SPEAR, the homeless and vulnerably housed charity in the London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames is celebrating as it has received a grant worth £25,000. The two year grant has been made by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales through its Community programme.
Founded 22 years ago SPEAR have offered services to thousands of clients, successfully transforming lives and supporting many of their service users to achieve total independence. Their integrated services cover the full spectrum of homelessness; they operate a 12-bed hostel, street outreach and tenancy support services, a rent deposit scheme, a drug and alcohol misuse team and an accommodation project for young men. Their mission is to support all their service users to the point that they no longer need them. This means that they don’t just take people off the streets - they continue to work with them until they are ready to reintegrate fully into their community. For many the skills needed to sustain a tenancy such as paying bills are not familiar. SPEAR continues to work with their clients to ensure they do not return to the street, long after they have found suitable accommodation.
The Lloyds TSB Foundation grant will contribute to the salary of a social inclusion worker, allowing SPEAR to provide meaningful and appropriate activities for everyone that comes through their door. For those who are not ready to re-enter education or employment immediately, alternative projects will be available such as volunteering, photography or cooking. The role has been advertised and applications are currently being received.
Director at SPEAR, Ed Tytherleigh, commented on what the social inclusion worker will bring to the organisation. “We work with homeless people across the full spectrum of their concerns. From our experience, the worst thing they can do with their time is sit inside watching TV for hours on end. This new role will encourage people to be pro-active and engaged with their community, which is an important step towards integrating back into society”.
Sara Bomer, Lloyds TSB Foundation grant manager added, “SPEAR does great work helping people in Richmond off the streets and into housing. The Lloyds TSB Foundation is delighted to support their efforts.”
The SPEAR hostel on the Kew Roundabout, Richmond has been awarded a major capital grant from the national Hostel Capital Improvement Programme which will not only provide new rooms but also a training suite. They will be hosting an open day on November 29th 2008. If you would like to drop by, the staff and tenants would be delighted to tell you more about the plans for the future. Alternatively visit their website, www.spearlondon.org for further information.
