NEWSLETTER DEC 2014 - MAY 2015
NEW HOPE IS 25 ON 23RD MARCH 2015 WE CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF NEW HOPE. AS SOME OF YOU WILL REMEMBER, THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF NEW HOPE WAS BACK ON 23RD MARCH 1990 AT ‘THE COACHES’ — TWO OLD COACHES WHICH HAD BEEN CONVERTED INTO SOUP KITCHENS.
Situated on the site of an old banana factory on Whippendell Road (now the home of the Haven Support Centre), the coaches had a counter, a hob and some benches. Teams of volunteers served soup, hot drinks and sandwiches to those in need. Then, as now, there was a strong emphasis on offering friendship and a listening ear alongside practical support.
Fast forward 25 years, and we have grown into one of the largest providers of homelessness services in the Home Counties, housing up to 60 people every night and supporting over 600 people every year. We now offer a range of accommodation services, the purpose-built Haven Support Centre has long replaced ‘the coaches’ and the development services of HopeWorks and the Community Market Garden help people break free from the cycle of homelessness. Although we have grown, our heart has not changed. We are still very much a local charity dependent on the community for
APPEAL
IMPACT
HARVEST
Our Transition Service funding ends soon. Read more to find out how you can help
Three service users share their stories and how they overcame homelessness with the help of New Hope
We’ve had another bumper Harvest at New Hope. Read about it inside
volunteers and financial support. Prayer remains at the centre of all our activities and we continue to believe that no matter how bleak someone’s situation, there is always hope. Since 23rd March 1990, thousands of homeless men and women have been given hot meals, a safe place to stay, and support to help them get back on their feet again. Yet, the need for New Hope remains. Sadly, rough sleeping is on the increase, particularly in the southeast. There is a lack of social housing in both Watford and Three Rivers; in Watford almost 5,000 households are on the waiting list. Of our service users 50% suffer from alcohol misuse, 66% experience mental health difficulties and 23% have suffered from relational abuse. There is still much to be done and we need your help to do it. Without the support of people like you, we would not be here, today. Thank you for being part of our history, and let’s continue to work together to ensure people suffering homelessness have a hope and a future.
TO CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF NEW HOPE, WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO ‘DO SOMETHING NEW’ TO SUPPORT OUR WORK. MAYBE YOU HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT VOLUNTEERING, SETTING UP A MONTHLY STANDING ORDER OR TAKING PART IN A FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR NEW HOPE BUT HAVE NEVER GOT ROUND TO IT. WELL, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO SOMETHING NEW! PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH US ON 01923 210 680 OR EMAIL GETINVOLVED@NEWHOPE.ORG.UK. 2
WE NEED YOUR HELP CAN YOU FUND A BED FOR A NIGHT?
WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP. OUR TRANSITION SERVICE, WHICH OFFERS SIX CRISIS BEDS TO THOSE FACING HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME, RUNS OUT OF FUNDING IN MAY 2015. IF WE DO NOT FIND FUNDING BY THEN, WE MAY BE FORCED TO CLOSE THIS VITAL SERVICE.
We were able to launch our Transition Service in 2012, thanks to funding from the Homelessness Transition Fund. Transition prioritises people who have not experienced homelessness before and offers emergency accommodation and support in finding more permanent accommodation. Each individual is assigned a key-worker to help them overcome the difficulties that led them to become homeless and refer them to other services where appropriate. Since its launch in 2012, the Transition Service has supported 166 people a year, on average. If the service hadn’t been there, these people may have ended up on the streets, where the
experience of being homeless may have caused them to develop further problems such as addiction and mental and physical health problems. It costs £19.18 to fund one of our six transition beds for a night. Please consider donating £19.18, or whatever you can afford, to help us keep this service open and continue to support people who are facing homelessness for the first time. If you would like to help, please visit our website and click on the 'Donate now' button to give a donation online via Virgin Money Giving. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
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WATFORD AND ITS NEIGHBOURING BOROUGHS HOST A MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE OF A WIDE VARIETY OF FAITHS LIVE AND WORK. WE MAY HOLD DIFFERENT BELIEFS BUT WE CAN STILL WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS A COMMON PURPOSE.
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Over the years, New Hope has been blessed with the support of various faith groups. Below are a few examples: • Wellspring Church is a ‘Friend’ of New Hope and regularly supports us financially.
• Kingswood Baptist have given Harvest donations to us every year since 2010.
• A group of Muslim women cooked for our service users during Ramadan.
• The Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara, which is on Kings Close in Watford, regularly cook delicious curries for the Haven.
• Christ Church Chorleywood raised £971.25 at our Summer Sleepout. • As part of Mitzvah Day, Radlett Reform Synagogue made sandwiches, cupcakes, cooked meals for us and donated other items (underwear, socks, sleeping bags, etc.) to the Haven and Mosaic Synagogue collected food outside Morrisons for us.
• Hillside Community Church in Northwood has paid for the cost of milk at the Haven for the last few years. • A group met at Bhaktivedanta Manor to cook meals for our accommodation services as part of Sewa Day.
New Hope is so grateful for the support of all these faith groups and the many more which support us in a variety of ways. We rely on the support of our local community, so if your faith group may be able to help us, please get in touch with our Fundraising and Communications team by calling 01923 227 132. 5
BRINGING HOPE AT HARVEST EACH YEAR WE RUN OUR HARVEST APPEAL THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. DURING THESE TWO MONTHS LOCAL SCHOOLS, PLACES OF WORSHIP, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND COMPANIES ARE ASTOUNDINGLY GENEROUS IN THEIR GIVING OF NONPERISHABLE FOOD AND TOILETRIES.
Throughout Harvest we rely heavily on volunteer drivers to collect donations from as far as Berkhamsted and drive them to HopeDepot. Here a team of service users and ex-service users sort the items, aided by teams from companies, churches and community groups. Over recent years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our local community. This has meant we in turn have been able to support other charities in the local area who also give food and toiletries to those in need. These charities include Watford Foodbank, Watford and Three Rivers Refugee Project, Herts Young Homeless, Grow, FEED, Watford Women’s Centre and Alternatives. Harvest is also a great opportunity to update supporters on our work and this year we spoke to over 40 schools 6
and churches. In addition, our Harvest Samba video continued to be a big success. It has been used across the world in schools during the Harvest period and has had over 140,000 hits on YouTube. For a small team of fundraisers (and their smaller relatives) dressed as fruit and vegetables, that isn’t half bad! During Harvest 2013 we received over £50,000 worth of donations and at the time of print we are well on the way to achieving this again! This enables us to cut our food bill by the same amount, so we can spend more money on providing services to meet the diverse needs of people who are homeless. Therefore, a huge THANK YOU is in order to all those who have donated, volunteered, sorted, driven and given talks.
HEADLINES OF HOPE
THERE IS A LOT OF NEGATIVE NEWS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AT THE MOMENT – STORIES OF THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS, OF ANTI-HOMELESSNESS ‘SPIKES’ AND ‘CAGES’ TO STOP PEOPLE SLEEPING IN CERTAIN PLACES, AND A LACK OF FUNDING OR PROVISION.
supported through all of our accommodation services
Positive move-on rate for those helped by our outreach team
individuals gained employment
However, at New Hope, we know it’s not all ‘doom and gloom’ – people are accessing the support they need and we are seeing lives transformed – so we decided to bring you, our supporters, ‘headlines of hope’ through this year’s Annual Summary. Our Annual Summary covers the previous financial year – from 1st April 2013 until 31st March 2014 – and includes a few examples of the ‘headlines of hope’ we’ve seen at New Hope. For example: we housed 281 people; 71% of people who accessed Outreach moved on from the service in a positive way and eight people were supported in gaining employment through our brand new HopeWorks scheme.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A COPY OF THE ANNUAL SUMMARY, PLEASE CONTACT THE FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ON 01923 227 132 OR GO TO WWW.NEWHOPE.ORG.UK/PUBLICATIONS. 8
23 MAY
GARDEN OPEN DAY
COMMUNITY MARKET GARDEN
SAT 23RD MAY 2015, 10.30AM - 3PM
CELEBRATING FRUITFUL LABOUR THE COMMUNITY MARKET GARDEN OPENED ITS GATES ON SATURDAY 4TH OCTOBER FOR ITS SECOND AUTUMN OPEN DAY. OUR VISITORS ENJOYED A FAMILY-FRIENDLY DAY-OUT IN THE GARDEN’S BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS WITH POETRY READINGS, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, STORYTELLING, ARTS AND CRAFTS AND MUCH MORE.
‘It’s so good to see service users, staff and volunteers working alongside each other to help make the day a success. We work hard all year round in the garden and we love to show people the fruits of our labours. ‘The rain brought a lot of people together in the workshop giving the day a real sense of community. It was fantastic to see so many children from Central Primary School, Watford, who came to sing
for us and then stayed to listen to the amazing storyteller, Louise Bland, who inspired us to be grateful rather than greedy. ‘Thank you to everyone who came – we raised £300 (through donations in exchange for plants, refreshments and garden crafts) for the work of New Hope.’ IAN BOND, COMMUNITY MARKET GARDEN SUPERVISOR
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AMELIA’S STORY I found myself homeless after a family breakdown, two weeks after my eighteenth birthday. I arrived at the Sanctuary Night Shelter and was offered a bed. I was scared and didn’t know what to expect. After spending a month at the Night Shelter, I was re-housed into another hostel in Watford, where I stayed for two years. When my license there expired, I was forced to find myself alternative accommodation. I was overjoyed to be offered a place in New Hope House. I was welcomed back by staff and service users and immediately felt relaxed and at home. My future looks bright. I’m currently studying art and design at college and hope to do a photography course next year. I’m also looking to move into my own place next year. None of this would have been possible without the support and guidance of the staff at New Hope.
PHILIP’S STORY After spending time in prison I found myself homeless. It was very easy to fall into society’s stereotypical ‘ex-con’, which left me feeling marginalised and helpless. Thankfully I was given a bed at the Night Shelter which, with support from the staff, allowed me to address my drug abuse and increase my self-esteem. After my stay at the Night Shelter, I then moved into New Hope House. The structure of life at New Hope House and the care of the staff team have given me the belief that I can get my life back on track. I now have focus for my future.
QUINN’S STORY After becoming homeless and unemployed two years ago, I turned to New Hope for help. With total understanding for my situation, they immediately reassured me and set about helping me get my life back on track. Whether it was assisting with residency issues, or providing accommodation and being there to talk to, they’ve been superb. I seamlessly progressed through each stage of New Hope’s housing options with help and support from members of staff, especially my key-worker. Now living in Alpha Court, I am back in full-time employment and will soon be moving into privately rented accommodation. I can’t thank New Hope enough for their support. 10
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NEW HOPE UNDER CANVAS EACH YEAR OUR COMMUNITY HOME RESIDENTS GO ON HOLIDAY TO CORNWALL ACCOMPANIED BY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. THIS IS VALUABLE FOR THEM IN THEIR RECOVERY FROM ALCOHOL ADDICTION AND WE OFTEN SEE REAL BREAKTHROUGHS DURING THE HOLIDAY.
Last summer, Annette Davis, project worker at New Hope House, had the brilliant idea to take the New Hope House residents on a three-day camping weekend so they too can benefit from time away. Annette approached The Outdoor Group at Soul Survivor, who enable low-income families in the church’s congregation to go camping. Tony Joyce, who runs the Outdoor Group, wanted to extend their services to the wider community and was glad of the opportunity to do so for
the first time. They provided New Hope House with the equipment they needed, and Tony and his wife volunteered over the entire weekend to help staff the holiday. Tony suggested Annette contact the Faith Works Trust, which runs a Christian retreat in Berkhamsted. They have a heart for people from disadvantaged backgrounds and when they heard what we wanted to use the retreat for they decided to let out the site to New Hope House for free!
The holiday was hugely beneficial for the residents, particularly one who was suffering a recent bereavement at the time. During the weekend the residents grew closer together and new friendships were formed, all of which is vital for recovery from homelessness. One resident said: ‘Thanks for opening my eyes again. It’s been a great weekend – thank you so much.’
to them! As well as The Outdoor Group and Faith Works Trust, we would also like to thank YMCA West & Central Herts for lending us their mini-bus free of charge and Costco for donating all the food needed for the weekend. This is in addition to Costco’s on-going support through giving food on an almost daily basis, enabling us to significantly cut our food bill.
The trip was only possible through the generosity of local organisations and was completely cost free for us, thanks
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THIS HOLIDAY POSSIBLE.
IN GOOD COMPANY
IT IS BECOMING MORE COMMON FOR COMPANIES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES TO GET INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY LIVE AND WORK IN ORDER TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK. SOME COMPANIES EVEN GIVE THEIR EMPLOYEES A SET AMOUNT OF DEDICATED VOLUNTEERING DAYS A YEAR.
New Hope offers companies like these the chance to work with us for a day at the Community Market Garden, HopeDepot, or in a bespoke volunteering project, such as redecorating one of our services. Whether it is planting vegetables, painting walls or sorting through food donations, corporate volunteering can provide much-
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needed help to us as well as giving the volunteers a great ‘team’ day out of the office where new skills can be learnt and relationships can be built on. Over the past year, New Hope has had the privilege of working with some outstanding local and national companies including, Cadbury, Elavon, Hilton Worldwide, Lloyds, Watford Benefits Centre, Kodak and many more.
THOUGHT FOR THE SEASON JIM WALLIS, AN AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITER AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST, TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HE AND HIS COLLEGE FRIENDS TOOK A BIBLE AND CUT OUT, WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS, ALL THE REFERENCES TO POVERTY AND INJUSTICE. HE SAYS THAT WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED, THEY WERE LEFT WITH ‘A BIBLE FULL OF HOLES INSTEAD OF A HOLY BIBLE.’
As Jim Wallis and his friends demonstrated, God’s heart for the poor and vulnerable runs throughout the Bible. One of the most well-known passages holds a particular significance to New Hope. The following verses from the prophet Isaiah directly inspired our co-founders, Janet Hosier and Sheila Meaning, to reach out to people who are homeless locally more than 25 years ago.
‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see
the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.’ ISAIAH 58: 6-8
To discover how Janet and Sheila were inspired by these verses, please read Entertaining Angels: The Story of New Hope. It’s being reprinted by local publishers, Instant Apostle, and will be officially relaunched on Saturday 25th April 2015 at the Storehouse, Watford. 15
EACH YEAR, OVER 200 PEOPLE GIVE UP THEIR TIME TO VOLUNTEER FOR NEW HOPE.
You can get involved in a variety of ways – we particularly need drivers to collect food from Costco each morning, van drivers to pick up heavy and bulky items, people to serve in our Chorleywood and Croxley Green charity shops as well as green-fingered and creative people to help in the Community Market Garden – and if you can train people in bricklaying, we especially want to hear from you! Please give us a call on 01923 210 680 or email getinvolved@newhope.org.uk.
‘I started volunteering because I wanted to give back to society and do something worthwhile with my free time. I serve breakfast and lunch to the service users at the Haven Support Centre and I love seeing their appreciation and gratitude, particularly when plates come back empty!’ SARAH, KITCHEN VOLUNTEER, HAVEN SUPPORT CENTRE
‘My role is picking up food donations from schools and churches, usually once or twice a week, and taking them to HopeDepot for sorting. I feel privileged to be able to make even a small contribution to such a fantastic organisation. The staff could not be more appreciative but really I should be thanking New Hope for giving me the opportunity to serve. Plus it’s great fun driving a van around!’ DAVID, VOLUNTEER DRIVER, HARVEST
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‘I chose to become a volunteer because helping others is very close to my heart. I volunteer in the shop on New Road in Croxley Green three times a week helping to sort donations, price and tag items, and make tea and coffee. I love working with the staff and volunteers in such a lovely, friendly environment.’ SHEETAL, VOLUNTEER, CROXLEY GREEN SHOP
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IN 2015, WE WILL BE HOLDING SEVERAL FUNDRAISING EVENTS FOR YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH. ONE OF THESE WILL BE OUR SUMMER SLEEPOUT, WHICH ENABLES YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN OUR WORK AND EXPERIENCE A TASTE OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE HOMELESS.
We asked Christopher Gardner, a 12 year old youth member at Christ Church Chorleywood, to write about his experience of the last Summer Sleepout: ‘There were lots of inspiring talks. We also had a competition for the best shelter. It was quite hard to sleep. I think I got to sleep at roughly 3am. In the morning everyone packed up and left, all red-eyed and groggy. I was happy once we got home and could only imagine what it would be like to be a real homeless person. I had it easy relative to the hardships some homeless people endure yet I still found it hard. I wasn’t in the city with noisy traffic or in the underground with trains every ten minutes or outside getting soaked. Even setting that aside, there's the factor that it's very demoralising to have to beg for money as some people do. It must be tough when people walk past and look at you with disgust or even worse, ignore you.
‘I used to just give people who are homeless a pound on the street. Now I realise that I do not have the time to properly help them. Your money could go a lot further if you give it to a charity like New Hope’. On 6th February 2015, we will be holding the Watford Sleepout in partnership with YMCA West & Central Herts. If you, like Christopher, would like to raise money for us while experiencing a taste of what it's like to be homeless, please visit www.watfordsleepout.org.uk for more information and to download the registration pack. As well as getting involved in our events, you could also hold your own fundraising event. You might even win our Fundraiser of the Month award!
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY JAN
6
FEB
NEW HOPE: PRAYER25
YOUR CHURCH OR CHRISTIAN GROUP JANUARY 2015
WATFORD SLEEPOUT
ST MARY’S CHURCH, WATFORD FRI 6TH FEB, 9PM - 7AM
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25TH BIRTHDAY SERVICE
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‘ENTERTAINING ANGELS’ RELAUNCH STOREHOUSE, WATFORD SAT 25TH APRIL
23 MAY
GARDEN OPEN DAY
MARCH
APRIL
ST MARY’S CHURCH, WATFORD MON 23RD MARCH, 7.30PM - 9.30PM
COMMUNITY MARKET GARDEN SAT 23RD MAY, 10.30AM - 3PM
30 APRIL 23 MAY
NEW HOPE EXHIBITION WATFORD MUSEUM 30TH APRIL - 23RD MAY
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SUMMER SLEEPOUT
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GARDEN OPEN DAY
4
WINTER SLEEPOUT
JULY
SEPT
DEC
SOUL SURVIVOR WATFORD CHURCH FRI 3RD JULY, 9PM - 7AM COMMUNITY MARKET GARDEN SAT 26TH SEPT, 10.30AM - 3PM ST ALBANS ABBEY FRI 4TH DEC, 9PM - 7AM
PLUS MORE, SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!
MORE INFORMATION ON THESE EVENTS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AT
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