2023-24
Foreword from Roger Phillips Chair of SKylight Board
Welcome to SKylight’s fifth annual report. SKylight continues to work with some of the most vulnerable households within the community, delivering a range of initiatives to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, address food and furniture poverty and work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and communities to achieve positive outcomes. Despite the continuing challenges faced by many charitable organisations, SKylight has continued to achieve successes through many of its projects with customers supported to reach positive outcomes and make progress within their lives. This is clearly demonstrated in this report but is particularly evident within the case studies.
SKylight continues to strive to do more, and I am delighted to see successful bids and applications being made which create additional services and resources for the people of Stockport. This year this includes securing additional funding from the DWP, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the Big Lottery. Many of these successes result from building relationships with a range of partners across the housing and third sectors and working together to explore opportunities as a partnership. I look forward to seeing how these services develop in the coming year.
SKylight continues to deliver its first Business Plan which provides an ambitious framework to develop and grow over the coming years, delivering a range of services and outcomes which will benefit some of the most disadvantaged households in Stockport and Greater Manchester.
This will be my final report as my term as Chair comes to an end. It has been a privilege to support SKylight from a newly created start-up to the established organisation it is today. I am confident that the new Chair and SKylight Board Members will continue to support officers to develop and deliver further. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our SKylight colleagues and Board Members for their continued enthusiasm, commitment and positivity.
Roger Phillips
Our Board
Priti Butler
David Nicholson
Kathryn Hanna Tessa Wiley
Chair of SKylight Board
Roger Phillips
Marie Gilluley
Welcome to
We are a Charitable Community Benefit Society established in 2018. SKylight has four broad key aims stated in its governing document and activity is structured and prioritised to deliver against these aims.
Our Aims
• Supporting people into employment, relieving poverty, relieving food poverty and developing digital skills.
• Supporting customers in local communities and delivering support services to help people live independently.
• Empowering communities to develop networks of support, including targeted work with people who may experience disadvantage such as people with disabilities, from BAME communities and those with complex needs.
• Working in partnership to reduce demand on statutory services; and supporting the development of the third sector, ensuring additional resources and services are secured.
Employment Support
Key achievements include:
• 799 referrals were received and 209 customers moved into employment.
• Delivery of the Steps to Work Programme supporting young people identified as Special Education Needs and Disabilities, Care Leavers and Not in Education, Employment, or Training into employment. Of the 90 young people engaged in the programme since it began, 55 have progressed into employment, training & education, volunteering, and work placements. With 13 local employers benefitting from the Steps to Work grant payments.
• The interactive job booklet has 484 customers and partners subscribed. This produced 7,758 visits to the SKylight website in 2023/24 which generated 313 online employment referrals.
• SKylight has worked with partners to secure the contract to deliver the government funded Support to Succeed employment programme across GM. Two dedicated Key Workers joined the SKylight team to support customers in Stockport who are economically inactive.
Key achievements include:
842 people have been supported to search for employment
310 CV’s have been created
271 customers attended an interview
114 customers attended Pathways to Employment Job Club in Brinnington
21 customers completed 8-week work placements at Stockport Homes Group
940 Accredited and NonAccredited training sessions delivered with 1,116 attendances
Motiv8
The original Motiv8 programme funded by European Social Fund and Big Lottery came to an end in March 2023. SKylight worked with partners across GM to secure an additional £500,000 funding from the DWP to deliver a smaller GM wide programme for 12 months for people aged over 18 with complex needs. The new Motiv8 service provides wrap around support for six months to remove barriers to employment. SKylight recruited two Key Workers to work in Stockport and across GM as part of a team who supported over 500 people. In Stockport Motiv8 delivered the following outcomes:
Intensive wrap around support for
31 customers
6 people successfully secured a job
9 people progressed into education and training
20 people started job searching
Ali’s story
92 outcomes for health, money management & employment
7 people received specialised tenancy support
Ali was referred to Motiv8 by the DWP. He was in his late 30s and struggling with opium use which he felt had been worsened by living in shared accommodation. By the time he engaged with Motiv8 he stated that he was lacking in support and motivation, and this had led to suicidal thoughts. Ali’s Keyworker supported him to access primary healthcare and seek support for his mental health, he was also encouraged to disclose his opium use. He received support to submit housing applications with Stockport Homes and other housing associations. Ali’s Keyworker was able to support him to gain stable accommodation and he is now working with Drug & Alcohol specialist services. He reports an improvement in his mental health and wellbeing due to finding more suitable accommodation. Ali has been referred to an ESOL course and is currently job searching in the construction industry.
Apprenticeships
SKylight’s apprenticeships programme provides people with an opportunity to work whilst obtaining an appropriate qualification over an 18 month / two-year period which will then enable the post holder to progress further in their employment.
To date 20 roles have been converted to apprenticeships in a wide range of service delivery areas including Anti-Social Behaviour, Care Call & Concierge, Customer Access, Customer Engagement, Customer Finance, Housing Services, Independent Living and Temporary Accommodation.
“I love apprenticeships as they are the foundations to your future career and professional development. My apprenticeship has helped me build the knowledge and confidence inside the workplace to succeed.”
“I love apprenticeships because they give you skills, knowledge and experience to do the best you can in your role”
“I get to work alongside colleagues with expertise, knowledge and skills helping me develop, gaining practical hands-on experience all whilst completing formal recognised studies.”
Furniture Recycling Project
The project collects good quality donated furniture and recycles it to help households experiencing furniture poverty. The project helps alleviate financial hardship through the provision of low or no cost furniture including fridges, washing machines, cookers, beds, and wardrobes. Customers are invited to attend our premises at Hazel Grove and select their own items which are either gifted or offered at low cost.
Furniture was donated by 348 households and 178 void properties
£31,000
Furniture was delivered to 321 households in need 42 tonnes was diverted from landfill
was secured from the Council’s Household Support Fund to provide beds, mattresses, and white goods to 91 households.
£20,475
“Just wanted to say how helpful and efficient the team at the furniture project have been. Great people. They’ve kitted me out nicely”
Customer of the Furniture Recycling Project
was received from the sale of smaller items at our Hazel Grove Warehouse generating additional income for the project.
“A huge thank you for arranging collection of furniture from the above address this morning. The two men were lovely and very helpful (one was apparently the boss having a day away from the office) and my husband and I really appreciated their positive attitude and their efficient work”
Donor to the Furniture Recycling Project
Up by 188 on last year
288 total members across five Your Local Pantry shops
8,658 pantry visits were made by members during the year
£64,827 of social value generated through 4,116 volunteering hours
116 Your Local Pantry shops are now open nationally - Over this year 11,575 members have been supported with 72,540 visits made at pantry stores across the UK in 2023/24.
Your Local Pantry is a network of community food stores started here in Stockport in 2013 to help reduce grocery costs for Stockport residents who are struggling financially. The model has gone on to be replicated across the UK with Church Action on Poverty leading the national franchise. Pantry members pay a weekly £4.50 membership fee, which entitles them to a weekly shop of up to 10 items at a fraction of the equivalent supermarket price. Community volunteers work alongside the staff team to manage the day-to-day running of each Pantry. Your Local Pantry not only provide access to affordable food but also provide local people with volunteering opportunities and access to wider support.
Secured grants and financial donations of £26,374
Youth provision
SKylight provides a wide variety of youth activities during the year, such as holiday clubs during the school holidays and mental resilience programmes delivered in schools during term time.
SKylight holiday clubs provide exciting and enriching activities for young people aged 11-17 suffering from holiday hunger and those with social, emotional, and mental health needs during every school holiday. This year 478 places were delivered. Collaborating with a wide range of organisations and facilitators young people experienced excursions to rock climbing, high rope adventure centres and the Manchester Museum in addition to learning Circus Skills, healthy meal preparation, clothes upcycling, and photography.
“It has given them the opportunity to meet new friends, learn new skills and encounter new experiences”
Parent
“[My daughter’s] confidence has increased and her anxiety around new people has reduced.” Parent
Stockport Young Makers Art programme was developed with £5,000 funding from Stockport Councils Town of Culture Programme. 11 young people took part in a nine-week programme delivering a range of creative workshops, including screen-printing, ceramics, woodwork, and collage.
Mental resilience courses continue to be delivered to young people across six schools in Stockport. In 2023/24 71 young people accessed sessions either as part of a group or delivered as one-to-one interventions.
Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme (RSAP)
The Rough Sleeper Accommodation Project (RSAP) provides capital funds to purchase & renovate one-bedroom, self-contained properties. Integral to the success of the programme are the dedicated project officers providing person centred, intensive support which commences prior to a customer being allocated a property.
This year the service has:
• 15 entrenched rough sleepers engaged on the programme.
• 12 sustained tenancies through a range of structured intensive support from the project officer.
GM Housing First
(GMHF)
GMHF supports individuals with the most complex needs and behaviours to access and sustain permanent accommodation. SKylight is currently supporting 13 customers, with often daily levels of intensive support to ensure a smooth transition into accommodation and provide ongoing support for additional needs.
Rough Sleeper Initiative
The Rough Sleeper Initiative Team respond to reports of rough sleeping, engaging and supporting people to access services and transition them from the streets into accommodation.
• The team received 670 reports of rough sleeping, 246 resulting in a confirmation of a rough sleeper.
• Customers are supported through A Bed Every Night scheme and additional flats identified through the RSAP and access to specialist support.
Lenny’s story
Lenny had a long history of street homelessness and custodial sentences linked to alcohol and substance misuse. He had previously struggled to sustain a tenancy and was identified for the RSAP service, and his project officer supported him to obtain furniture and white goods helping his property to feel like home, in addition to providing Lenny with budgeting advice and setting up essential rent and utilities payments for the future. His project officer supported him to access other services to address issues with alcohol, substance misuse and physical health. Lenny is now abstinent from alcohol and his substance use is greatly reduced, he receives regular treatment for his health conditions, and he is successfully sustaining his tenancy.
Specialist Support Roles
SKylight has a range of specialist officers working with vulnerable people. These include a Mental Health Support Worker, Domestic Abuse Case Officer, Exploitation Protection Officer, an Offender Engagement Officer, and SKylight Partnerships Manager
Mental Health Support Work
Supported 198 people in 2023/24 experiencing a range of issues including depression and anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and serious mental illness.
Exploitation Protection Officer
Tackles the growing problem of exploitation and “cuckooing” of vulnerable people. 136 cases were referred with 72 households receiving support.
Skylight Partnerships Manager
Offender Engagement Officer
Supported 18 people through the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders Scheme. Through the Community Accommodation Scheme 19 people were successfully rehoused into their own private tenancies and 13 were supported into employment.
Domestic Abuse
Provided direct support to 293 households to either remain safely in their homes or explore emergency or long-term housing solutions.
Supports Refugee and Migrant households in Stockport in partnership with the Council. In 2023/24 45 households were supported to remain in their accommodation and 31 households to secure accommodation in the Private Rented Sector.
Working in partnership to support and grow our local Third Sector
SKylight continues to work in partnership to support the growth and development of the Third Sector in Stockport.
SKylight delivered a range of events which brought together civil society groups and funders. The annual ‘Funding the Future’ conference brought together 60 community groups with local and national funders to access support and bid for grant funding. Overall, 160 community groups have benefitted from multiple events with £636,137 of grant income secured for Stockport this year.
Highlights include:
• National Lottery Reaching Communities grant of £245,00 for the RTime partnership of Stockport Council and SKylight led by Active Stockport CIC (Life Leisure) to deliver a three-year programme of youth work.
• £242,235 National Lottery Reaching Communities grant to Starting Point for three years to recruit and train 250 new digital champions and support Stockport Councils ‘Digiknow’ project.
SKylight Community Fund
SKylight’s Community Fund provides awards of up to £2,000 for projects and activities which improve and make a genuine difference to people’s lives in the neighbourhoods where SHG manage properties.
33
£50,000 £1,477 successful applications
Funding has been awarded to a wide range of projects including
Support to first time mothers and their families
Mental well-being football
Youth Projects
Support to care experienced young people total funded average award
Age Well Yoga
Life Skills
Digital inclusion
A volunteer programme for women experiencing
Domestic Abuse
Community Skills
Exchange programme led by the Refugee Community
Togetherness Group.
Preventative Services
SKylight is a partner in The Prevention Alliance (TPA) delivering early help and prevention support through the Stockport Support Hub and Your Support to improve the wellbeing of Stockport residents.
7,148 referral to Stockport Support Hub
1,263 Referrals to Your Support Advice provided on 4,987occasions to 3,424 individuals.
96.9% of people showed an improvement in their wellbeing when their case was closed
1,504 Foodbank vouchers issued
1,286 digital support sessions delivered by TPA as part of the DigiKnow’ alliance this year
Ageing in Place Pathfinder (AIPP)
The AIPP is a GM wide project testing new ways of creating neighbourhoods that support older people to age well, reduce loneliness and improve quality of life with older people placed at the heart of decision-making.
The Pathfinder focuses on Brinnington as there is a high concentration of older people in the area, limited specialist and limited specialist accommodation and life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is much lower than the borough average.
A steering group led by local residents has been established and sets the priorities for the Pathfinder. A range of events have been delivered in 2023/24 including health initiatives focused on yoga, healthy eating and cooking, a local allotment and a community art group have been delivered.
Community Hub
SKylight works with PURE Innovations and Age UK Stockport on the Community Hub and Help at Home preventative services supporting connections in the community, tackling isolation and supporting people to maintain independent living at home. This year there have been 604 referrals in total with 68 referrals directly to SKylight’s Officer for community support.
The Help at Home service supports individuals struggling to maintain their living conditions. This year 64 people have been provided with advice and support as well as practical assistance with their homes.
Michelle’s story
Michelle was referred to the Help at Home Officer to address the condition of her property and provide support with her physical and mental health issues. A friend who’d been supporting her to reduce her hoarding behaviours had recently passed away and her property condition was worsening. Her Help at Home Officer worked closely with Michelle to build rapport and was able to develop a personal action plan to clear the flat, 63 bags of rubbish have since been removed and Michelle’s physical and mental health has improved.
Investing in our communities
SKylight is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authorities and finances are independently audited with statutory accounts produced each year. Our main source of income is Gift Aid, funding to deliver services by the local authority and through other government contracts, and membership//subscription fees.
The chart below shows how funding was utilised to deliver services in 2023/24.
How much we invested in services
Total
£3,783,000
Your Local Pantry
Housing First
SKylight
Furniture Recycling
Youth Work
ASB Prevention Delivery
Rough Sleepers Initiative
Apprenticeships
Motiv8
RSAP
Access & Support
Employment
Preventative Services Customer Engagement and Inclusion
Aging In Place Project
£194,000
£41,000 £63,000 £283,000 £45,000
£156,000 £186,000
£1,508,000 £415,000 £74,000 £149,000 £255,000 £195,000 £133,000 £86,000