Did you know that there are 14 full and part support workers currently employed at the Emmanuel House Support Centre? What does ‘support work’ mean and how does it happen? One of our support workers tells us more…
When someone presents at Emmanuel House for the first time, we inquire about their circumstances and listen to their story. Depending on what they need, they will be assigned a support worker.
Different members of the support team have different areas of expertise; Benefits, housing/shelter, mental health, wellbeing, debts/money management and European citizens. We also work very closely with the Framework street outreach team, the Homeless Health Team and a GP who visit the centre most days. We signpost to specialised services such as St Ann’s Advice Centre, Nottingham Law Centre, Recovery network in Nottingham and Social Services.
The starting point is always Benefits. We establish which Benefit the person is eligible for and start the Benefit claim. If a person has no Benefit entitlement, they have few housing options. We explore housing options with them. Usually the first advice given is that they contact Housing Aid for an assessment. If somebody is sleeping rough, we contact Framework Street Outreach Team as they may be eligible for the Winter Shelter. We also explore options regarding accessing accommodation in the YMCA, social housing and the private rented sector.
We assess their basic needs; food, drink, clothing and health. We offer meal vouchers if a person is not in receipt of Benefits, we offer a hot shower, change of clothes and laundry facilities. We will make any external referrals if there is substance misuse and/or mental health support is needed.
We then advocate for the person, who is often vulnerable by attending appointments with them, for example when they present at Housing Aid or have to go for a Benefit assessment. This can involve explaining medical conditions for example, and challenging decisions.. We liaise with services to try to achieve the best outcomes for each person, which links back to their original needs assessment.
Each person will be informed about the range of social and creative activities that are provided at Emmanuel House each day which are designed to reduce isolation and begin to provide opportunities to begin to form relationships and build a sense of community.
Further on in their journey, when a person is able to secure accommodation we will help them to obtain furniture, access the food bank, money management and budgeting skills, setting up payment for utility bills and support people in their move on into independence.
Each person is always welcome to come back for help or advice. Sometimes people ask for help with letters, setting up accounts, building up their confidence. Some people maintain contact through the creative groups like singing and art. These activities make an on going contribution to helping people maintain positive mental health and wellbeing.
It is worth noting that homelessness can happen very quickly to a person. There might be an accident or something that leads to loss of earnings. If there are no family or support networks they are very vulnerable. If somebody loses their job, it takes 4 weeks for a Universal Credit payment to come through. They might miss a letter about their Benefits or a council tax payment, which could result in a sanction(stop) on their Benefits and the system moves very quickly. Once someone’s money has stopped it is very difficult to sustain a tenancy and this has a domino effect on everything else. People can find themselves homeless very quickly.
