’ not only describes our ability to tackle the issue of homelessness head-on, but recognises the challenges faced by homeless people, as well as all agencies who try to find solutions to this issue in the current climate.

We are seeing 20% more people than this time last year, and this increase puts every part of the organisation under strain. Having over 200 people in our building at one time clearly reduces our ability to provide quality time for each individual, but we are

driven by the need to ensure that the 10 new people who come through our door every day do not become the rough sleepers of tomorrow. We are equally driven to ensure that people have the support they need to move into employment, training and housing.

Looking back at the end of 2009 it is clear that our services have improved, not only as a result of the building, but as result of the uplift the move gave to the whole organisation. Our employment, education and training team is helping record numbers of people and there is a real sense of change and achievement throughout the organisation.

Thank you to all of our supporters and everyone who has given their time to The Connection at St Martin’s. Yes, the recession still poses major challenges, with its impact on public expenditure, on unemployment and on individuals. However, we are confident that we have the skills to cope, and we will continue to find new and creative ways of working with the people we have yet to reach.

Annual Review 2009

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who we work with

GENDER

Female (20%)

Male (80%)

ETHNICITY

Asian (3%)

Chinese (1%)

Black (26%)

Mixed (2%)

Irish (4%)

White British (44%)

Other (20%)

AGE

16 – 19 (2%)

20 – 25 (18%)

26 – 49 (59%)

50 – 64 (17%)

65+ (4%)

76,000 visits to day centre

9,000 night centre visits

250 people a day

5,500 people a year

1,100 clients reconnected to home area or referred to other appropriate services

600 hostel referrals

3,500 contacts with rough sleepers on the streets

1,600 visits to IT drop in

1,200 vocational guidance sessions

2,500 visits to jobsearch dropin

3,600 groupwork attendances

15,500 one-to-one advice sessions with specialist staff

79 into employment

52 Further qualifications gained at college or further education

75 Attended Employability workshops

5 Work trials (leading to one job)

159 Ref to College/further training

Annual Review 2009

STREET OuTREACH Helping rough sleepers on the street.

NIGHT CENTRERespite from the street for up to 40 people per night.

DAY CENTRE• Café• Laundry• Lockers• Showers• Postcollection• Computers/email/

internet• GPandNurse• Podiatrist• Reflexology• Acupuncture• Legaladvice

ENGAGEmENT ACTIvITIES/GROupS• Art• Singing• Chess• Drama• Football• OralHistorygroup• Women’sgroup• RoughSleepersgroup• Black&Minority

Ethnic group• SubstanceMisusegroup• CreativeWritinggroup• HomelessEducation

group

• Walkinggroup• Daytripsandresidential

weekends away

SpECIAlIST SuppORT AND ADvICE• Alcohol• Substancemisuse• Gambling• Mentalhealthissues• Assistanceaccessing

statutory services, welfare benefits&advice

• Assistancewithemergency accommodation, hostel referrals and housing

EmplOYmENT AND TRAINING• ITtrainingandbasic

skills training• Careersandvocational

guidance• Jobsearchsupport

including help with preparation for interviews

• CVworkshops• Organisingwork

placements• EnglishforSpeakers

of Other Languages (ESOL) courses

• Post-employmentsupport

ST mARTIN’S HOuSE16 bed medium stay supported housing project

SOCIAl ENTERpRISEConnection Crew is the Social Enterprise arm of The Connection at St Martin’s, providing a bespoke crewing service to the events industry.

uSER INvOlvEmENT A programme of discussions and groups where clients are encouraged to become part of the decision making processes about themselves in relation to the services we provide, with a view to resolving the issues that determine their homelessness.

vOluNTEER pROGRAmmE• Individualvolunteering–

service delivery/activity group volunteering

• Corporate/employeevolunteering

• Fulltrainingprogrammeand support

• Fundraisingopportunities

our services

5Annual Review 2009 www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk

OutreachThe Outreach Team works with people who sleep rough in the City of Westminster, which has by far the highest number of people living on the streets in the UK. The team provides an immediate response through outreach on the streets and by pro-viding in-house, drop-in advice and ongoing casework. They engage with rough sleepers, help them to access the services they need and ultimately move off the streets. This is often long-term work as many rough sleepers have been on the streets for years.

Once an Outreach worker has made contact with a rough sleeper, they are referredtoourDayCentre,whereweare able to work with them on their immediate needs of food, clothing, medical treatment, showers and emergencyshelteratourNightCentre.We can then address their other needs including: finding accommodation, tackling drug or alcohol misuse or mental health needs, referring to other special services and developing emotional and social support. The team has a caseload of around 120 individuals at any given time.

outreach and night centre

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OuTREACH Our Outreach Team targeted an area in the West End where around 20 people were sleeping regularly. Some of them had been homeless for many years and we were very concerned about the wellbeing of the whole group. We worked together with partner agencies, the police and local councils to find alternatives for these people and have seen real success, with 16 of the rough sleepers moving off the streets into accommodation.

NIGHT CENTRE DuringtheverycoldweatherinJanuary and February 2009, when temperatures fell below zero, our Outreach Team doubled the number of street visits in an attempt to get homeless people off the streets quickly andintotheNightCentre.Theseefforts, and an increase in self-referrals meant we increased the numbers of people we helped from 40 to 90 a night.

Annual Review 2009

Night CentreTheNightCentreserviceisliterallya life-line to street homeless people in Westminster all year round, but especially during the cold winter months. It is open from 10pm to 7am, and offers space for up to 40 people anight.Peoplecanself-refer,orcanbe referred by our Outreach Team who make contact with approximately 1,000 rough sleepers each year. We also receive referrals from the police and other homeless agencies. It offers short-term overnight support to vulnerable, chaotic and entrenched rough sleepers.

Services on offer include hot food, showers, clothing, laundry facilities, andreferraltoourDayCentretoaccess other services such as specialist mental health, housing adviceandreferrals.AstheNightCentre is a short-term solution, we aim to move people on as quickly as possible. A condition of referral is that plans are in place for each client’s onward progression. In this way, the NightCentreisoftenthefirstrealstepping stone from the streets to hostels for entrenched rough sleepers.


ABOVE

Receiving hot food at the NightCentre;Offeringsupport and encouragement on the streets.

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“After the initial assessment everything changed. I was told that there would be help for me and that I was entitled to benefits that I didn’t realise I was.”

Jay first made contact with The Connection at the beginning of 2009. When friends could no longer help, he resorted to sleeping on public transport, until he eventually found himself on the streets. Jay said: “I’d walk around central London for 18 hours a day, just looking for scraps of food or money that people may have dropped. After eighteen months, I decided that things couldn’t continue. I had reached an all time low and was sleeping and walking around in the same clothes for days and days on end”.

While on the streets a policeman told him about The Connection at St Martin’s. Jay remembers: “It took me about three days to join the queue outside at 9am, as in my fragile mind, this was me owning up to a problem. I was given a warm and friendly welcome. I was able to have a cup of tea for the first time in years, a shower, and somewhere to relax for a while”

Jay was given an instant assessment and put in touch with our Advice and Housing team, who worked to get him off the streets into hostel

accommodation. Jay recalls: “After the initial assessment, everything changed. I was told that there would be help for me and that I was entitled to benefits that I didn’t realise I was. My first day was surreal - I’d been treated like a human being”

Jay quickly made use of the engage-ment activities on offer. He joined the football team at The Connection, and continues to play with them every week. He also attended our weekly Streetwise Opera singing workshop to help build his confidence.

Jay is optimistic about his future now. He is settled in his accommodation and is hoping to start a voluntary work placement three days a week. He has even organised his own fund-raising event for The Connection at St Martin’s, raising an enormous £1,600. Jay said: “I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. I hope to continue to support The Connection because without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. They have restored my confidence, and my faith in life”.

jay’s story

9www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk

TheDayCentreisboththeheart of our services and the gateway to specialist provision. It is open 7 days a week, almost every day of the year. It is unique in that it offers a compre-hensive range of specialist services catering for homeless people, all underoneroof.TheDayCentreteamprovides a friendly welcome and are the first point of contact for new arrivals, helping them to access the services they need.

The Centre offers practical facilities includingacaféforpeopletohaveacheap and nutritious meal, access to free laundry, lockers, computer access andalibrary,andGP/nursehealthcareservices, to help clients to maintain their health and wellbeing, even when sleeping rough.

As well as practical facilities we also offer programmes of groupwork and activities, designed to engage clients of all ages. The groups not only help to decrease people’s isolation and make friends, but build skills and confidence and encourage them to plan for the future.Groupsinclude:Women’s,ArtandRoughSleepersGroups.

day centre

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We strive to be user led in our approach and continued to develop new ways of involving clients during the year. These included focus groups for each service, which have resulted in many changes to the way we deliver and publicise our services.

We have also implemented a new feedback procedure, which gives individual clients the opportunity to comment or complain and receive a formal response within a fortnight.

June 2009 saw the launch of our first week long art exhibition at St Martin-in-the-Fields CryptGallery.Runbyhomelessartists,volunteers and staff, the event was a huge success selling 16 pictures. This will now become an annual event.

We have launched our new Homeless EducationGroup.Thegroupwillprovideeducation and raise awareness about homelessness to school students, through a series of workshops. All the workshops will be delivered by homeless individuals who will receive ongoing support, guidance and training from The Connection staff and volunteers. The first school visit took place in September and was a huge success, with excellent feedback from the school group.

Annual Review 2009

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“Workspace helped me with my CV and helped me to get the health and safety card needed to work on building sites.”

Rob had a business, a wife and daughter and his own home. When his father and brother tragically passed away he turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of his grief. Over the course of 3 years his drinking and drug taking worsened until eventually he lost his business, and his relationship with his wife and daughter broke down.

He ended up in London having lost all of his belongings, so had no choice but to sleep rough on the streets. He was contacted on the street by our Outreach Team and was told about ourservices.Gradually,Robstartedto use the showers, have hot meals at thecaféandwassupportedbystaffatThe Connection to help him get his life back on track. Rob acknowledged how important coming to The Connection was for him and said: “It is essential to engage with all the services on offer. If you don’t help yourself you won’t move on. Everything you need is here.”

When he was ready Rob started using our employment, training and education service Workspace.

He said: “Workspace helped me with myCVandhelpedmetogetthehealthand safety card needed to work on building sites. They have also recently put me in touch with a construction company in London, where I hope to find work soon.

Rob’s life is very different now to how it was. He is back in touch with his wife and daughter with whom he has a good relationship. He says: “The Connection was a catalyst for pushing my life in a better direction. They have helped me to put things in the right order - I have my own home and have been drink and drug free for 4½ years. I am looking forward to getting back into work and starting to live a normal life again. Homelessness is a dark tunnel and The Connection is the shining light at the end of it.”

rob’s story


workspace

Each year Workspace, our employment, education and training service, helps around 1,000 people by developing bespoke Action Plansaccordingtopeople’scareeraspirations, skill sets and experience. Clients are referred onto college courses, further education or our fully accredited in-house training courses. They are also given job search support (CVwritingandinterviewworkshops)and linked in with training, work trial and employment opportunities.

We provide the most comprehensive training and employment support to homeless people in Westminster, and have been doing so for over 20 years. Our work at Workspace is accredited to the mainstream training and employment standard, Matrix, and in 2009 won a Third Sector Award for ExcellenceinCharityPartnerships

Last year, we helped 79 homeless people move into the job market and helped a further 159 into training. Clients can also use our facilities through daily drop-in sessions, where they can get advice, find out about

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518 people had one-to-one initial assessments and developed action plans for their onward progression

79 people were supported to move into jobs in sectors including catering, construction,sales&marketing,security,retail and gardening

67 people were referred to external training courses

40 people gained qualifications through our on-site training courses

Annual Review 2009

OPPOSITE

Client receiving advice during a drop-in session.

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job vacancies and college courses, use the phone and computers, and explore our careers library. We also helppeopletocomposetheirCVs,fillout application forms, and practise for job interviews. We recently launched a comprehensive post-employment support service, which helps to support people in their jobs for as long as they need it.

We have also cemented corporate partnerships by establishing successful work trials. This is really helpful for people who have been out of employment for a long time or who lack employment skills to gain valuable experience in the world of work.

As well as referring clients to a wide range of external training courses across the capital, we are also an accredited training provider. Our current courses include:

IT Training–PackagesincludeMicrosoft Word, Excel and Adobe Photoshopandtraineescangain OCR CLAIT qualifications equivalent toNVQlevels1and2.

Financial life Skills – We are currently piloting this 12 week course which aims to equip trainees with the confidence and life-skills to better manage their personal finances. The course will help trainees to overcome financial issues such as tackling debt and managing benefits claims while working. Trainees are also able to attain a nationally recognised qualification, further helping their overall employability.

English for Speakers of Other languages (ESOl) – In partnership with City Lit we provide ESOL courses at Entry Level for all homeless and vulnerable people who do not possess the necessary language skills to enter employment and training.

Annual Review 2009 www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk

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“I still receive fantastic support which empowers me and helps me to maintain the new skills that I have learnt. It keeps my confidence up and keeps me moving forward.”

Threeyearsago,Nathanwasworkingas a head chef. He was married with two children and a mortgage. On the surface, things were looking pretty good. But there were serious cracks that had been growing progressively wider and it was becoming harder to paperthesecracksover.Nathanwashiding a growing drink problem, and after a particularly bad episode in 2004, was kicked out of his house, and ended up on the streets.

When our Outreach Team made contact with him he was immediately referredtoouremergencyNightCentre.Nathansaysofhisexperienceof rough sleeping: “Bed is such a short word that we use every day and don’t think twice about using it - but when you are out there on the street it is a massive word full of meaning. The first night I used The Connection’s NightCentrewasanabsoluterelieftobe able to bed down safe, warm and not isolated. A hot meal for me felt like a king’s banquet... Listening staff were fantastic - always approachable and willing to talk to you and offer suggestions and advice.”

Nathanexplainsthatbeforecomingto The Connection, he hadn’t really thought about his future: “That was the beginning of my journey with The Connection, of not only using the NightCentre…butthejourneytogetting me housed and employed in a vocation of my choosing.”

NathanbeganusingtheWorkspaceservice, which opened a world of possibilities and drew on the skills and experience he had to offer and was at risk of throwing away. At Workspace, Nathanwasabletoachieveagreatdeal including, a CLAIT computer literacy and information technology course, workshops in confidence-building, interviewing techniques and writingaCV.Healsoreceivedongoingadvice and guidance around filling in application forms.

ThissupportgaveNathantheconfidence to pursue a career in social care, and he was recently accepted onaCityandGuildsLevel2HelpingVulnerablePeoplecourse.

nathan’s story


OurAdvice&Housingteamprovidesspecialist one-to-one services for homeless people aged 16- 25 years of age, and older people aged 26+. The team offer advice and general support, as well as more specific help with various issues in three key areas –

Housing and Homelessness A specialised and targeted housing referrals service helping people who are newly homeless, in temporary or insecure accommodation and hidden homeless.

mental HealthSpecialist mental health workers offer a safe space for clients to discuss their emotional and mental well-being. It is estimated that as many as 70% of our clients have mental health issues, ranging from depression and anxiety to more severe psychiatric illnesses.

Substance misuseSupport, advice and referrals to people who are suffering poor health as a result of drug and/or alcohol misuse.

advice and housing

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We’ve started working with a specialist voluntary housing provider for people aged 55+, which means that they now have a new accommodation option – permanent, self contained, warden covered housing for a very vulnerable group. It has national coverage, and we will continue to refer people there.

We’ve developed more efficient support and referral systems, which have halved the average length of stay for people using ourNightCentre.

The team has recently developed their work with homeless people who we know or suspect have a drug problem but are not accessing help.

This year we re-launched Headspace, a drug awareness project. The group covers issues including overdosing, drugs and the law, pathways into treatment and harm minimisation. We hope that these new services will give valuable space to build relationships with hard-to-reach clients and encourage them to access further specialist services.

Annual Review 2009

The team works with around 1200 homeless people annually, with 600–700 of these being new.

Services are delivered five days a week, on a drop-in basis for crisis intervention, immediate issues, new arrivals and follow-up, with around 50 one-to-one sessions every week. In addition to the drop-in service the team also works on an ongoing basis with clients, helping them to address longer term issues and plan for the future.

We place a strong emphasis on preventing rough sleeping within the central London area. To achieve this, a key area of the work is aimed at diverting or re-connecting newly arrived people, away from the area. Wherever possible, we try to link clients back into services in their home area, so that they can maintain local links.


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Support workers reviewing clientcasefiles;adviceandguidance on employability issues.

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“The support is here and if you want it, and you have to grab it with both hands. It’s not always easy but it’s the only way to make a fresh start.”

Brigid had a difficult start in life which included abuse as a child. She “fell in with the wrong crowd” at 16 and started drinking and using drugs. At 18 she became pregnant and experienced domestic violence from an abusive partner, so had to give her baby to relatives to look after while she sought refuge. From this point onwards, her life became more chaotic and her heroin habit worsened. She was homeless for 9 years, living on the streets, in hostels, and in refuges.

When she first came to The Connection our priority was to support Brigid and make her feel safe, soourAdvice&Housingteamhelpedto find her a hostel. They also helped her with accessing benefits, put her in touch with a drug support project and helped her and referred her to a counsellor. She is unable to read or write so Workspace, our education, training and employment service, supported her to enrol on a literacy course at a local college.

Although Brigid is still very vulnerable, she is eager to move forward in her life, and put her past behind her.

She says: ”When I first came to The Connection I wasn’t ready to accept help. I had to hit rock bottom, to begin to build my life back up. The staff here are very understanding and take time to listen to you. The support is here and if you want it, and you have to grab it with both hands. It’s not always easy but it’s the only way to make a fresh start”.

Brigid is currently on a methadone programme, and goes to a drug project for support. She has moved from the hostel to a longer-stay housing project and is currently waiting to be moved intoherownflat.

brigid’s story


Our dedicated volunteer workforce continues to provide the time, energy and resources that contribute to making homeless clients’ visits to our centre a worthwhile and relevant experience. From front line services such as serving meals, assisting in the art room or working with the medical teams, to behind-the-scenes tasks such as admin and fundraising, volunteers bring a wealth of backgrounds, skills and under-standing to The Connection at St Martin’s which in turn helps us meet the individual needs of more clients.

Last year almost 500 individuals gave time to The Connection in some capacity, with the biggest growth since the move back into our new premises being corporate volunteer involvement. Last year over 300 individuals from 16 major companies suchasGoldmanSachs,JohnLewis,ShellandPricewaterhouseCoopers,amongst others have supported our work released their employees to donate staff time. Corporate volunteering in our Workspace programme will continue its growth – last year two companies hosted

threeCV/Interviewworkshops,thishas grown to eight companies hosting 11 workshops. Corporate volunteering can only go from strength to strength as we enlarge our corporate supporter base and look for more and innovative ways of working with them.

These teams boost and complement the 183 personal volunteers we have coming in on a weekly or monthly basis and who, combined, have provided more than 15,000 donated hours in the past year.

volunteers

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vOluNTEERS

Corporate (61%) Individual and other (39%)

Annual Review 2009

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VickyisfromHampshireandvolunteers at our weekly Women’s group. She began volunteering for us after hearing stories of people from The Connection on the BBC Radio 4 St Martin-in-the-Fields Christmas Appeal. She said:” I was sitting in my kitchen one Christmas and listening to the radio when the Appeal came on. I sat there with tears streaming down my face, thinking how lucky I was to be in my home, and how easily one can become homeless”.

Vickyhelpsoutbyofferingemotionaland practical support to the women in the group and talks to them about their experiences. She says: “When I tell people I volunteer they say I must be very brave and must be so giving. The truth is I receive as much if not more back from the women, and feel privileged to hear their amazing stories of struggle and bravery.

I admire the women’s strength and resilience – it constantly puts my own life into perspective. I knew I wanted to help out in whatever way I could. I am glad I did and haven’t looked back”

vicky’s story


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corporate support

In 2008-9 companies donated 1,508 hours of employee time and over £150,000 to help homeless people at The Connection at St Martin’s.

Over forty companies are currently involved with us in a variety of ways – from corporate donations to fundraising, employee volunteering, pro bono support and payroll giving. Crucially, some of our corporate supporters are also able to offer work trials to our job-seeking homeless clients.

marshall Wace llp is a local company with a strong history of charitable support. Since coming on board with us this year, the firm’s employees volunteerinourcafé,runmotivationalworkshops for our job-seeking clients and donate gifts to the centre. The firm has also pledged its financial support to our charity in the forthcoming year which enables us to plan ahead financially in these uncertain times.

For the past year Shell International Trading and Shipping Company (STASCO) has been providing us with employee volunteers who work in our

It costs £4.2 million a year to run The Connection at St Martin’s. We couldn’t do this without your continued support – thank you

Annual Review 2009

cafeteria, serving food to homeless people every Tuesday.

STASCO employees are also becoming particularly involved with our Workspace programme - running workshops to help homeless people improvetheirCVwritingandjobinterview skills. Once our homeless clients secure job interviews they often require suitable clothing to give them a crucial confidence boost, so STASCO have also set up a clothes bank where employees can donate suits and shoes that our clients can wear.

We are going to work with STASCO on a number of exciting employee involvement projects in the year ahead. We are also building a close relationship with parent company Shell International Limited, whose employees send us job interview clothing, donate presents to our homeless clients at Christmas and helped us to man the phones during last year’s Radio 4 Christmas Appeal.STASCO has also made a financial contribution towards renovating the education, training and employment areainourDayCentre.


FROMTOPTOBOTTOM

Marshall Wace kitchen volunteers;ShellemployeehelpingaclientduringaCVWorkshop.

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charitable trusts

In 2008-09 over 70 charitable trusts enabled us to continue our vital work with vulnerable homeless people.

A grant from StreetSmart contributed to the costs of employing one of our Street Outreach Workers who along with the rest of our Outreach Team undertakes vital engagement work with rough sleepers in the West End.

Neil has worked in the sector for over 20 years, and is a familiar face among the people bedding down in the West End each night. “There are people fleeingdomesticviolence,people whohavelosttheirjobs,”Neilsays.“It can happen to anybody. I’ve heard people who’ve said they’ve had their own business and been made bankrupt and then been booted out by their partners.”

Alongsidethestreetwork,Neilprovides ongoing support to assess and address other needs including housing, mental health, and drug or alcohol problems.

The Connection at St Martin’s places great value on the support that we receive from charitable trusts and foundations.

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With funding from StreetSmart, Neilwasabletohelpover100peoplesleeping rough in the West End, giving them the support they needed to move off the streets.

Funding from other partner trusts has contributed to the strategic development of our organisation.

For example a grant from the Henry Smith Charity has funded the development of a comprehensive user-involvement strategy, aimed at consulting with and involving homeless people at all levels within our organisation.

Through this project, our aim was to create a culture that allows clients to see themselves positively, where they feel in control of their future, where they are able to develop positive new social networks, learn new skills and be able to imagine living in a different way. At the core of this work are the user feedback groups, which allow clients to express their opinions and feelings on current services, groups, activities and staff, and ideas about future services, groups and activities.

Discussionandbeingpartofadecision-making group empowers clients, and gives them the skills and confidence to deal with situations, and resolve issues instead of walking away. They are then able to carry these experiences over to other areas of their lives.

This has been embraced by both staff and clients, and The Henry Smith Charity has agreed to commit further funding in 2009-10, to enable us to build on these successes.

One key focus will be the development of inclusive employment procedures that increase the involvement of clients in staff recruitment, and open up more opportunities for homeless people to apply for job vacancies and work placements at The Connection.

If you have links to a charitable trust and would like further information on our work, please email the fundraising team on [email protected] or call 020 7766 5555.


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income and expenditure

Annual Review 2009

The Connection received sufficient resources to cover its commitments during the year. We continue to pursue a balanced portfolio of income, with funds being raised from corporate partners, events and individual donations as well as trust and grantmaking bodies. We receive 37% of our funding from non-statutory sources which ensures that we are not over-reliant on any one income type.

We have maintained our expenditure at a similar level to previous financial years and anticipate this will continue in 2010/11.

This summarised financial information shows the income raised, the cost of raising income and the amounts spent on our charitable activities. The information is taken from the full audited accounts with an unqualified opinion from Aspens Limited. To gain a full understanding of the financial affairs of the charity, the audited statements, Board and Auditors’ reports are available from The Connection at St Martin’s. More details and our full consolidated accounts can be found at www.connection-at-st-martins.org.uk and www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

StatutoryGrants£2,101,554 (48%)

Statutory Contracts£624,487 (14%)

Corporate£139,139 (3%)

Trusts£453,163 (10%)

Individuals£144,136 (3%)

Events£60,074 (1%)

Housing£82,250 (2%)

Trading£238,456 (5%)

Interest£31,157 (1%)

Other£573,165 (13%)

Income 2008/09£4,477,581


Over 95% of our expenditure is spent directly on services for homeless people.

Expenditure 2008/09£4,415,600

Direct Charitable£4,197,600 (95%)

Fundraising£176,600 (3.8%)

Events£33,800 (1%)

Governance£7,600 (0.2%)

Day and Night Centres£1,975,200 (45%)

Advice£464,800 (11%)

Housing and Resettlement£456,800 (10%)

Employment Training£762,800 (17%)

Outreach and Building Based Services£537,900 (12%)

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thank you

A diverse range of organisations and agencies have supported our work this year, and we would like to especially thank the following funders who have made substantial contributions to our work:

• ADPowerWillTrust• AIM Foundation• Albert Hunt Trust• Allan Charitable Trust• Allied Irish Bank• Anglo American Foundation• Astor Foundation• Barbara Welby Trust• BBA Aviation• BBC Radio 4• Beatrice Laing Trust• Carphone Warehouse• Chiron Trust, Essex

Community Foundation• City of Westminster• COFRA London Ltd• Coltstaple Trust• Communities and

LocalGovernment• ConstanceGreen

Foundation• CooperGayTrust• Coutts Charitable Trust• Crisis (Skills 4 Jobs)• DolphinSquareFoundation• Drapers’Company• EDFEnergy

• EBM Charitable Trust• Edward Harvist Trust• EQTwo• Evan Cornish Foundation• Friends of The Connection at

St. Martin-in-the-Fields• French Huguenot Church of

London Charitable Trust• Gallowglass• GEMoney• GoldenBottleTrust• Goldsmiths’Company• GreatUniversalStores

Charitable Trust• Henry Smith Charity• HydeParkPlaceEstate

Charity• Inman Charity• IrishGovernment’sEmigrant

SupportProgramme• John Laing Charitable Trust• Land Securities• LIDA• London Councils• LondonDevelopment

Agency• Marsh Christian Trust• MODCARE• NextSteps• PenguinGroup• PeterCruddasFoundation• PricewaterhouseCoopers• Rayne Foundation• Reed Elsevier• Richard Radcliffe Trust• Scouloudi Foundation

• Sharegift• Shell International Trading

and Shipping Company (STASCO)

• Sobell Foundation• Souter Charitable Trust• StClementDanesHolborn

Estate Charity• StJames’sPiccadillyCharity• Steel Charitable Trust• StrandParishesTrust• StreetSmart• Tail Wind Advisory

Management• Teddy Bear Charitable Trust• Three Oaks Trust• Thring Townsend Lee

&Pembertons• Tolkien Trust• Vicar’sAppealFund• Wandsworth Council• Weldon UK Charitable Trust• Welfare Trust• Westminster Foundation• WestminsterPrimary

Care Trust• Woodlands Trust• Worshipful Company

of Carpenters• Xstrata

www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk 31

our board and directors

BOARD OF TRuSTEES

ChairDameDianaBrittan

vice ChairLady Jane Reid

TreasurerIan Watson

Jeff ClaxtonTheReverendNicholasHoltamCllr Louise HyamsJean InnesGayLongworthJonathan MartyrDavidObrartJenny WilliamsCanon Robert Wright

DIRECTORS

Chief ExecutiveColinGlover

Director of Services Mick Baker

Director of FinanceHugo Lane

Director of Fundraising and pRKath Lee

Head of Human ResourcesJuliaPorter

WE ARE SuppORTED BY

32 Annual Review 2009

Design by Sugarfree • www.sugarfreedesign.co.ukPhotography by Paul Barshon

12 Adelaide StreetLondon WC2N 4HW

telephone020 7766 5555

fax020 7930 9194

[email protected]

webwww.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk

registered charity number 1078201

company registration3852519

Documents

Facing Homelessness - Annual Report 2009