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Care Shelter Annual Report 2019-2020

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Care Shelter Annual Report 2019-2020 Care Shelter Annual Report 2019-2020 The quotes found throughout the report were said by people staying at the Care Shelter. All images are used with consent. Names in stories are changed to protect guest identities. Bethany Christian Trust Registered Scottish Charity No. SC003783 65 Bonnington Road Edinburgh EH6 5JQ 0131 561 8930 Executive Summary 5 Operational Background 1. Introduction 10 2. Aim 10 3. Operational context 11 4. Church and volunteer overview 15 5. Staffing 18 6. Finance 21 Impact 7. Partnership working 24 8. Accommodation outcomes 29 Statistics 9. Attendance 32 10. Who needs the Care Shelter? 37 Conclusion 51 Luke Luke arrived at the Care Shelter with the world on his shoulders. He had recently lost a very good friend to a drugs overdose and had also split up with his long-term partner. He had no-one else to turn to. He was directed to the Care Shelter where he found himself surrounded by strangers. It took time for Luke to open up to Bethany staff and as he shared his story over a period of weeks, a trusting relationship was established. Luke also connected with the GP who visits the Care Shelter each week. His confidence grew and he began to think about his next step. He connected with the Link Workers at the Care Shelter who were able to support him into accommodation. Luke wrote a message on a Christmas card for staff one night, expressing his gratitude for the Shelter, its staff and the services that it provides. Luke shared that when he arrived at the Care Shelter, he was in a very dark place with thoughts of doing something that he would regret, but the way he was always looked after and spoken to by Bethany staff helped him make a different decision. Luke then reconnected with his ex-partner and found that she had moved away from the area that they use to live in and was making a concerted effort to beat her addiction. Luke moved back in with her and did not return to the Care Shelter again. 4 Executive Summary Executive Summary The 2019-2020 Care Shelter season saw more people supported than ever before in a year impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The season was extended to nearly 10 months and part way through the Care Shelter moved into the Old Waverley Hotel so that guests could have somewhere to “stay home” and isolate in their own rooms with ensuite facilities. Operational context See page 11 The Care Shelter was open every night of the week from 23 September 2019 to 16 July 2020; 42 ½ weeks in total. The Care Shelter had capacity for 60 people until 2 December when it increased to 75 with the return to Diadem. On 16 April the Shelter moved into the Old Waverley Hotel on Princes Street in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) and supported by the Scottish Government. The season was extended by 10 ½ weeks. Nearly 120,000 bed spaces have been provided at the Care Shelter across the 24 winters that it has been open. Five Bethany Banquets again took place in summer 2019, to bridge the gap between the Care Shelter closing in the spring and reopening in the autumn. The roast dinner and live music events saw 25 people attend on average and reached 97 individuals across the summer. Church and volunteer overview See page 15 Over 1,000 volunteers were involved with the catering at the Care Shelter, grouped into 67 catering teams, mostly from churches across Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. We are grateful to Meadowbank and Gorgie Dalry Stenhouse churches, who offered venues for the Care Shelter while it was unable to be at Diadem at the start of the season, due to a delay with a planning application. The volunteers always provide a wonderful service; providing and preparing the meals, bringing along clothing donations and talking with the guests. The changes brought by the Covid pandemic made volunteering much more challenging but volunteers continued to come out to help; donated much needed items and funds; prayed for the service and took on extra roles such as cleaning rooms. St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church kitchen was used for catering while the Shelter was based at the Old Waverley Hotel, due to its proximity and the church’s willingness to help. A massive thank you to all who were involved in the many different ways. Staffing See page 18 The staff team was strengthened with extra members with the move to the Old Waverley Hotel. The team did incredibly well adapting to provide a very different service at the same excellent standard. CEC staff worked at the Old Waverley alongside a Team Leader from Bethany. It was a very successful partnership and a privilege to work with the CEC staff. Two part-time Link Workers joined the staff team this winter, carrying out provisional homeless assessments and providing advice and support to guests. It was a huge benefit for guests to receive this support at the Care Shelter and we are grateful to CEC for funding and facilitating these roles. Finance See page 21 The total expenditure for the 2019/2020 season was £475,928 and the total restricted income was £453,502 showing a difference of -£22,426. Partnership working See page 24 Across the season, 23 different partners visited the Care Shelter, some regularly and some as one-off visits. Advice, support and signposting were provided around medical care, housing options, employment and homelessness. This partnership working has been an important feature of the Care Shelter for a number of years and it was great to see more recognition of the value of working this way during the pandemic. It is hoped to further build on this again next season. 6 Feedback and qualitative updates “I had the most peaceful night’s sleep in years here. You guys are great!” More comments passed on to staff across the course of the season can be found throughout the report, as well as the following case studies: Luke, page 4 Brian, page 20 Davy, page 30 Harry, page 36 Shauna, page 43 Paul, page 50 Accommodation outcomes See page 29 Move-on outcomes were recorded for guests who stayed at the hotel. There were 598 stays from 486 guests. Of those for whom an outcome is known, 71% moved into new accommodation, 11% returned to friends or family and 12% were supported to return to existing accommodation. Attendance See page 32 Attendance at the Care Shelter is analysed in section 9 in terms of the number of nightly presentations and additionally the number of unique individuals who stayed. An average of 50 people attended each night which resulted in 14,786 bed spaces being needed. 1,112 individuals accessed the Care Shelter during the 2019-2020 season. The average length of stay at the Care Shelter was 13.3 nights. 26% of people stayed only one night at the Care Shelter across the season, and 64% stayed for seven nights or less. Only 2% of the total number of attendees across the last three seasons stayed at the Care Shelter in all three seasons. 78% of individuals who stayed this season had not attended the Care Shelter in the preceding two seasons. Who needs the Care Shelter? See page 37 Gender: 21% female, 79% male. There was an increase in the percentage of women staying, gradually rising from only 16% in 2016-2017. Age: The mean age was 38 with the youngest being 16 and the oldest 79. Nationalities: 62% British, 32% rest of Europe, 6% rest of the world. Reason for homelessness: Relationship breakdown was again the main reason identified for homelessness. Eviction, mental ill-health and not having a local connection were the next most common reasons. Length of time homeless: 40% of those using the service had been homeless for less than a week when they first presented. Most recent accommodation: 34% of people reported sleeping rough the previous night and 27% had stayed with friends or family. Guests’ only alternative to Care Shelter that night: 96% said their only other option was sleeping out. Length of time in Edinburgh: 42% of guests had been in Edinburgh for more than five years, 27% had been in the city less than a week. Homeless presentations to the council: 49% had presented to the council but 38% said there was no suitable accommodation available for them that night. 48% of people attending the Care Shelter for the first time had not yet presented to the council as homeless. No recourse to public funds (NRPF): 60% of non-UK nationals that answered the question said they did not have recourse to public funds. This is a complex issue and a term that many people do not understand. 7 Statistics from the hotel See pages 35-49 An average of 52 people attended the hotel each night, 486 different individuals stayed in the three months the Care Shelter was based there. 16% of people stayed only one night at the hotel and 62% stayed for seven nights or less. Gender: 22% female, 78% male. Age: The mean age was 36 with the youngest being 16 and the oldest 64. Nationalities: 75% British, 19% rest of Europe, 6% rest of the world. Reason for homelessness: Relationship breakdown was the main reason identified for homelessness. Length of time homeless: 42% of guests at the hotel had been homeless for less than a week when they first presented. Most recent accommodation: 32% of people had stayed with friends or family and 24% slept rough the previous night.
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