Manna Report to PCC, November 2016
What is the Manna currently?
The Manna is a day centre providing food, clothing, showers, laundry and a postal service to over 200 vulnerable residents and rough sleepers in Islington. The drop in service three times a week acts as a gateway to our three further offerings – key work, small groups and partnerships/outreach.
With the closure of other front line services in Islington, we are seeing more and more people come through the doors with less availability of other services for them.
Clients still range from the most destitute, vulnerable rough sleepers, the precariously housed, the financially struggling and the mentally and physically unwell and most of the enquiries our Key Workers Kate and Anne receive are related to personal finance and housing.
Context
Manna Response to Sector Change
Future Trends
Case Studies from 2015/2016
Three examples of long term relationships with clients.
Successes
Failures/Challenges
- No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) – Failure to identify shelter/housing for clients NRPF, only one option in Islington and lack of move on.
- Office space – Key Work and the need for privacy clashes consistently with multifunctional nature of the office.
- Private Rented Sector (PRS). Key Workers challenge of supporting people out of homelessness whose only option is overpriced, insecure PRS accommodation.
- Street Count
Stats about The Manna
What is the Manna currently?
The Manna is a day centre providing food, clothing, showers, laundry and a postal service to over 200 vulnerable residents and rough sleepers in Islington. The drop in service three times a week acts as a gateway to our three further offerings – key work, small groups and partnerships/outreach.
With the closure of other front line services in Islington, we are seeing more and more people come through the doors with less availability of other services for them.
Clients still range from the most destitute, vulnerable rough sleepers, the precariously housed, the financially struggling and the mentally and physically unwell and most of the enquiries our Key Workers Kate and Anne receive are related to personal finance and housing.
Context
- Manna MAP/5 Year Plan – overall there is not enough housing and those who are more vulnerable (addictions, health) are less likely to find new accommodation in this climate.
- Homelessness on the increase in London with the main reason being illegal eviction of shorthold tenancy (32%) or family breakdown
- Cuts and changes to benefits/Implication of Universal Credit (budgeting problems) and PIP (old DLA) leading to fuel and food poverty
- Immigration increase.
- Housing Crisis continued
- Hard/Soft Brexit and free movement of people/deportation
- Housing Act – long term pressures on Manna as there will be regular vulnerable elders who don’t qualify for council help
- Exclusion – Financial (bank accounts), Health (GP), Housing (PRS)
Manna Response to Sector Change
- Street sleepers prioritised Friday morning session – if not wholly at gateway, definitely though key work.
- Focus on benefits changes and advice from Manna key workers – education clients about the system and an increase in support for those affected by benefits cuts
- Manna key workers signposting to Refugee and Migrant organisations and added advocacy
- Pushing people into work and encouraging out of the box solutions to work
Future Trends
- Appointment only day during the week? More specific days for specific issues i.e. a benefits enquiry day? A need for an increase in key work and upskilling of volunteers.
- Balance between energy into gateway and priority needed for three corollaries (small groups, key work, partnerships)
Case Studies from 2015/2016
Three examples of long term relationships with clients.
- X1 – The Manna made three housing applications for X1 when he became homeless through no fault of his own. Suffering with acute depression and vulnerable age. Kate secured emergency accommodation while pursuing PRS options for him. Anne paid for flowers for mothers funeral through a grant from London Catalyst. Importance of the relationship, the sensitivity to individual situations and a trust build together. Ongoing long term best option for the client.
- X2 – Kate advocacy re: pension company, Manna kept him sane, regularity and ongoing emotional support (6 months before case work started).
- X3- We have known X3 for about ten years. He has a learning difficulty and was housed in a succession of hostels where he didn’t settle because of the influence of other residents. When his long-term partner became disabled he moved in to her flat as her carer and when she died he faced eviction. We successfully supported him to claim his right to succeed to the tenancy and since then we’ve been helping him sustain that tenancy by allocating a grant for a new bed, teaching him to keep his household bills under control, and challenging errors in his benefits. We believe that without this long-term support from The Manna X3 would again be homeless. Above all, he knows he only has to pop in or phone whenever he needs help.
Successes
- Integrated Team leading to less incidents – at time of writing, 2016 has seen 5 incidents, compared to 9 in 2015 and 10 in 2014 at the same time in the year. I believe this is due to a settled consistent staff and volunteer team each week.
- User Forum Responses – Flyers and more information, Contact email and phone each week, tea and coffee queue, chairs outside, DigiTalk, 5k.
- Outings Small Group – User Forum outings/more to do each week, 25 St Paul’s, 23 British Museum, 23 Kew Gardens.
- Fridays returned to rough sleeper focus
- Improved relationship with Urban Hope Team
- Fundraising – Cloudesley, Catalyst, CRASSH and Cripplegate
- Volunteer Development – VAI Policies, Pizza Night, Nicole, Client Volunteers
Failures/Challenges
- No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) – Failure to identify shelter/housing for clients NRPF, only one option in Islington and lack of move on.
- Office space – Key Work and the need for privacy clashes consistently with multifunctional nature of the office.
- Private Rented Sector (PRS). Key Workers challenge of supporting people out of homelessness whose only option is overpriced, insecure PRS accommodation.
- Street Count
Stats about The Manna
- Average client numbers throughout the week - Tuesday 150, Wednesday 90, Friday 50, Outings – anything between 6 and 25!
- 40% Non B, EU (of which approx. 20% are EE), 40% B/I, 20% Non EU non B
- 20% rough sleepers, 60% vulnerably housed, 20% isolated and other.
- 40-50% Complex needs and dual diagnosis
- Volunteer Analysis – currently 47 and an eight person waiting list!
