What does Christmas mean to people who are affected by homelessness? Do they notice the bright lights, do they watch people walk by – Christmas shopping in the cold evenings? Do they wonder what might happen if they had the chance to enjoy a traditional Christmas, as we do, with friends and family?

The answer to the above is yes, but it is also complicated – with many more emotions and feelings playing a part in how people affected by homelessness feel about Christmas.

Last year we asked service users what Christmas means to them. Their replies ranged from exciting to scared and lonely. This isn’t unusual – as every person at SSJ is an individual with their own feelings and thoughts. Whilst some may look forward to our traditional Christmas Meal – provided thanks to our appeal – others may have thoughts of regret relating back to missed opportunities or lost loved ones which mean they find Christmas challenging.

Senior Support Worker Lucy recently spoke to Barry, who has been in our services for a while now, and his thoughts on Christmas show that all kinds of memories can resurface at this time of the year.

Barry said; “Christmas it is horrid, if it was a colour it would be black. It’s a very emotional time. There is a photo of my mum and dad sitting on a step in black and white from 1967, near Christmas time in 2015, I went back to the step and slept on it due to a relationship breakdown, and my mum had passed away.

“People helped me over Christmas time when I was homeless, someone brought me out a Christmas dinner one year, people gave me lots of jumpers, jackets and money which I was very grateful for.”

Barry continued; “now I am temporary accommodated, Christmas is still a hard time due to bereavement and mental health however I am working on myself and have better people in my life who support me now I am kind of looking forward to Christmas. “

Barry speaks about how Christmas can feel like the colour black, but ends with the fact that there is now a support network in his life – and the Christmas Meals Appeal gives us the chance to show Barry that Christmas can be a positive time of the year – and who knows what that good feeling might do for Barry in 2022.

Even for us, those who are lucky to have a home and a family to go home to at Christmas – this time of the year can be complicated, stressful and challenging. Those feelings can be multiplied for people who have a history of homelessness – some who are facing complex health issues too – meaning Christmas can feel incredibly daunting and very lonely.

Our appeal will provide a gift or a Christmas meal to people affected by homelessness, but most of all it will be provide hope.

Please support our appeal by clicking here.

If you want to find out more about our appeal – email Dennis.Jones@SSJ.org.uk

Thank you for your support this Christmas. 

The year started with news that we had passed our goals for our 2020 Christmas Campaign, which meant that we were able to use that money to provide meals for people affected by homelessness, whilst the money raised in excess of the original target was used to help service users on the road to recovery. We are all aware that December was challenging for many of our supporters so the support you showed last Christmas meant a great deal to us.

We also published an interview with the Senior Management team, who spoke about the challenges faced during 2020, as well as the plans ahead for the charity and what this means for the next chapter in the history of SSJ as we move towards our 50th year in 2022. As well as this we shared stories about some of our partnerships, including one with Abri.

We also spoke to Liam, a service user, who told us that his cry for help was listened to – and that SSJ played a massive part in his recovery. Liam sent an emotional message of thanks to Hannah in his interview saying “Hannah I wouldn’t be where I am without your help over the last few months, you helped me achieve my goal of being clean and sober. I’m hugely grateful and will be for the rest of my life”

We also told the story of service users who had the opportunity to head to the Isle of Wight for a team-building bike ride to build confidence and help improve mindfulness.

And we recently shared the exciting news about new contactless donation hubs which are situated across Southampton thanks to the Street Support Network and Go! Southampton. A third of the money raised will go to SSJ – with two other charities also receiving the same from the new initiative to help tackle homelessness.

There are so many more stories we will be telling this year – from supporters to service users, as well as fundraisers and staff. Why not tell us about your story? Email Comms@ssj.org.uk and let us know your story.

My Journey Community Grants and Southampton Council have awarded £4,000 to the Society of St James and Saints4Sport which will help pay for much-needed mountain bikes.

Saints4Sport offers vulnerable people who have been affected by complex issues the chance to enjoy sporting activities such as mountain biking through the New Forest – which helps with fitness as well as mental health.

The bikes which were being used by the team were starting to fall apart and required regular maintenance to work as they should. The new bikes mean the team will now have 10 new reliable bikes that can be used by the Saints4Sport team members on their road to recovery.

Ashley Christopher, Team Leader at Saints4Sport said: “We are delighted with this grant from MyJourney Community Grants and Southampton Council.

“Being able to purchase the new bikes means we have secured the future of our mountain biking activities which are such a benefit to the service users.

“We regularly head out on cycling activities across the south, including visits to the New Forest. We get to see the benefit this has on the service users through improved mental health and better fitness – so these bikes will play a big part in improving the lives of those who are recovering from homelessness or addictions.”

The Society of St. James Saints4Sport Project is run in partnership with the Saints Foundation and offers free educational, sport, and employment support activities to adults who are affected by the harmful impact of substance misuse, homelessness, poor mental health, and involvement with the Criminal Justice System.

Alongside the physical activities, we also offer many other opportunities for people to develop their skills and confidence, including access to training and education, with courses such as Health and Social Care, First Aid, Stewarding, Criminology, and Customer Service available.

For more information on Saints4Sport, visit: ssj.org.uk/sub-service/saints4sports/

The grant from My Journey Community Grants and Southampton Council means the team at Re-Cycle Bikes can continue refurbishing and delivering bikes to key-workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Throughout lockdown, service users at Jordan House have been collecting bikes before delivering refurbished ones to key-workers across Southampton to help them get to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In-turn the service users have been gaining key skills in bike maintenance, helping improve their wellness and feeling of self-worth.

Saints4Sport and Re-Fit team leader Ashley Cristopher says: “We have been able to deliver bikes to key-workers across the south, helping them get to and from work during the coronavirus crisis, as well as helping them keep fit and improve their mental health.

“Being able to provide bikes to key-workers is something we are all proud of – and we have received great feedback from those who have received bikes.

“We are glad that we can continue to provide this service and that the skills of the service users who refurbish the bikes are being put to good use for the benefit of the local community.”

The news comes shortly after the Recycle Bikes project received a grant for a new van thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which will deliver the bikes to key workers. The previous van was prone to breaking down and caused problems for the team.

Re-Cycle Bikes

Based at Jordan House, Re-Cycle Bikes offers learning and training opportunities for our service users and volunteers from the wider community, to help grow and sustain the use of bicycles as transport.

Trained volunteers offer courses, recognized by City & Guilds, to recycle broken bikes into usable, safe, environmentally conscious transport.

Re-Cycle Bikes works in close partnership with our Re-Fit programme, as well as Hampshire Constabulary, My Journey, and many other local schools, religious organisations, and businesses.

For more information about Recycle-Bikes click here

It’s been something of a strange year for all of us across the world. As a charity, we have faced many new challenges and had to adapt to what some are calling the ‘new normal’.

Since our update in March we have been faced with the issues caused by COVID-19, which you can read about in our Newsletter. The one consistent in all of this is that we are always there for the most vulnerable – through normal times and during any crisis that happens in the country.

We are looking at some of the news stories we have posted during the past few months to reflect on some of the stories we have shared with you.

In March we shared a case study about our Re-Cycle Bikes project, which gives service users the chance to learn new life skills as well as helping improve their feeling of self-worth and mindfulness. Since then, the team at Jordan House has worked tirelessly to collect and refurbish bikes that have gone on to help Key Workers across Southampton and Portsmouth during the COVID-19 crisis.

As mentioned in our update in March, we were planning a week-long set of activities and events to give our female service users the chance to enjoy some mindfulness sessions, as well as pampering, new haircuts, and a bake-off competition. Hosting through our Horizons Project and with support from The Southern Co-op, the event was a huge success – and you can read about that here. 

And just before lockdown happened in March, we wrote about Café in the Park and some of the delightful food on the menu – whilst also reflecting on the Pay it Forward scheme. The café is once again open – but with a limited menu and outside seating only. If you get the chance to visit the café you can still Pay It Forward to help vulnerable people.

During the lockdown, we were delighted to learn that we had won an award at the Business Charity Awards, thanks to our partnership with The Southern Co-op. This came at a time when everybody was still coming to terms with ‘the new normal’ and was a welcome morale boost for all staff members and everybody involved in our partnership with The Southern Co-op.

The most important aspect of lockdown for us was making sure our service users had the support they needed. Louise Bolton shared her top tips for social distancing – which we had been using with the most vulnerable people in our care. As well as this, the tremendous support from you helped us brighten up lockdown for residents at St James Care.

More recently, thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, we were able to purchase a new van which will help combat the impact of COVID-19 – allowing us to make essential deliveries of medication and more.

We’ve covered a lot of the community work in our Newsletter, which we highly recommend reading.

Winter 2020

We are now turning our focus towards the winter months. World Homelessness Week takes place this October and gives us the chance to ask people to think about what it means to be vulnerable and homeless. We also have several videos from our CEO which we will share across Social Media and of course, we are already looking at the cold winter months and planning to look after those in our care during that time.

Like our Facebook page: facebook.com/SocietyofStJames/

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/SSJCharity

Thank you for all your support. We will post another review in January.

The previous van was prone to breaking down which would sometimes mean that essential provisions such as medication were delayed. The new van will allow service providers to reach the most vulnerable people through the delivery of food and prescriptions to those who need access to essential supplies during the pandemic.

The van will also be used to move the personal belongings and furniture of vulnerable adults during COVID-19 – to make sure as many vulnerable people as possible can be isolated or shielded when needed.

As well as this, the van will be used to collect bikes from people across the south which will then be refurbished and sold to people who are looking for a bike to help them get fit or get to work instead of using their car.

Project Manager at Jordan House, Myles Lewis, says: “During the lockdown, we have been collecting bikes which are then refurbished and sold to people who are looking for a different way to travel.

“Our service users who refurbish the bikes are benefiting from learning about bike maintenance which is showing in increased positive mental health.

“The previous van wasn’t too reliable so this new transit van provides us with more opportunities to reach the most vulnerable people at a time when they need us most.”

Re-Cycle Bikes

Based at Jordan House, Re-Cycle Bikes offers learning and training opportunities for our service users and volunteers from the wider community, to help grow and sustain the use of bicycles as transport.

Trained volunteers offer courses, recognized by City & Guilds, to recycle broken bikes into usable, safe, environmentally conscious transport.

Re-Cycle Bikes works in close partnership with our Re-Fit programme, as well as Hampshire Constabulary, My Journey, and several other local schools, religious organisations, and businesses.

For more information about Recycle-Bikes click here.

Chief Executive Trevor Pickup says: “We are extremely grateful to both the National Emergencies Trust’ and ‘Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation’ for recognising the work that SSJ are doing, alongside many other voluntary and statutory organisations, to support those of multiple disadvantage across Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire.

The funding will help SSJ to continue to support our local communities by providing places of isolation and safety for those who are particularly vulnerable to Coronavirus due to multiple disadvantages such as homelessness, substance misuse & physical or mental health issues.

“As SSJ’s frontline staff are indeed considered key workers many of our services are open and busier than ever.  The funding will also help us to support our frontline workers in this new, remote and every-changing environment and to ensure that we can continue to support those who are particularly vulnerable, in new ways, during these testing times.”

Grant Cornwell MBE, Chief Executive, HIWCF, said: “It’s at times like these that we are reminded that community really matters and being able to identify and respond to local needs is one of our key organisational values. We will continue to raise funds and prioritise those needing the most help and support across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and we are delighted to be able to help Society of St James with their work to support and care for the most vulnerable people in Southampton communities.”

National Emergencies Trust

The National Emergencies Trust’s main aim is to be trusted to work collaboratively to raise funds fairly and efficiently at a time of a large scale domestic disaster.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation

Committed to building funds and distributing grants to support community projects delivered by local voluntary and community groups across Hampshire & Isle of Wight.

The Society of St James is delighted to have been awarded funding from The National Lottery Community Fund for two projects in 2020 and we would like to thank the National Lottery and its players for their support.

With this funding, SSJ can continue to deliver the extremely successful Re-Fit project in Portsmouth, in partnership with Pompey in the Community. The project is for disadvantaged and vulnerable adults with multiple issues including homelessness, substance misuse, mental & physical health and offending. It provides daily diversionary leisure and sports activities alongside training, education and employment opportunities, all of which can significantly improve physical and mental health, self-esteem, confidence, social interaction, and motivation.

We are also grateful to Southern Co-op and Portsmouth City Council for their continued support of this project. Since opening in November 2016, the project has worked with over 800 Portsmouth residents.

We have also been awarded funding to pursue our partnership with Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group to provide housing for asylum seekers. As Southampton is part of the City of Sanctuary network it feels right that SSJ is doing their bit in Southampton to support this vulnerable group of people who without the support of this new partnership would be homeless with no recourse to public funds.

The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. Since June 2004, it has made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people. It is passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference in people’s lives.

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So when we were thinking about the best way to help vulnerable people in our care, we decided that it would be an interesting idea to get our supporters actively taking part in their own challenges.

Whether it’s running a marathon with a Christmas tree on their backs, or undertaking a bike ride in North Devon to help build confidence, our supporters have constantly shown they are not afraid to taken on a challenge to help our service users.

Overcoming a challenge can help your own wellness and mental health, SSJ communications officer, Dennis Jones, said:

“I recently took time away from my smartphone – and the difference to my mental health was noticeable.

“Within two days of switching my tech off, I found myself drifting off to sleep much easier, and my brain didn’t feel as scrambled. So although it was a big challenge for me – it was worth it in the end.

“I wanted to transfer that feeling of wellness to our new campaign – and decided we should create the environment where people can overcome their own challenges to help transform their lives, and to have a positive impact on those less fortunate too.”

So what does that mean?

We are simply asking you to take on a challenge, to raise money – if you can – and to share your stories of overcoming your own challenges – in support of those who are confronted with the challenge of sleeping on the streets, or even the worry that they will never find a place to call home.

Some ideas

• Why not run a marathon on behalf of SSJ and help improve your health and wellness?
• Why not ride a bike to work each day – and donate the money you have saved to our 2020Challenge campaign?
• Why not have a tech detox and get friends and family to sponsor you to stay off your smartphone?
• Or why not get your work colleagues involved to raise money for SSJ as a team with your own work challenge?

For more inspiration, download this ‘Guide to Fundraising‘ from JustGiving.

Start your challenge

So whatever you choose to do, this is your chance to take on a challenge and at the same time raise money for SSJ – knowing that any money you raise will go towards helping provide safe accommodation to those who are most vulnerable in 2020.

Register now and start your own challenge.

We look forward to hearing about your adventures in 2020.

Building society, Nationwide, has made £500,000 available to help support charities dealing with housing in the South West area. The successful projects were officially announced in April of this year, with SSJ named as one of the successful participants.

The money provided by this grant will be put towards our continuous aim to secure more property in Southampton and further across Hampshire, to house vulnerable people.

Dan Still, Nationwide’s Regional Director for the South West, said:

We know that there are many people who have been homeless or have experienced family or close friends without a home of their own, so it’s imperative that we do something about this.

Helping people into homes of their own is at the heart of what we do as a building society, which is why we’re making funding available for local housing projects.

You can see the list of successful projects on the Nationwide website, here.