The Old Bakery
The aim of the Bakery Project is to provide temporary supported accommodation, to enable young, single, homeless people to learn the skills to live fully independently.
24 Hirwaun Road Trecynon Aberdare.
United Welsh housing Association.
Cynon Taff Housing Association
National Assembly for Wales
The project has 2.5 full time staff, who is directly responsible to the Supported Housing Manager.
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The primary role of the Bakery is to house and
support people, who have experienced homelessness or who are in temporary or
insecure accommodation.
The project has six units in which it can provide this accommodation and
support. Each tenant at the project has an individual support plan, which
they work through in partnership with their keyworker in order to gain the
skills they would need to be able
to live independently after they have moved on from the project. A tenant may reside at the project between six and twelve months
The Old Bakery operates an open referral policy and takes referral from many sources. Below is a snap shot of the referrals we have had since April 2002.
The criteria for referral.
The client must be
Between the ages of 16 and 24
Homeless or threatened with homelessness
Have identifiable support needs.
They must be willing to accept support.
Have a Medium to high level of support and low to medium level of risk.
On application to the Old Bakery housing
project prospective tenants are required to attend a first and second
interview, and to complete a risk assessment form.
The first interview is designed to explain the project and its aims and
objectives in detail to the prospective tenants.
The second interview is where the client talks about himself or herself. The
information given here is evaluated in the form of a support needs
assessment.
The support needs assessment covers;
- Identifying the support needs and the areas in which the client needs support.
- The clients’ willingness to accept support.
- Background information on the client.
- If the client fulfils the criteria for housing
- If there is any involvement with outside agencies.
- The clients’ current housing status
If the client is accepted as suitable for a
place at the project they will either be accommodated or placed on the
waiting list. Priority for housing is assessed, not by date of application,
but by the urgency for housing. When a place becomes available the waiting
list is reviewed at the weekly team meeting, and a decision is then made as
to who is housed from the list.
The Support Package
Once a tenant is given a place at the Old Bakery they work together with a
designated member of staff (their keyworker,) to build their individual
support plan, (I.S.P). This could cover issues including:
- Health Offences
- Money Management Vocational Time
- Domestic Skills Communication Skills
- Recreation/Entertainment Self motivation
- Self Confidence Temperament
- Gambling Alcohol/Drug use
- Fitting in with the new community Equal Opportunities
The aim is for the tenant to address the issues that they feel are
appropriate with their key worker or a relevant outside agency. To work
through the I.S.P could take between six to twelve month although there is no
deadline placed upon this time and a tenant may live at the project longer if
the key worker and tenant feel that there is a need to extend their
occupancy. The I.S.P is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it is
always current and up to date.
If the tenant is also linked to an outside agency they are included in the
building of the support plan as there are times when a tenant is working with
multiple agencies including Y.O.T, and social services.
As well as working on these issues, the support the staff at the project
provides can include;
- Advocacy on behalf of the tenant
- Ensuring their income is maximised.
- Liaising with outside agencies
- Sign posting to relevant agencies i.e. Drug Aid, Teds
- Support with re-establishing family contact.
- Review the support plan regularly.
- Ensure the emotional well being of all tenants at the project.
- Ensure the health and safety of all tenants at the project.
Each tenant pays £148.34 rent per week, which is covered by housing benefit
either in full or partially if the tenant is in employment.
The tenants are also asked to pay £5.89 service charge. This is paid weekly
in full. The aim of this is to prepare the tenants to live independently;
when they move on they will have to pay, rent, electricity, gas, water etc.
The amount we charge starts to get them used to budgeting money and in to the
habit of paying bills.
Keywork sessions
Each tenant should attend a keywork session a minimum of once a week it is
the time where the tenant and key worker discuss the personal support plan
and how the support will be delivered. The delivery could be in the form of a
practical keywork session where decorating or cooking takes place. Each
keywork session is recorded in the tenants’ handbook. This is kept in the
tenants’ own box in the office at the project.
Education and Training.
As well as the support plan the tenants are required to undertake some form
of vocational activity. To facilitate this Adref’s Education, Training and
employment officer works closely with all of the tenants to ensure that they
have guidance and advice through all their vocational opportunities, whether
that be college, work, attending training schemes or seeking a voluntary
placement in the community.
The tenants at the Old Bakery are all encouraged to take an active roll in
the running of the project. This encourages ownership of the project by the
tenants and aids the building of their self-confidence.
The staff at Adref facilitate this through regular tenant house meetings. The
tenants meet up monthly to discus the project and give input in to the
running of the project. Alicia Richard a volunteer at the bakery is currently
hosting these meetings.
Issues they have discussed at recent house meetings include:
- Decorating the communal areas – the colour scheme.
- Fundraising.
- Policies.
- Tenant’s participation in the project.
During the tenants stay at the project the tenant and key worker work towards
move on. There is a point when together it is decided that the tenant can
confidently live in there own property and be able to manage their tenancy
successfully.
This process involves.
- Identifying the readiness of move on
- Identifying suitable accommodation.
- Giving information and support with housing options.
- Applying for grants. Buttle Trust Grants and Community Care Grants.
- Health and safety in the new home
- Support with living independently.
- Assistance with budgeting
- Furniture acquisition.
- Initial help with decorating
- Negotiation as to when and how support will be withdrawn.
The Bakery has nomination rights with Cynon Taff housing and our tenants are nominated for housing with them when they are ready for move on.
Charity No: 703130 - Company No: 2459797 - Email to garth.villas@virgin.net
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