Contact Details

• Names: (1) Andrew Jenkins (2) Corina Churchlow (3) Mandy Smithson

• Job Titles: (1) Chief Executive (2) Operational Manager (3) Finance & Development

• Phone Number: 029 2046 5250

• Postal Address: Cardiff YMCA Housing Association, The Walk, Cardiff CF24 3AG

• E-mail Address: (1/2) enquiries@cardiffymca.co.uk
  (3) mandy.smithson@cardiffymca.co.uk

• Website: www.cardiffymcaha.co.uk

View Cardiff YMCA Housing Association in a larger map

Click here for our picture gallery

History

Since the YMCA moved to The Walk in Cardiff just over 25 years ago, we have provided over *ONE MILLION BED-NIGHTS* of temporary accommodation for homeless people, by developing both our range of accommodation and the way in which we work with our residents. We have not just concentrated on providing for the immediate needs of homeless people but also address the causes of their homelessness.

Often people think of the YMCA as a provider of youth work and leisure activities. However, this YMCA - Cardiff YMCA Housing Association - is a YMCA with a difference!

Here in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, we have four city centre housing projects offering flexible support services and five schemes offering a range of additional complimentary services. These include a range of temporary accommodation options for vulnerable men and women of all ages and backgrounds who are in housing need.

It isn’t enough to just offer people a roof over their head. Many people who become homeless have experienced difficulties or crises that have affected their ability to cope. They may not be ready to take on the responsibilities involved in having their own place, they may be uneasy about living alone in a flat, or feel they don’t have the skills to carry out the day-to-day tasks involved in managing a home.

That’s why our services are designed, not just to provide a place to stay but to offer support, advice, skills training and personal development opportunities so that residents leave feeling more confident and assured about taking their place in the community.

Services & Activities

The Walk is the YMCA’s main unit and is a temporary homeless hostel consisting of 76 single rooms. Residents are provided with food, accommodation, support and access to services until more permanent housing can be found. The provision of support follows an initial assessment process in which residents’ support needs are identified and a Support and Action Plan agreed. This is reviewed and updated monthly.

Arthur Sansom House (ASH) is a semi-independent re-settlement project where each resident works through a ‘modular life skills development programme’ tailored to their individual needs.  The five units of accommodation are on the upper floors of 2 East Grove, situated next to the main hostel at The Walk. Residents share a kitchen and other facilities. Support is provided and allocation is usually through the main hostel residency.

The Advice & Resettlement Worker, delivers the Daily Living Skills Programme, which includes cooking, cleaning, budgeting and communication skills, in preparation for move-on into independent living. Residents are taken through this programme to develop the life skills needed to maintain a tenancy and this includes help to improve self confidence through the development of essential life skills.

“Living in ASH helped me to budget, cook on a budget and deal with my bills”

The Ambassador is a homeless hostel based in Oakfield Street, Roath, consisting of 36 rooms. Residents living here are referred to the YMCA by Cardiff Council’s Homelessness Department, having been assessed as having priority for housing due to their vulnerability. When residents arrive, they are allocated a Support Worker who meets with them on a regular basis to help address their support needs. This time is also used to prepare for move-on. Residents are provided with food, accommodation and support services until they are re-housed by the local authority.

At both the Walk, and the Ambassador, Support Workers provide advice and assistance with issues such as housing, education, employment, substance misuse, offending, mental and physical health, life skills, relationships and benefits. YMCA Support Workers also make referrals to other agencies in and around Cardiff when more specialised support is needed.

YMC8 is a long term independent accommodation project with peripatetic support consisting of 7 self contained flats. Applicants for the project are either from the YMCA hostel or are external referrals. Support is provided by the Support Department for up to two hours per week where applicants are helped to address any issues. The primary aim of the YMC8 project is to provide long-term supported accommodation to people in housing need who have additional long-term support needs and for whom independent living is an attainable goal. Most tenants remain at the project for at least two years before moving on.

The Design for Life project was designed to enhance basic and general skills through a programme of accredited and non-accredited training; activities and information and advice, in order to improve employability and sustain self sufficiency in alternative accommodation.

Situated on the ground floor of Arthur Sansom House (ASH) next to the YMCA, the project consists of a Drop-In, Training Room and a kitchen. The Drop-in centre has three PCs with internet access for all YMCA residents to use and the training room has three PCs specifically for training purposes. The Centre is staffed by a full-time Advice and Activities Worker who provides advice on a range of issues and facilitates high and low impact activities, which include: football training, snooker, film and quiz sessions and local interest outings - and an Advice and Development Worker providing advice on a range of issues and organising and facilitating at basic skills development sessions, including: Learn direct, RAW, career development workshops, digital story telling, job searches and applications/CV writing.

Addressing ‘Basic Skills’ in literacy and numeracy is very much a key factor of this service and the informal and familiar surroundings motivate residents to ‘test the water’ in a range of activities and learning opportunities. Although DFL is a project that residents can access informally and voluntarily, typically 45% of hostel users access the project every week. DFL demonstrates a creative way to address the challenges our resident’s face that have not been tried before and provides a new way for support staff to reach and engage with them. Building on our experience within the team, DFL has helped remove the barriers for accessing services, and indicates its potential value in the prevention of homelessness and worklessness.

Work Incentive Scheme (WIS): The disincentives to work whilst in receipt of Housing Benefit and living in a homeless hostel have been overcome at Cardiff YMCA HA by developing a scheme that gives participants a range of incentives to encourage and support them into training and work whilst living at the hostel. The WIS scheme has been operational since 2004 with numbers increasing throughout that time from an occasional worker to a steady 20% of hostel residents having a place on the scheme.

Staff support and motivate residents to find and maintain paid or voluntary work and help set up work and voluntary placements. Not only has the scheme benefited the individuals involved, it has promoted a positive work culture within the hostel and demonstrates that it is not always unwillingness to work that is at the root of the unemployment issue.

The WIS is unique in hostel provision in Cardiff and its incentives give added value to the Foyer placements. To date WIS has been cited on Radio Wales, promoted at the Cardiff County Council Annual Homelessness Conference, the Connect Housing Magazine, Supporting People News Letter, and in recognition of its success, was awarded the Pat Chown Award for Innovation in Housing.

Emergency Bed: Our hostels are almost always full, and we operate a waiting list with people waiting for a room to become vacant. However, we recognise the urgent and immediate need for some people with literally nowhere to go but the streets. For this purpose, we keep a room for an emergency which is staffed 365 days of the year. Someone can stay overnight, have breakfast in the morning and be given some practical advice and contacts to help them find a place to stay. We take self referrals and referrals from the local Emergency Co-ordinator for street homeless people. The bed is used nearly every night of the year. In the last year we extended this provision to include an overnight facility for use by BUS staff referrals. We do this in partnership with Cardiff City Council’s Homelessness Department, who allow vacant nominated rooms for this purpose.

“It was fantastic just to feel clean and safe – getting some sleep made me less crabby and I listened to what they said the next day”

Private Rented Sector Scheme (PRS): Recognising that the limited stock of social housing in Cardiff was not able to meet the move-on needs of our residents, we have set up a Private Rented Sector scheme to promote residents options for taking on private accommodation.  We provide rent in advance, some bond money and agency fees to help someone who is ready to move out but is not in a financial position to consider the private sector. The scheme is intended as part grant and part loan and has been in operation as a pilot since the summer of 2007.

Pets Room: Homeless people with pets find it even more difficult to find somewhere to stay. With advice from the Canine Protection League and the Dog’s Trust we have been able to set aside two rooms for people with pets. We have successfully housed a number of people with their pets – with dogs ranging from Boxers to Jack Russell’s and Rottweiler’s (and they have all been very well behaved and popular with residents and staff alike).

The Dog’s Trust runs a veterinary entitlement scheme for homeless dog owners to access free preventative treatment (neutering / worming / vaccinations etc) including any treatment needed up to £250.   The dog owner is expected to contribute the first £10. There is no cost to the organisation and the support department has responsibility for liaising with the Dog’s Trust to access free vet care for service users with dogs.

Quote: “Without being able to have my dogs with me I would have been forced to remain sleeping rough ”

If you think we can help you – visit our website at www.cardiffymcaha.co.uk and read real life case studies of people who have stayed with us.  Our news items, annual reports, case studies and video, will give you a good idea of what we do, why we do it and how well we do it.

If you would like to support the work we do, why not click on the “Support Us” button and see the many ways of doing so!

Thank you for visiting our page – if you have any comments, please e-mail enquiries@cardiffymca.co.uk.

Click here for our picture gallery

Contact YMCA Wales: 01792 480 141  /  info@ymcawales.co.uk

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 |   |   |   |   |   |   |