Helping Helpers
PAUL McLAUGHLIN
With so many voluntary agencies set up to help the homeless, the long term aim of actually eliminating homelessness may sometimes get lost. And that’s where Citadel Hastings comes in. It’s a relatively new player, set up by Housing Justice, a small yet highly influential national charity inspired by christian principles. It gets some of its funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of an 18-month Test and Learn project.
This is run under the auspices of the ‘Centre for Homelessness Impact’ to evidence what works to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate homelessness. Citadel was established in Wales five years ago and its prevention programme is focused on recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to work with those with a history of homelessness or rough sleeping.
Nichola d’Urso, the local coordinator, took up her role last October at the launch of the programme in Hastings. She has more than 20 years experience working in the homelessness sector, most recently with the Government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative.
Citadel provides specific and tailored help to connect to local support groups, such as Seaview and Warming up the Homeless and to ensure that correct benefits are being claimed and that rent and utility bills are up to date.
Nichola is keen to stress that Citadel works in partnership with other local homeless charities rather than competing with them and is now part of the ‘homeless ecosystem’ in Hastings.
The Test and Learn project still has a year to run, but Nichola says early results suggest the approach in Hastings is on course to match the success achieved in Wales, where some 90% of those who were given support were still engaged in the project, with 95% of clients sustaining their tenancies for at least 12 months after seeking support.
Citadel is open to referrals and is widely being promoted across the town. It needs more local volunteers to work with clients and to promote its homeless prevention programme. Once volunteers have been trained and DBS checked, Housing Justice will match them with a person in need of support.
To find out more about becoming a Citadel Hastings volunteer click on the Q Code or visit the Citadel – Housing Justice website.
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