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Joined by Michelle Wells and Hayley Winter, Service Coordinator and Support Worker (respectively) for P3 Charity’s Accommodation Based Support (ABS) Service in Gloucester, we talk about the support they offer to the people they work alongside and some exciting projects coming up over the next year.
Sitting in the garden that’s shared between the ABS service and the Gloucester hub, Hayley talks about the location of the service and why it’s an important part of supporting people experiencing homelessness in Gloucester city.
Close to the centre of the city, the service runs an assessment centre that can help people identify their needs, helping to then find suitable long-term accommodation. With a mix of self-referrals and people referred from the local council, P3’s Gloucester ABS houses people for a temporary period of time while supporting them to find something more permanent.
Michelle adds, “I think because we are a smaller service than some of the other supported accommodations, we are able [to deliver] a very person-centred and trauma-informed approach. An environment that is great for the people that live here.”
Michelle and Hayley are keen to show us their photo board, made up of images from activities and events that the team have put on for people they supported over the years.
Hayley says, “At the Gloucester ABS, we try to offer that little bit more, so when [people] come here they are not just getting that support for housing or mental health… We try to give people the opportunity to do things that they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to do.”
From cooking events, BBQs and movie nights to bigger events such as day trips to the beach, the team go above and beyond to create a supportive environment that doesn’t just cater to basic provision but can be looked back on with fondness. “To be able to give people these sorts of opportunities is just amazing.”
As Hayley explains, the bigger events are annual events put on by the team after they’ve raised enough money through a fundraiser. Last year, Hayley and a colleague completed a 100km fundraising walk over two days, raising just over £600, which they then used to take the people they support to Alton Towers.
With a beaming smile, Michelle adds, “They absolutely loved it! Some of them said it was ‘the best day’ of their lives, some others said that they had never been to a theme park, [so to be able to take them] was amazing. It was so rewarding, and because that was so successful, we wanted to raise more money! So we’ve decided to climb Ben Nevis this year and hopefully arrange something in the spring.”
With the accommodation being a temporary housing service, Michelle and Hayley say they will decide nearer the time what their trip will be. Hayley says: “We’re keen to make it work for all the people we are currently supporting. [Because] most of the people we work with here are in and out within a 12 week period, we’ll have a get together with everybody who is here at the time to decide what we do.”
Michelle is keen to add: “We leave it up to the people we support to make the choice, because that is who we are doing it for. Whatever crazy thing they want to do, that suits us. As long as it makes them happy, that is all that matters for us!”
With plenty of training walks behind them, Hayley and Michelle are getting into the routine of training. And with only a few practice walks left to go, that’s not enough for Hayley, a well-seasoned pro.
Michelle laughs, “Hayley’s put together this whole plan for us: a bit of weight training and exercising on our legs, some squats; you know, things like that. It’s such a huge thing, especially for people like me who don’t walk anywhere!”
She adds: “We’ve got a bug for [fundraising] now. It’s great to see how generous people are to our charity. The people [who we support] are truly incredible people: They’ve just found themselves in a difficult situation, and just to see their faces makes me really happy.”
Hayley and Michelle plan to do an annual fundraiser to keep providing these bigger trips once a year for the people the work alongside. As Hayley says: “We can’t get access to that amount of money any other way.”
The impact of fundraising on P3 services like our Gloucester ABS can completely transform the wellbeing and engagement of the people who rely on the service for support. This is only possible through the partnerships the team has made in the local community, where businesses and local residents support their fundraising campaigns.
Michelle mentions, “One of the people we support has actually been given the opportunity to volunteer at the Cotswold horse-riding trail. So, she goes up on a Friday and takes little children out on the horses. She’s doing that for eight weeks, and then at the end of that, we are going to get her own horse-riding lesson, because even at the end of all of that, she has never ridden a horse!”
“How brilliant is that? She’s getting something out of that, and for someone with complex needs, it’s given her structure and positive use of her time.”
Volunteering opportunities for people access the ABS support has provided people with a wealth of exciting opportunities, as well as giving back to the local community.
To the team, success is captured through tangible change that cannot be captured with numbers: It’s about the stories and positive change that people are able to action within their own lives.
Hayley says, “A lot of it is about the small wins you see with people, about the progress and the journey as much as it is about the accommodation. Numbers are great, but they don’t always capture things like a person who is finally able to get out of bed in the morning, someone who learns to manage their own time better: We have lots of those sorts of things. That is impact. That is a win.”
Michelle finishes: “That’s why we do the job we do.”
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