1. Eslington House Sports Academy
The Cyrenians
September 2013
We support people in need by helping them make sustainable, positive change in their lives

2. The Cyrenians: Who We Are
Regional charity delivering services in the areas of:
Accommodation / Day Centre & Outreach
Addictions and Recovery / Offending
Employment and Training
In 2013 we worked with an average of 1,361 clients:
86,996 beds per annum
792 people with addictions support
277 people with support to stay in their own homes
168 people with employment and skills training
Turnover of £9m in 2013 employing 248 staff, of which 1 in 3 are ex-clients
A regional charity with a national voice – helping people change lives and build futures
Hello Welcome – RB AD Policy at TC – Doubleheader with JD
40 years old – evolved from volunteer run night shelter in Newcastle to a pan-regional provider of services to vulnerable adult across the North East and into York city.
Our vision is to be an outstanding organisation which integrates socially excluded people back into society and improves their lives.
Core service – homelessness support and emergency for single homeless men and women accommodation provision
Help people in crisis situations – homelessness, loss of income, at risk of violence or exploitation – support people to stablise i.e. addictions services Oaktrees and offending programmes i.e. WOW – Progression – Recovery centre and employment and training with Corporate Partnerships inc PWC and Carillon
We operate a balanced funding mix, generating receipts from rent and service users charges, Supported People funds, grants and our operating subsidiaries
30% of our service users are women and 19% are young people aged 25 and under
Over 100 volunteers delivering 18,037 hours of volunteer time
Social enterprises – T/O £0.5m of unrestricted income for the charity through Shop, Fareshare, and TCUK PS
HomeLife – Empty Homes initiative – 5 homes (Round 1) refurbed and let on long leases to clients eligible for social housing in the borough.

3. Who’s Homeless?

4. Eslington House - Overview
Eslington House provides temporary accommodation and support for single homeless young people between the ages of 16 and 25. It provides a safe, secure and supportive living environment that is staffed 24 hours a day
We have 6 under 18 placements
Applicants are from leaving care, foster care, non payments of benefits, and referral due to homelessness
The project helps residents to gain life skills, access training and education opportunities, and to provide support to live independently

5. The Referral Process
STEP 1: Applicants represent themselves at the homeless Section at Gateshead Council STEP 2: Referrals are made via the portal system, through Gateshead Council STEP 3: Eslington receives their application form and the client is then contacted for an informal interview. Occasionally referrals are received directly from the police or other statutory agencies STEP 4: Clients become residents, signing a Licence Agreement and living in shared occupancy accommodation

6. Values and Ethos
To make sure that everyone can live happily and safely together, there are rights and responsibilities which everyone must follow. These rights and responsibilities are explained at induction and residents are asked for their input on what rights and responsibilities they think should be in place.
We help residents to:
To achieve their goals
To receive support with their problems and to work with them to find solutions
To advise and represent them, if and when they need us
We will always protect clients from abuse, discrimination and harassment

7. Values and Ethos cont.
We work in partnership with Redhaugh Boys Club and Gateshead Council in a sport-led environment
We work closely with outside agencies such as the Job Centre. They aim to bridge the gap between the Job Centre and residents.
‘Someone Cares’ also provide a counselling session in the project weekly.
Dryden Centre provides training opportunities
Since January 2013 we have had 127 referrals, 27 admissions, and 16 positive move ons
10 residents have lost their tenancy
2 have gained full time employment through The Cyrenians’ Employability Team

8. Issues and Improvements
Conclusion – Positive move-on’s are key; we know what the challenges are (welfare reform, bedroom tax) but we also understand the importance of partnerships and leveraging additional resources
Issues – In the short-term we expect to see:
More people being made homeless
The potential ‘silting-up’ of hostels as lack of 1 bed accommodation makes it hard for single homeless clients to move on
More clients presenting with multiple needs – homelessness and addictions, for example
Improvements
Specialist advice suitable for homelessness professionals
Tailored benefits and welfare information for professionals in associated areas i.e. addictions work

9. Rhiannon Bearne Group Assistant Director
For further information please contact:
Kim Andrews
Project Manager
Rhiannon Bearne Group Assistant Director t:
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