Hopenewsletter

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hopeSEPT 2017 newsletter tackling homelessness, rebuilding lives

HOPE CENTRE Can You Help Spread Hope? CHARITYalso inNUMBER this issue 1015743

The Hope Centre has been in Hope scheme. Our members are always existence for 43 years (formerly invited to our AGMs to hear our annual COMPANY NUMBER 020768301 as the Soup Kitchen) and we are updates and plans. It is them who elect very proud to still be a community our trustees, and trustees themselves have charity: accountable to the public, to be members before they can stand for funded by the public and led by election. Our trustees give overall strategic the community. direction to Hope. Membership costs just £5 a year (to cover administration) and Nearly all our funds come from you, it’s a great way to be involved. If you are our supporters, the people of interested in becoming a member, please Hope Catering Northamptonshire. Our funding from download the form from our website For delicious buffets local/national government now only funds http://www.northamptonhopecentre.org. t. 01604 289111 one week of our work, the rest is raised uk/about-charity e. [email protected] through trust applications, the Big Lottery, w. www.hopecatering.org.uk donations and events such as the Big Another way to be involved is to volunteer. SleepOut, Ride for Hope and Rock 4 Hope, This autumn, after a detailed review led all of which just wouldn’t work without you, by a local voluntary sector expert, Sean our supporters. We hope your donations of Silver, we will be re-launching volunteering food, clothing, money and time will keep at Hope, advertising the wide range of coming and that’s why we are always keen volunteer opportunities across everything to get you involved and help us spread the we do, not just our day centre, but also word. We need you to share our message, for our new food club and later in the through your own network of friends, or year hopefully for our charity shop and through your social media by sharing our gardening club. Please do keep an eye on ‘tweets’ or Facebook and Instagram posts. our social media and website where these This will help to raise awareness, and widen future volunteering opportunities will our supporter base further. be advertised. Hope Tools There are other ways to get involved too. Stay with us – get more involved, and Lovingly recycled garden tools We are keen to expand our Members of spread the word to your friends! t. 0845 519 9371 e. [email protected] w. www.hopeenterprises.org.uk/tools.php HOPE AS A CAMPAIGNING CHARITY Hope works with people who are the most marginalised and excluded within society. They are denied care, service, help and support by some organisations, or forced through all kinds of hoops to prove they are not ‘scroungers’ or ‘not prepared to engage’. Some members of the public think it ok to assault or abuse homeless people on the street and some people think it’s ok to host Facebook pages ridiculing and insulting the homeless.

We address poverty directly by providing services, but we are also a campaigning organisation that seeks to raise awareness of the harm poverty and homelessness causes and to argue for respect of our users and their rights. We work to challenge attitudes, behaviour and decisions that hurt our users - people who have nothing. This kind of campaigning is perfectly legal and proper for a charity to do. It’s certainly not party We always need tools donated for political. On our social media channels and at events, we speak out against poverty, repair – just bring them to the centre marginalisation and bad behaviour against the very weakest and vulnerable. during office hours. You can buy at an expanded range of outlets now including If you are interested in helping us campaign, and have skills in social media or activism, Workbridge adjacent to Daily Bread and make contact with Hope to support this kind of work. Smiths Country food shop. news new hope Sept 2017 SUCCESS WITH ASPIRE COURSES Almost 20 unemployed Hope Centre clients have helped themselves in their bid for employment, after they took part in an Aspire course being run at the centre.

Aspire courses are vocational programmes which give someone the confidence to look for work in their desired field, provide positive additions to their CV and learn leadership skills. Hope Centre case manager, Leon Williams, said that the course was focussed on interaction rather than exams and tests, so the challenge was to keep people engaged throughout the course so that they could see the outcomes from it. He said: “It’s a way of supporting somebody in job searching and doing so in a more interactive way, rather than just sitting in front of a computer.”

Currently in its third cohort at the Hope Centre, the Aspire tutors run the courses out of the John Smith Centre and get support from Hope Centre staff to encourage fluid interaction with the clients. Leon said that, so far, the clients had given good feedback on the course content. He added: “I’ve always been impressed with the Aspire tutors who have given additional support and extra time to those who have needed it. I feel they have got a good understanding of the client group and the challenges that are faced in getting somebody, not just through the course, but initially through the door.”

As Hope Centre clients can sometimes lead chaotic and unreliable lives, Leon said that for him, a successful outcome was a client who committed to the three-weeks of training. “We are able to add structure to someone’s life – that’s an outcome that can’t be overlooked. We can now go away and reference someone as being available for work and reliable enough to turn up for work when they are scheduled to”, he added.

MAPLE BUILDINGS CONVERSION UPDATE. TAKING A MOMENT TO REMEMBER We are nearing completion of the long process of renovating Hope Centre staff and both floors of the John Smith Centre, our training base. clients came together We are particularly grateful to the Beatrice Laing Trust for with other organisations their donation towards the renovations, which enabled us to recently for International complete a significant part of the work. But we still need help Remembrance Day. - both financial and in time – in particular we will need people Held at the Deco Theatre to do some decorating and some carpentry in September. in Northampton, Contact us if you can help. International Remembrance Day brought people together to remember ‘TOUCHING LIVES AND MAKING A those who have lost their DIFFERENCE’...... A SPECIAL THANK YOU lives to substance misuse and celebrate those who For six years now, Jesus have turned their the Provider has supplied lives around. a weekly car full of food, to help save us money and During the event, people who had lost loved ones gave keep our clients fed. emotional testimonies, there were poems and singing performances and people were encouraged to write As a thank you, we spoke messages to hang on the remembrance tree. to the team at the Milton Keynes-based project to find The overriding message of the day was that there is always out what inspired them to hope. Hope Centre client, Nigel Collins, who spoke at the start working with the Hope event about his problems with alcohol addiction, said: Centre in the first place. “Events like this are important because they remember Senior Project Co-Ordinator, people who have gone, they give hope for the future but also Lu Ferguson, said: “We were the awareness it raises; which is why it was important that Cllr looking for groups that are Tony Ansell (Northampton deputy mayor) turned up today.” actively supporting those who are challenged in life Nigel said that another – we wanted to aim to make a difference. Any group that can reason why it was important be effective in their community in aiding the under privileged, that the event was held was those who are at times overlooked, to us are doing a great job.” for people to talk openly Jesus the Provider, a subsidiary of Faith Dimensions Ministries, is about their addictions. He a church with the heart and vision to work and help others in our added: “Really, it’s just local community. about being able to get the message across. Other than Lu added: “We have had the opportunity to work with numerous AA meetings, I have never groups and organisations over the years and for that we are very really been able to speak grateful. Our moto/goal is simple ‘touching lives and making a honestly about my addiction difference’ - I believe this sums up what the aim of our Feeding – until today.” Project is all about.”

2 changing lives new hope Sept 2017

CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING • Giving your staff time off to volunteer Increasingly companies are looking for ways to give back to • Sponsoring our newsletter their local communities, often as part of their Corporate Social • Implementing a Payroll Giving Scheme Responsibility (CSR) Policy and we are keen for you to get in touch with us, if this is the case for you. There are several Support of this kind is invaluable to us, and we see time and ways that your company could become involved with the again that companies that have a good CSR policy, and actively Hope Centre: promote it to their staff, often have a far better staff retention • Nominating us as your ‘Charity of the Year’ to raise rate, staff satisfaction rates, increased positive public profile and funds, provide volunteers and get involved here at the centre more satisfied investors. • Become a regular Corporate Donor • Getting your staff involved in fundraising events, such as our If you would like more information about this, please contact Big SleepOut or Ride for Hope [email protected] - we’re very passionate • Entering individuals or teams into national events about our work and would love to have the opportunity to get (eg. The London Marathon) you involved.

CHANGING LIVES: to be cleared up and sorted out, and some studying because I want to move David Josey is one client who has shown particularly in a new country, when you into web development. For the minute that change is possible. don’t know how things work, you never it’s good to be in employment, have my know what form that will take. Coming in own space and my own money. I will I was almost ready to take flight because keep that going for as long as I need to. I didn’t know where it was going to go Essentially I would like to start my own or how it was going to turn out. But I software company. was fairly confident I had been brought into something nurturing – which it Case Manager, Leon Williams, said: turned out to be. It has been a pleasure to have been able to work with David and aid in How did the Hope Centre help you get his progression to self-sufficiency. where you are now? Through his engagement with the case The Hope Centre was incredibly management team we have been able David moved to England from South important for me nutrition-wise to assist by organising interventions Africa last November where he initially because the food I was given in the to address his needs in a timely and stayed with his brother. After a falling morning meant I didn’t have to beg. efficient manner. At times we have had out between the pair led to David That helped me to keep my head up to align the services of housing providers becoming homeless, he came across a bit, which is an important factor willing to assist with David’s case and the Hope Centre. He hasn’t looked back when it comes to getting yourself back potential employers who were willing since. David now has a job with Orbital into society. The staff gave tonnes of to assist with the proposal of assisting Recruitment, a place to live and is advice and mentorship – these were a homeless person. Through multi- looking forward to a future. probably the most important things. agency discussions we were able to Job interviews were set up for me – this agree with NAASH that we would seek What was it like living on the streets? was an enormous help because I didn’t the employment opportunity that could I slept rough for about two months but know how things worked or where the provide the regular shifts to enable it wasn’t really an issue for me because I places were. All of these would have David the opportunity to earn a wage had done it before when I refused to do been huge obstacles for me but they that would fulfil his rental requirements. military service in South Africa in the 80s. were all cleared away by people who It wasn’t that dire but it could have been understand, so I was extremely grateful. Having built a working relationship if it wasn’t for the Hope Centre. The Hope Centre really did help pull me with staff at Orbital Recruitment we through that. I don’t know how I would were able to liaise with the team in How did you first feel when you came have done it otherwise. regards to David’s motivation to return into the Hope Centre? to work and his willingness to engage I didn’t know what I might be getting What would you like to see in in suitable assignments. Orbital were myself into. Homelessness can often be your future? instrumental in designing a shift pattern seen as a disease of sorts and homeless I really want to establish citizenship and to suit David’s needs and allow him the people are seen as people who need get my feet on the ground. I want to do opportunity to settle into his new home.

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3 fundraising & eventsnew hope Sept 2017

HARVEST 2017: to arrange for donations to be dropped GIVING A GIFT IN YOUR WILL With Harvest time fast approaching, off at our new warehouse in Kings Hope has produced we turn our attention to how grateful Heath. Further details will be a new leaflet we are for the support shown to us announced on our website and social encouraging people by our community schools and churches media channels over the coming to donate to Hope that provide donations for us. As always, months. However, if this is not possible, in their will. If you members of our team are available we are hoping to arrange collection would like to receive if any school would like us to come of the food items once a week during a copy of the leaflet and talk to you about the work we do the harvest period. Please contact the to help you plan as part of your Harvest collections, fundraising team if you would like to your will, please however, this year we would like to deal arrange for us to give a talk or if you contact the with donation collections in a different need to speak to us about fundraising team. way. If possible, we would ask schools collections/delivery.

NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND FIRST FOR WELLBEING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: Thank you to Northampton Community Foundation and First for Wellbeing for recently Here’s what’s coming up over the autumn supporting us with a grant of £10,000 which will help fund two key roles within our Day months. If you can take part in an event to Centre, ensuring that our clients receive the best help and care when they need it. support us, or sponsor someone who is taking part in an event, please do.

RIDE FOR HOPE UPDATE Corporate Golf Day: 14th September at We are delighted that we successfully completed Collingtree Golf Club our 2017 Ride for Hope, with 46 cyclists making the Teams of four will play 18-holes at Collingtree’s journey from Northampton to Ypres. Once again the championship course. The event will include cyclists were able to take in the atmosphere of the an award evening with a two course meal and Menin Gate ceremony on arrival in Ypres. We are raffle/auction. If you would like some more delighted that this year, the total raised from this information about taking part. Or if your event was company can donate a prize for our auction, £38,800. please email us. The cyclists enjoyed an Althorp Literary Festival: 5-8th October at evening of Althorp Estate celebration We have been nominated as Althorp’s official at the Hope charity for this event. We will have a stall at the Centre on event where we will be promoting the work of their return the centre and raising much needed funds (pictured). Abseil the Lift Tower: 7th October at the National Abseil Centre, Northampton Published by: We have six daredevils taking part in this Northampton Hope Centre challenge to abseil the 418ft lift tower, Oasis House, 35-37 Campbell Street, Northampton, NN1 3DS while raising money for the homeless and t.0845 519 9371 [email protected] disadvantaged. If you know of one of our To learn more about the work of the Hope Centre, please go to participants, please sponsor them. www.northamptonhopecentre.org.uk Restaurant Fundraiser: 8th November at May Our Patrons: The Rt Revd Peter Doyle, Bishop of Northampton | Sally Keeble Flower restaurant from 7pm David Laing, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire | David Mackintosh, MP Come along and enjoy a Chinese feast and a Prof Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Northampton raffle for £20 per person. If you would like to buy The Rt Hon Earl Spencer, DL | Kelvin Thomas a ticket, please email us.

Email [email protected] or Would you like to sponsor the next newsletter? [email protected] for more We would like more local companies to support us and offer many ways to do so, information about these events and others you often with tangible business benefits including team building and leadership can take part in. Or have a look on our website development. To find out more please contact: [email protected] www.northamptonhopecentre.org.uk/events for more information.