OUR
PROJECTS
In any given day, there are more than 380 people
sleeping rough on the streets of London.
"Contrary to popular belief, not all
homeless people are lazy, ignorant, stupid, stealing, drug addicts
- but do have one thing in common; they have fallen upon hard
times. The majority of us want and need help”- Steve.
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“Recent research has suggested that
Homeless people on the streets and Hostel dwellers are up to 25
times more likely than the average citizen to die early. They
are more likely to die from illness such as bronchitis, Pneumonia
or tuberculosis. It is estimated that about 2% of street homeless
people and direct access hostel users have been found with active
tuberculosis, 200 the national TB notification rate” -
Shelter
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“Rough sleepers have chaotic unsettled
lifestyles, which can make it difficult for them to interact with
the agencies which can help them move in to mainstream society.
In particular we are aware that problems in claiming Housing Benefit
have created barriers for roughsleepers, hostel providers, &
young single people trying to find permanent accommodation.”
-
Social Exclusion Unit |
“Rough sleepers are at the sharp end
of social exclusion. The most vulnerable should not be left simply
to fall through the cracks in the system or have the odds so heavily
stacked against them. ” -
Tony Blair |
HOMELESSNESS STILL EXISTS ESPECIALLY IN UK CITIES.
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OUR UNIQUE HOUSING
PROJECT:
We provide suitable HOMES - not just accommodation.
 The
Millennium Reachout Project, after five years of helping homeless
people on the streets of London through our Outreach services,
developed an initiative (Reachout Homes) to provide Emergency
and suitable ‘move on’ accommodation with rehabilitation,
in the private sector, for rough sleepers and
homeless people who are prepared to work as volunteers and develop
their skills and career to utilize their potentials.
The Reachout Homes acquire private properties, furnished and equipped
them with modern facilities including sky TV, Telephone, cooking
facilities and personal development programmes.
Our rehabilitation services include a keyworking
to establish each client’s profile to identify what brought
them to the street in the first place. This is part of our personal
development programmes which enable our clients to be morally,
socially, Skillfully & educationally, spiritually and economically
equipped to live a successfully independent life.
Categories of Clients / accommodation:
Our accommodation are classified into 3 categories
to meet different types of clients’ needs:
Category 1:Those requiring close monitoring
and more rehabilitation support such as the Rough sleepers
Category 2:Those especially from Night shelters
requiring little supports
Category 3:Those who are capable to live
in a ‘move on’ or independent accommodation with little
or no support.
This classification has enabled us to deal with
each client (resident) according to their level of vulnerability
and in return they have responded positively to changes that could
be expected from a normal human being contrary to what people
thought about them in the first place. This in effect had eliminated
the need for eviction of residents (licensee) from our properties
for misbehaviours.
The accommodations and residents are closely monitored by our
staff depending on the category to which each client (or accommodation)
is classified.
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The
Diagram below shows graphically various sources through which qualified
persons can be considered for our accommodation & rehabilitation
services.
This programme is
to fulfil a key element of our initiative to facilitate the re-integration
and rehabilitation of the most disadvantaged in London, ensuring rough
sleepers have access to a suitable accommodation, personal health care
and recreational facilities, skills & awareness training, and counselling,
to facilitate community involvement and integration with a view to helping
them get permanent accommodation & employment.Our skills training
includes moral & career development, ‘Make Impacts (MIM)’
and ‘Young Talent Workshop (YTW)’ initiatives.
The latter two in particular enable the ‘rough
sleepers’ and the young adults especially to be convinced of the
need, and their ability, to succeed like other famous people in various
professions. They will be encouraged to participate in the regular YTW
training programmes which include the major professions such as sports,
games, music, office workers. This can then lead them to become for
an example, a professional tennis player, singer, instrumentalist, footballer
etc.
Humanity Awareness Issues
Psalm 82:3 & Proverbs 31:8-9 – instructed
that the “ the rights of the poor and needy be defended”
– thus the need to provide advocacy, legal advice & awareness
programmes to bring to the awareness of individuals including the policy
makers, the need for Social/racial justice, equality, respect for human
rights & welfare on issues affecting homelessness and poverty. Other
activities include Awareness seminars legal support & general welfare
assistance to help the these people understand, aware of & preserve
their human ‘rights’.
Counselling, Legal Support and Practical
Advice
The problems faced
by people living on the streets are not solved by random donations for
a cup of tea. Rough sleepers need people to listen to their problems
and provide help and advice to develop solutions which bring them in
from the cold. Our intimate relationship with the rough sleepers enabled
them to discuss their problems, in confidence, with our councillors
which in turn had enabled us to design our programmes with a view to
providing long term solutions to the problems of homelessness.
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