We Have Identified Areas of Work Which We Believe Will Complement Our Existing Services

About Us

We have identified areas of work which we believe will complement our existing services and which will make a positive difference to the people we support. In our wish to be influential and to play a role in shaping welfare and social support we want to expand the geographic “footprint” in which we currently operate and continue to work in partnership with policy makers, and other voluntary and statutory service providers. By establishing and expanding our network in the North West we can draw on the experience and expertise of others, and share good practice. This development will bring new opportunities, new partners and provide Methodist Action a broader platform to make its voice heard, and represent the voices of those people we support.

This post has been created to manage and oversee our continuing developments as well as existing projects. There will be considerable travel across the North West including, Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. It is an exciting and valuable role for an experienced manager of social care services who is innovative, flexible and shares the values of our organisation.

Vision

Methodist Action is, at its core, a specialist in providing supported accommodation and services to people who experience homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Methodist Action strives to provide holistic support to empower people in need to achieve independence and fulfilment. We want to enhance our services to ensure a seamless system of specialist support is available to all who access the services within Methodist Action. We apply quality assurance to everything we deliver and are proud to hold true to our core values. Our strategic aims are to expand the range of services that we offer; developing new services through knowledge and experience gained in our existing delivery. Throughout our work, we wish to strengthen our links with the Methodist Church.

Organisation Background

Methodist Action provides well-established services. It has a solid base with its high quality accommodation and a growing range of services. Methodist Action has around 40 employees and over 45 volunteers. We strive to be at the heart of the local communities in which we operate.

Fox Street Community is Methodist Action’s longest running project. Originally Fox Street Night Shelter, the project was set up in 1982 by Central Methodist Church, Lune St in Preston, to provide crisis accommodation to the homeless. In 2006 we received £1.3 million from the Community and Local Government’s Hostel and Community Improvement Programme to renovate the building. This led to a change of remit; ‘Fox Street Community’ was established to provide supported living accommodation for a period of up to 2 years per individual. Since then, Fox Street has provided quality, professional support by a team of specialist workers for service users with complex needs who have presented as street homeless. During 2007 – 2011, as other services developed as an extension of Fox Street, a decision was made by the trustees and members of the Methodist Church that these services should be taken under the umbrella of a charity and company limited by guarantee. On March 16th 2011, Methodist Action officially became a registered charity, limited company, and all projects came under the charity’s umbrella.

The current strengths of Methodist Action and its family of services mean we are a significant partner in the delivery of adult welfare and social care in Lancashire. This position has resulted from many years of hard work and dedication from all involved.

The family of services includes:

 Fox Street Community - 20 supported accommodation units  Community Outreach Team - Supporting people to live independently  A Place to Live Social Lettings Agency (Preston, South Ribble and Manchester) – working with private landlords to provide affordable, high quality housing to people in need of accommodation. Providing property management, and support to tenants to live independently.  Advice Surgeries (Blackpool and Preston)- coordinating a multi agency service, providing specialist advice, shelter and food for the street homeless.  Food bank (Blackpool and Preston) – contributing to the coordination of food distribution centres for those who are in need  Volunteer/community engagement – utilising our volunteer base to add value to our existing services  ARC (Blackburn) – Asylum Seekers and Refugee support project to provide professional support and guidance in partnership with other voluntary and faith organisations.

Methodist Action works in partnership with local authorities to ensure that it is centrally placed in the authority’s strategic plans to eradicate homelessness and poverty. We work in partnership with health and social care statutory bodies as well as many other charitable and non statutory organisations to ensure access that specialist support is available for our beneficiaries. We embrace partnerships and recognise the benefits which they deliver. All the staff are valued and all play vital roles in delivering high quality support. The services are underpinned by effective Resource Directorate and strong governance through a committed, skilled and experienced Board of Directors.