The Freedom Centre - 'Warm bank' drop-in and advice service for the homeless and vulnerable
2
The Pitch
Problem statement
North Devon is one of the largest and most deprived rural areas in the UK with some of the highest rates of working age poverty in Devon. Thriving tourism results in low wage seasonal employment, and as landlords convert long term tenancies to Airbnb, the availability of rental properties has reduced by 67% creating a local housing crisis and rising homelessness. Homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. Rough sleepers are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence, and 9 times more likely to take their own life. As the cost of living increases, so does the number of people at real risk of poverty and homelessness, and our own costs are rising dramatically
Solution
The Freedom Centre is open Monday to Thursday as a holistic drop-in service where every visitor is met, welcomed and offered a hot drink, a hot meal, a shower, a change of clothes if needed, and a friendly chat with one of our team. We offer ongoing advice and support to rough sleepers and people accommodated yet still vulnerable and struggling with the cost of living, to prevent them from slipping (back) into homelessness. Since 1st January 2022 the Freedom Centre has given: 4,035 meals 317 clothing donations 115 health interventions with our GP or nurse 1121 food parcels 198 foodbank vouchers 262 showers Visitor numbers are increasing daily as winter approaches.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Working in North Devon for nearly fifteen years we have helped countless people find stable and secure homes, work towards brighter futures, beat addiction and decrease their feelings of isolation and hopelessness. As a legacy of Covid-19 the Freedom Centre hosts a multi-agency team representing all services supporting the homeless, all of whom are on site when the centre is open to clients. As well as Freedom staff and volunteers, the team also includes staff from local authority, health, mental health, drug & alcohol services, police and probation. This ensures we provide holistic one-stop support to the vulnerable and no longer have to bounce them round the system from agency to agency.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Food ingredients (offset by supermarket donations) | £517.41 |
| Utilities- Gas based on last bill (before price increases) 90% of overall charge | £85.42 |
| Utilities – electric based on last bill (before price increases) 15% of overall charge | £163.16 |
| Rent inc service charge & VAT (20% of total representing footprint of the day room and kitchen) | £1,164.24 |
| Insurances and safety compliance tests/servicing | £69.77 |
Beneficiaries
546 people
Expected impact
Our service is person-centred and needs-led. By hosting staff from other agencies supporting the homeless and vulnerable in North Devon we can work together to ensure: • Improved health and nutrition for day centre service users • Dedicated, person-centred navigator support for those with multiple and complex needs • Reduced rough sleeping by helping homeless clients access accommodation • Sustained recovery for those with history of addiction, and fewer offenders returning to crime Visitors to the centre are increasing daily as temperatures drop and the impact of food and fuel costs are felt more deeply and we forecast a further 20% increase between now and Christmas. Our own costs for rent, utilities and food are rising. In one month we expect to provide: 493 hot meals 50 hot showers 137 food parcels “My confidence has been boosted. The people at Freedom encouraged me not to give up. Without the help of everyone at the Freedom Centre I don’t know what I would have done”
Track record
As part of our holistic service, service users accessing our Day Centre can also be referred to our: Supported Housing - with 27 beds across 7 properties for people with multiple and complex needs and poor engagement with mainstream services who need help and support to sustain their living accommodation. Last year accommodated 38 people, lower than the 56 in the prior year due to reduced movements taking place during the pandemic. Treatment and Recovery – with 13 residential beds 6-9 month residential programme works with prisons, probation services and drug services. The success rate for addiction treatment is 60-80%. “Freedom didn’t judge, they had a lot to do with helping us not be homeless and get to a point where we were able to do what needed to be done about our situation. They let us know what our options were, listened, gave advice (which we took) and helped put things in a logical order for building our lives back up.” -Client