Date: 18th December
Since the beginning of November, Harbour Housing has been chosen as the support provider for temporary accommodation for Rough Sleepers at the newest Cold Weather Provision site (CWP) in Hayle. The project is funded by Cornwall Council for six months and will provide and enable people to have shelter, warm food and support during some of the most severe weather in winter. Through Harbour’s support, residents have also been given the opportunity to take part in educational activities and workshops, through Harbour’s, Resident Academy.
What is the Resident’s Academy?
The ‘Resident Academy’ considers differing needs and utilises informal learning opportunities to support residents to gain formal qualifications, for many this is for the first time in their life. The qualifications will be beneficial for them to develop a record of achievement, through tailored support, ultimately enabling residents to access opportunities which otherwise may be unreachable.
Alongside certification, the Academy provides residents with practical resources and experiences that will open avenues for employability. These include CV & Interview skills, workshops, Food hygiene & catering skills, Animal care, First aid skills, community living skills and relationship building. This approach allows dual development, both personally and professionally.
Here in Cornwall, the local employment market is particularly focused on Tourism and Agriculture, and these are the two elements, that the Resident’s Academy are currently aiming towards, at a pace that residents can embrace education. For many, this may have been a negative experience in the past, so by gently rebuilding structure and routine into their lives through education, Harbour hopes that this will enable a sense of responsibility to nurture and care for their working environment, as well as a sense of pride and achievement, which are invaluable to ensure that life and education skills complement each other.
One of the biggest barriers to unemployment is the lack of experience or training. The Academy starts where a resident is at, with a focus on making their journey away from homelessness better, so that they feel valued and prepared when showing potential employers their employability skills and worth.
HOW IS THE RESIDENT ACADEMY FUNDED?
Harbour Housing was successful in receiving funding through the National Grids, Community Matters Fund 2024, through a proposal formulated through their WAVE team. The WAVE team specialise in education, activities and wellbeing, with experience in supporting those experiencing generational unemployment and poverty.
Providing informal learning opportunities, emotional regulation & team building experiences and work-based skills, including DIY, managing finances and social skills for residents will provide personal growth as a foundation for employment. Preparing individuals for real-life scenarios and providing a qualification relevant to working practice adds to a CV which may have otherwise been lost or had limited qualifications noted. The Resident Academy runs across all Harbour properties in Cornwall, providing a unique approach to each project. Accessing this funding as an added value opportunity to housing-related support has enabled Harbour Housing to offer this opportunity to the residents at many differing stages in their journey, including those who have been very recently rough sleeping in West Cornwall. This week, four residents have successfully passed their food hygiene course and showcased their cooking skills whilst building relationships with their neighbours.
“The residents were so proud of each other and are hopeful to receive food donations so that they can use their new skills and continue to cook as a group” Activity Assistant, WAVE Team.
All sessions are supported by a member of the WAVE team who provides breakfast and refreshments, setting residents up for the day for learning. Breakfast is something that most take for granted, but for these residents, who have spent time Rough Sleeping and have often gone days without food, this, in itself, is a success. It has been a pleasure to work with these residents across our initial sessions and hear about their skills and lives.
COLD WEATHER PROVISION
Moving forward, Harbour has invested in a Fareshare membership as part of its support at CWP. This will not only provide residents with the opportunity to cook regular meals for each other, developing and sharing their knowledge, but it will also allow them to gain skills in managing food preparation and building community relations, with the hope of widening their thrift store model at Hayle, providing access to food donations & meals to those not in residence with Harbour but in nearby external temporary accommodation.
‘I found the Food hygiene course really interesting and useful to gain skills for cooking. It was nice to do the training as a group session with the WAVE team and have support from staff to use tablets to do the assessment’. – CWP resident
The CWP accommodation comprises seven rooms and is at full capacity. There is a lounge area and shared kitchen for the residents to cook together. Every evening a hot meal is delivered by Growing Links, Hayle, including weekends, Christmas and Boxing Day, which the residents are extremely grateful to receive.
‘The atmosphere in the accommodation has a relaxed ambience, with residents connecting with each other through the courses on offer and by sharing food. Staff are respectful of valuing residents’ space but are also there to provide support and lend an ear when needed, as Sometimes, all someone needs is a cuppa and a chat, especially at this time of year. – support worker, Harbour Housing.
Harbour Housings’ commitment to providing Cold Weather Provision began in 2020 and will continue to be at the forefront of our provision planning moving forward. Harbour has had the privilege of supporting numerous cold weather sites in Cornwall, including Newquay, Nanpean and Hayle providing them with invaluable insight from residents supporting the co-production of added value activities and support in addition to the commissioned accommodation. Providing good quality accommodation is a core principle at Harbour but providing residents with a lifeline of opportunities during their time in residence is our privilege.
‘We cannot end homelessness, but we can make the journey away from it better’- Malcolm Putko, Group Operations Director, Harbour Housing
To make a referral, go to https://www.harbourhousing.com/ and click on MAKE A REFERRAL
9th September
Cultural feast shared by staff celebrates diversity and inclusion.
Harbour Housing recognised the generosity of one of its own colleagues through its Act of Kindness Award, celebrating the everyday
23rd June
13th June
9th June
27th May
22nd May
