Bristol Homeless Forum
Road Map - Services

Introduction

This is part of the BCAN Road Map of services for homeless people. The main pages are:

Contents

1.   Accommodation

1a.   Preventing Homelessness

The Hub

• Aim to prevent homelessness through comprehensive housing advice by (who?)
• Telephone: 0117 914 1188
• Email: the.hub
• They provide advice and support for single people and childless couples

Assertive Outreach

• Address: 1 Jamaica Street, Bristol, BS2 8JP (The Compass Centre)
• Telephone: 0117 944 0581
• Refer people to hostels and the Night Centre
• Undertake outreach work in central Bristol most days (Monday to Friday?)

Homeless to Home

• Run by Shelter
• Referral only from specific agencies - phone 0844 515 1430 for list of referral agencies
• Open Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Practical resettlement support and advice for homeless and unsettled families, single parents and pregnant women who are moving into permanent accommodation via the local authority
• Support includes a removal service, DIY skills and referrals to other agencies, including access to child care
• For more details, see the Shelter 'Homeless to Home' Project web site

CHAS (Bristol) Housing Advice Service

• Run by CHAS (Bristol)
• Telephone 0117 922 5931 for appointments and advice on housing related problems
• Meetings by appointment only:
• St Pauls Advice Centre, Wednesday 2:15 - 4:15 pm
• Avon and Bristol Law Centre, Thursday 2:00 - 4:00 pm
• For more details, see the CHAS (Bristol) Housing Advice Centre web site

Family homelessness service

• Telephone: 0117 353 4007
• Email: family.homelessness
• They provide advice and support for couples with at least one child, or couples expecting a child

1b.   Emergency

Caring at Christmas Bristol Nightstop

• Emergency accommodation for men and women 16-25 on a night by night basis in private homes provided by volunteer hosts.
• Own room, food, washing facilities and breakfast.
• Referral from The Hub, Connexions, Priority Youth Housing (but it looks like PYH won't be referring directly in the future - refer via Bristol Housing Support Register from May 2009) or Wayahead.

Julian Trust Nightshelter

• The only direct access accommodation in Bristol
• Open 9:30 pm 5 nights a week (not Thursday or Sunday), doors close before 11 pm
• Men & women 18+
• Free food for everyone, but accommodation for only 15 people, first come first served
• Toiletries and showers for people staying overnight

Night Centre

• Not direct access: everyone must have a risk-assessment completed before they are referred
• Normally, Outreach will do the risk-assessment and referral
• In an emergency, Streetwise or One25 can assess and refer
• Open every night, but closed two nights a month

Emergency Duty Team

• If someone is extremely vulnerable, the Emergency Duty Team can place them for one night 01454 615 165)

1c.   Short Term

Bed and Breakfast is sometimes a possibility.

1d.   Planned

There are various hostels in Bristol, access is through the Assertive Outreach team.

Emmaus Bristol offer a long term home within a community. Companions (the members of the community) come off benefits and work for the community in recycling goods and furniture. For further information, see Emmaus Bristol.

Missing Link provide mental health support and housing services for women. For further information, see Missing Link Housing.

2.   Food

2a.   Indoors

Food is provided indoors by the Drop-In centres.

2b.   Outdoors

Bristol Soup Run Trust

• Operate every day of the year
• Provide soup sandwiches, coffee, biscuits, toiletries and blankets.
• Provide information on services available for homeless people.
• Meet 9:15 pm for food at Pip'n'Jay Church
• Meet 9:40 pm for food at Redcliffe Wharf
• Also meet 10:15 pm - 10:45 pm individual people contacted in the centre

Sisters of the Church

• Small food parcels and hot and cold drinks
• For men and women aged 16+
• Drop in most Sundays 2:15 - 4:00 pm
• Not open the end of July and all of August, the Sunday after Easter and the Sunday after Christmas
• Check notice board at house for other closing times

St Nicholas of Tolentino do food parcels.

3.   Other Services

3a.   Drop-In

Bristol Methodist Centre

• Free meals Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 12:30 - 1:30 pm; Sunday: 3:00 - 4:45 pm
• Shower and laundry facilities

Candle Community Centre.

Novas New Street Day Centre.

Wild Goose Coffee Shop

• Operated by Crisis Centre Ministries
• Provides food and a drop-in for vulnerable people
• Free meals Monday to Friday: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and 8:00 - 10:00 pm
• Home Church: Saturday, 7:00 - 8:30 pm

3b.   Drugs

BDP. Some drug-related health advice is provided by Bristol Drugs Project.

Logos House

• Operated by the Salvation Army
• You can access through Outreach or apply direct - go to the Reception Desk and ask for an application form
• On acceptance, you normally go into Preparation
• After reducing and stabilising you go into Detox
• Detox lasts 10-12 days
• After Detox you go into Primary Rehabilitation (about 4 months)

Nilaari. The Nilaari Agency is a community based drug treatment provider that administers accessible high quality culturally appropriate services to the BME communities.

Recovery Dynamics. Primary focus is on recovery from alcohol addiction.

• Operated by Serenity House
• An in-depth study of the twelve-step recovery programme
• Best undertaken in parallel with attendance at a twelve-step meeting
• Runs as a 4 week or 26 day programme
• Runs Monday-Friday in the Conference Room, Alma Church (Bethesda), on the corner of St Johns Road and Alma Road (near Whiteladies Road)
• Non-negotiable £60 enrolment fee, payable in advance
• Participants must be a minimum of 14 days without drink and/or other drugs

3c.   Physical Health

GP. You are likely to get the best care if you register with a GP. Phone Avon Health Authority on 0117 900 2400 for details.

Homeless Health Service. This is based at the Compass Centre.

Hospital. The BRI has an Accident and Emergency unit.

The Harbour provide a free and professional counselling and psychotherapy service for people affected by a physical life-threatening illness. For further information, see The Harbour.

3d.   Mental Health

Bristol Mental Health Network. Meet on a regular basis, usually at the Vassall Centre. For more details, contact Katharine Gonzales on 0117 958 9345 or email events at the Care Forum.

Missing Link provide mental health support and housing services for women. For further information, see Missing Link Housing.

Network Counselling provide a counselling service, but there is a small charge and usually a wait.

The Harbour provide a free and professional counselling and psychotherapy service for people affected by a physical life-threatening illness. For further information, see The Harbour.

3e.   Domestic Abuse

There is a Domestic Abuse Forum for people engaged with this issue.

Next Link (part of Missing Link) provide domestic abuse services for women and children. There is a confidential telephone helpline: 0845 458 2914.

3f.   Training

Clean Slate

• Provide contract work as a step forward from selling the Big Issue

The LITE Course, run by Crisis Centre Ministries

• Life skills training
• 16 week course, broken into 4 modules
• Runs on Monday and Thursday afternoons, 1:30 - 4:00 pm
• Contact Andy Luxford for details

3g.   Recreation

Most recreation options are listed in the TREE Directory (see below). There is also:

Swim4Free:

• Available for anyone aged under 17 or over 59
• Runs in Council Pools from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2011
• As the name suggests, you can swim for free in the public sessions
• But you need to get a card first
• The card is free, but you need to apply for one and provide suitable ID
• More details on the council web site

3h.   Meaningful Occupation

There is a TREE (Def) worker employed by Alabaré based at the Compass Centre.

The council publish a TREE Directory every few years. The latest one was published in December 2008. To find it, go to the 'Related Documents' section of the Homelessness and prevention page on the council web site.

3i.   Work

The Meaningful Occupation Group are seeking to understand how TREE activities affect benefits. It seems that short courses cause few problems as long as they do not clash with signing on. See the BAOH information below.

Aspire:

• Employ homeless and ex-homeless people
• Opportunities in gardening, painting and decorating, window cleaning and telemarketing.

The Big Issue

• Earn a legitimate income through selling a weekly publication
• You have to be homeless or vulnerably housed
• Training provided
• Need a card - price?
• Buy the magazines at ? Each and sell them at the cover price of £1.25

Business Action on Homelessness

• Three or four times a year BAOH run a two day 'Ready to Go' training programme
• This is followed by a two week 'Ready for Work' work placement with mentoring
• This is followed by assistance with job hunting
• 'Ready for Work' does not replace jobseekers activity, but clients can use 'Ready for Work' activies in the job search book. The situation with Incapacity Benefit and Income Support is less clear.

Clean Slate

• Run a pre-employment 10 point training program
• 3 months, 1 day per week
• For more information phone 07957 141 085 or email

3j.   Charity Shops

Charity shops provide a cheap way of buying clothes and household goods.

They are also a good route into meaningful occupation and work: you can volunteer in a charity shop and work your way up to employment far more easily than in most businesses.