Christmas is coming! Our virtual advent calendar is launching on our social media channels today, featuring original poetry written by people with lived experience and performed by service users, volunteers and members of the SSJ team.

The poems communicate different aspects of homelessness, covering topics including drug misuse, mental health issues, and addiction recovery.

The calendar also shows how you can donate to specific causes, such as buying a hot meal or a Christmas gift for our service users. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) to unveil the advent doors throughout December!

This Christmas, Society of St James aim to raise £15,000 to help support people experiencing homelessness in Southampton, Portsmouth and across Hampshire. We hope that this appeal will help to break the stigma surrounding homelessness and fund essential services and support for vulnerable people this Christmas and throughout the year.

SSJ will be working with local businesses to encourage fundraising events such as Christmas Jumper Days and cake sales to help reach our £15,000 target. The charity urges businesses to share photos of their fundraisers on social media, tagging them and using the hashtag #SSJChristmas.

Chief Executive Trevor Pickup said:

 “Homelessness is a complex and often misunderstood issue that affects thousands across our region. Many people face stigma, discrimination, and isolation because of their housing situation. They are often blamed for their own misfortune, or ignored by society.

But we believe that everyone deserves dignity, respect and compassion. That’s why we are launching this campaign to raise awareness and funds for our work with people who are homeless and are facing multiple problems. We want to show them that they are not alone, that they are valued, they have hope for the future and that we will carry on supporting them despite what can often present as a protracted and cyclical journey to independence.”

To get involved, visit our social media channels today, or visit our dedicated Christmas Appeal page to view our fundraising packs and learn more about our fundraising goals.

SSJ provides a comprehensive range of services, including hostels, transitional housing, substance misuse services and an academy of life skills classes, volunteering, sport and craft opportunities. By successfully implementing these services, the organisation challenges the stigma associated with homelessness, provides support and rehabilitation, and promotes sustainable solutions to reduce the number of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Inspired by the IOM Snowdon trip, committed and brave fundraiser, Lenny Court, aged 9, also decided to climb Mount Snowdon in July to raise funds to support people who have been rough sleeping.

Lenny has been supporting our work since he was 5 collecting donations to help the homeless starting with 100 coats in 2019, 200 hats, gloves and scarfs in 2020, 300 shoes in 2021 and 400 toiletry items in 2022.  For 2023 he is aiming to raise £500 to buy welcome packs for rough sleepers moving into temporary accommodation.

Lenny’s dedication and determination were truly inspiring. With the support of his mum, Rachel, and a heart full of compassion, he tackled the mountain with the spirit of a true adventurer. “We had such a brilliant time,” Rachel shared. “Lenny was up that mountain like a whippet! He was so proud of himself, chatting with anyone and everyone about what he was doing and who for. It was just brilliant!”

Climbing Snowdon was no easy feat, but Lenny refused to give up. The purpose behind his climb served as a driving force, pushing him forward even when the going got tough. “I never gave up,” added Lenny. “I was thinking about all the homeless people I could help get off the streets and have better lives.”

Lenny’s heartfelt efforts touched the hearts of many, and the response was overwhelming. Not only did he achieve his initial goal of £500, but he went above and beyond, raising a total of £1170! His dedication and the generosity of those who supported him meant that more rough sleepers would receive the essential welcome packs they deserved.

Lenny’s journey reminds us all that age is just a number when it comes to making a difference in our society. He proves that a small act of kindness can create a ripple effect of compassion and change. We are immensely grateful to Lenny for his selfless commitment to improving the lives of others.

Thank you, Lenny, for being a shining example of how one young heart can make a big impact. Your efforts have not only provided tangible support to those in need but have also shown us the true meaning of compassion and empathy.

As a charity that supports people affected by homelessness and complex issues such as a history of trauma with subsequent alcohol dependency or drug addiction, we are always looking for ways to brighten up the lives of the individuals we support.

Fundraising for SSJ is a great way to show your support – knowing that the money you raise goes to support and help those who traditionally have nothing at all.

We recently released a video where CEO Trevor Pickup talks a little about the properties we buy and refurbish and how that benefits our service users in giving them a chance to move on into their own accommodation and the effect that has on their mental wellbeing.

Most people who have been impacted by homelessness have no ID, no decent clothes to attend job interviews and occasionally need help to travel to and from job interviews and training.

This is where your help with fundraising for us comes in by helping to fund the refurbishment of properties ring-fenced for those who have been homeless and to help them move on in life.

Here are 5 ways you can fundraise for SSJ and help make a difference to our service users and residents.

Think up a theme

Why not spend your day at work wearing a hat that you have made, or perhaps spend a day at your desk in a sleeping bag. Think about something you and your colleagues will enjoy and raise money by getting people to sponsor you to build, create or do.

Host a Quiz

Get as many friends together – staying as socially distanced as possible and host a quiz. Or why not live-stream a quiz on Youtube and share it across community groups. We’d suggest setting up tickets to attend (Eventbrite is good for this) and send the link for live streaming an hour before the quiz goes live.

Tennis Teams

Get together with a group of friends at a tennis court and have 10 or more on each side – when somebody misses the ball somebody takes their place. Each person is sponsored for 10/20p for every ball missed. Our comms man Dennis once did this and it is a lot of fun to do.

E-Treasure Hunt

Why not be the new Anneka Rice and set up a treasure hunt for friends and family. We’d suggest a £5 entry fee – do it digitally and set up pages and clues across the internet that lead to one big prize. From a web page with a puzzle to solve leading to a newly set up social media channel – we’d be happy to help by storing the final answer somewhere for you….

Keep it Simple

Sometimes the best ways to raise money are the simple ones. Run, walk, jog, climb, walk, bike, whatever you want to do to raise money for SSJ – it all helps make a massive difference to those we look after – so go raise money and have a fantastic summer of fundraising for SSJ!

Are you already raising money for SSJ? Let us know and we can share it on our channels. Email Comms@SSJ.org.uk

• £30 raised could buy one person much needed ID
• £40 raised could give one week of travel to interviews or training
• £50 raised could buy an outfit for a job interview

In 2022 The Society of St James turns 50. From now till July next year we will be publishing 50 stories from SSJ – such as the incredible journey of Liam which was released last week. Let us know if you want to raise money for us in our jubilee year. Email Dennis.Jones@SSJ.org.uk

Nicky said: “The support received from the PCC’s office is invaluable and allows staff to offer a trauma-informed, strength-based approach to individuals with a history of homelessness and/or substance misuse issues. “Individuals with complex needs are given a place of safety to begin to address underlying issues. Wrap-around support and exceptional partnership working have contributed to a significant reduction in crime and positive move on to sustained independent living.”

Read more HERE (head to page 44)

Thank you to the Hampshire PCC for all your support.

Across our projects we are putting in an effort to make Christmas as joyous as possible for people who have a history of homelessness and addiction.

Back in November we launched our Christmas Appeal to raise money so we can provide a delicious hot Christmas meal to as many of our services users as possible. Alongside this we put together a ‘non-contact’ option for people to purchase gifts for vulnerable adults just to make sure our appeal was as COVID free as possible.

When we spoke to service users during August and September, we asked them for their thoughts on Christmas which made up the basis for our appeal in 2020. Hearing words such as hurt, anger, frustration, pain, sadness about a time we all know to be about joy, love, happiness was difficult to hear, but it cemented just how much we want to do to offer a positive festive season for them.

The Staff Make the Difference

As always, Project Managers and Support Workers across the charity are spending many hours, days and weeks putting together plans for our service users to enjoy the best Christmas possible under current conditions.

CEO of SSJ, Trevor Pickup said: “Many of our staff will be working over the Christmas period, as the needs of many people do not stop over the holiday period.   This year, staff have more to deal with than normal, with the virus making life more difficult and complex.  I appreciate the commitment of my colleagues to continue and to carry on, during this challenging time, and thank them for all their work.”

We receive many positive comments about our work on social media, as well as Just Giving and these comments help boost the morale of staff at difficult times.

Thank you to everybody who has left a positive comment or supported our Christmas Campaign. You make a massive difference to the morale of staff and service users.

Our Christmas Appeal is still running, if you want to support the campaign please click here.

We are aware that times are hard for most people right now and that is why we are delighted that we have been able to meet our first target of £5,000 for our Christmas Meal Appeal.

The first week saw unprecedented support from supporters across the South, helping us reach more than £1,000 within the first 7 days – all leaving powerful messages on LinkedIn which will be shared with staff in the organisation to boost morale.

We reached our original target of £5,000 on Friday, thanks to a generous donation from the team at Garmin, based in Southampton, who donated the £5,000 which would have been spent on their staff Christmas Meal.

This means that there are people affected by homelessness who will be able to enjoy a hot meal at a time of the year when they can feel so alone. Our campaign has been built on their own descriptions of how Christmas makes them feel – from cold to lonely, and from stressed to angry – so we can now make sure we invest time and effort into giving them a different kind of Christmas to the one they are accustomed to.

Help us do more:

We would love to keep the fundraising going to we can look ahead at what we can do next year to give people affected by homelessness the chance to change their lives.

With this in mind, any money raised above the £5000 target will go towards helping vulnerable people take the next step forward in 2021 by buying I.D, bus passes, smart clothes for job interviews, and more.

Anything you can do to help is greatly appreciated and if you can continue to support our appeal, it will change many lives in 2021.

You can continue to support the appeal by clicking here.

Here at SSJ we are extremely lucky to be supported by so many socially minded local businesses and included in this are the wonderful team at the Southampton offices of transatlantic law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson.

Last year the team raised a significant amount of money, matched by funding from the organisation’s trust, to ensure that our service users received some Christmas cheer.

This month; the team came to our rescue by offering to work on a commercial lease on a pro bono basis relating to the purchase of a light industrial unit and associated office space.

This purchase will allow us to provide a more efficient maintenance and repair service for our vulnerable residents.

We are very grateful to the staff at Womble Bond Dickinson who have taken the time to support the important work that The Society of St James does to prevent homelessness.

Jonathan Hobbs, a real estate partner with WBD said: “It has been a pleasure working with and providing support to the Society of St James. Everyone at the Southampton office really got stuck in raising funds for the Society of St James last Christmas, and it has been excellent to be able to provide some pro bono work for them too.

“It is important for us as a firm to do what we can, so it has been rewarding for us to be able to offer something back to the Society of St James, as an important charity for our community.”

World Homeless Day

October 10th is World Homeless Day and we are raising money to support the vulnerable individuals we work with to move forward, for example by bridging a rental gap when they first start working; or buying a suit for their first interview; or costs for securing necessary identification or even essential white goods when they move off the street and into accommodation.

As little as £15 could buy identification – click here to help.

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.

Twelve months ago I started working at the Society of St James as their Social Media, Communications, and Marketing Officer. I remember my first day in the office like it was yesterday – turning up as early as I possibly could – after catching the 6am ferry from the Isle of Wight – my old home and arriving outside the doors at Albert Road South ready to start.

Back then I had an understanding of what SSJ did. I’d spent hours researching and reading articles, looking on news sites, finding videos. But 12 months on I now have a much greater understanding and knowledge about the work we do.

I have learned so much in 12 months from the CEO, Senior Managers, Project Managers, and more. Their passion and determination to provide the very best in life for the most vulnerable are second to none. It has driven me to do even more in my own spare time to make a difference. I have heard stories about how – with hard work and determination, lives can be transformed.

Last November I was told about some of our service users who had been moved into a new property within Southampton. Nothing shocking there – it’s what we do. But what made me so proud was hearing about the first time a cleaner turned up at their door, to be invited in for a guided tour of their new flat. They were so proud of the fact they were now living in a place they could call home – the cleaner left without having to do a single thing – and the story was shared with staff at SSJ.

Hearing that helped me understand what it means to help people turn their lives around. I sit at home and sometimes throw a duvet over myself as I watch Netflix and I don’t even think about how lucky I am. This story reminded me that I am one of the luckiest people on earth that I can go to a warm and comfortable home each evening and not have to worry about where I will be tomorrow.

I remember reading the Case Study about the Homeless Day Service in Portsmouth as I prepared it to go live on our website. I remember sitting there and choking back a few tears as I read about the selflessness of the staff members who look after people with a history of homelessness. I remember thinking about those who turn up at the day service in Portsmouth and are provided with things that are a luxury to them, but you and I are things we take for granted.

International Women’s Day  was an incredible event to be part of, seeing ladies smiling for the first time in years as they were given the chance to enjoy a haircut, chocolates, a pampering session. These are things that I have always looked at as part of life – but these ladies were enjoying them for the first time in their lives and it meant so much to them.

I also think about the donations which come into SSJ from our incredible supporters and how that money goes towards giving people a fresh start and the chance to live the life they deserve but were not rewarded with due to awful circumstances in their lives. I have seen people with addictions come out on the other side, people who have slept on the streets for years find themselves in a warm bed for the first time – and I have seen just how much it means to every single one of them.

Just recently, thanks to our wonderful charity partners, The Southern Co-op, we were recognised for a national award at the Business Charity Awards. This news came in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and I remember phoning my boss and just having no words to describe what it meant to us. We were constantly listening to stories from our wonderful key workers about how they were helping the most vulnerable in society – and this award was something that gave everybody at SSJ a boost at the perfect time.

Last month I spoke to Owen, a service user, for our newsletter. He had come to SSJ during the lockdown as his life had fallen apart. He has been kicked out of the place he was living, work had dried up, he felt he had nothing left to give – and so he made the decision that he wanted to end his life.

Speaking to Owen, he told me that if it was not for SSJ, he wouldn’t be here now. Owen is currently aiming to move into support work himself, so he can help people who are in the same position he was in – he wants to give something back in the way he knows how – to share what he went through to save others.

And that to me sums up exactly what we do. It gives people the chance to transform their lives. And when I think about it, in a very small way, SSJ has changed my life too. I can’t think of a better job to do – where I can be in a position to tell you the stories about the work we do at SSJ to make the world a better place for thousands of people each year.

I love working for SSJ. I get so much joy from seeing the positive impact on each and individual we look after. Everybody deserves a shot at a normal life.

Dennis

The refurbishment will enable the area to become a base from which residents can learn self-care and life skills which will, in turn, help ensure a sustained recovery once they move on from the project. The work to the utility area will include new units and worktops, new tiling and flooring, a new washing machine, associated plumbing, and electrical work and redecoration.

President of The Rotary Club of Southampton, Philip Brazier, said: “I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to visit the house on 13th March with the Club’s President-Elect, Sue Phillips. Sue and I were taken on a tour of the premises and we were both very impressed with the house and its facilities and with the amazing work the Society is doing to help the residents overcome their problematic alcohol use so that they can have a better, healthier future.”

The Rotary Club of Southampton are regular supporters of The Society of St James and have funded similar projects over the last 5 years.

Once again, thank you to the Rotary Club of Southampton for their support.