From addiction to employment

The Salvation Army has been successful in a partnership bid with Tomorrow's People to deliver a service to recovering drug/alcohol users.  This will enable them to get ready and get back into the work place.  TP will appoint two advisors who will work across London, (although primarily in Tower Hamlets) to deliver these services within our centres.

Below is an extract from the bid:

"This project will be delivered by a partnership of Tomorrow's People (TP) and The Salvation Army (TSA).  The extensive London-wide network of TSA homeless and detox centres will provide a guaranteed supply of potential beneficiaries onto the project.  TSA research "A Home For All?" (2005) confirms that substance misuse is still one of the most common reasons for becoming and remaining homeless with 46% of TSA hostel clients saying they have an addiction problem. In one TSA detox centre in Tower Hamlets (Greig House), there were 393 admissions in 2005 of which 324 successfully completed an alcohol or drugs treatment programme. These are the target people we are now seeking to recruit onto this new employability support project.  To engage and retain beneficiaries, TP's Adviser will identify what support is needed for each participant and will initiate an Action Plan in the first meeting recording mutually agreed aims and objectives.  This Plan is a key tool in reviewing customer progress and will be jointly constructed and continually reviewed as a way of mapping progress, keeping the programme focused and the customer motivated. The Plan will define precisely how each customer benefits from the project and who will deliver. In addition to the customers' input we have strong links with other referral agencies providing information to help us better understand customers' barriers and needs. Using these procedures we are able to best match the correct type of support for each customer and deliver quality provision. For this new project, we are confident we can recruit and deliver support to 60 beneficiaries."

Addictions to Employment is a programme recently commenced in London working with unemployed homeless people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. It is an innovative programme we have undertaken with our partners Tomorrow's People which engages with some of the most vulnerable, economically inactive and least likely people to get involved in government programmes. By combining the separate specialisms of The Salvation Army and Tomorrow's People we are achieving real life changing outcomes from addiction, through detox and into useful employment.  This partnership also raises the Army's capacity to resettle residents into independent living and to help support and sustain them in worthwhile work.

Through this project we aim to help sixty beneficiaries from the Barking, Dagenham, Camden, Hammersmith, Fulham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Havering and Westminster. How we would love to see this programme replicated nationally.

We know that through helping unemployed people achieve their potential many individuals, families and communities are being changed. We would love to hear what other corps and centres are doing and to share good practice. Or if you are interested in seeing something like this happen where you are please contact Employment Plus at THQ or e-mail employment.services@salvationarmy.org.uk. 

Here is a testimony from  someone who undertook the Addictions to Employment Programme:

I'm now living at Riverside House.  Before this I moved around from pillar to post working as a general builder until my life became unmanageable.  I asked for help and had been accepted on a RAFT programme IDP at South Quay which I completed about 6-7 weeks ago.  I was introduced to Tomorrow's People, an organisation that comes into Riverside House and tries to help people get their life skills back on track through job training etc.

I had an appointment made and saw a lady called Joanne Mahon, and I was amazed at the things she has helped me with; setting up an email address and searching the web trying to locate some voluntary work for me.  Our appointment was supposed to be for half an hour and she was helping me so much that our appointment went on for more than an hour.  I was buzzing when I left because I was armed with a lot of information and things to do, and hope for the future.  I followed up the things that were suggested and Joanne contacted City Lit regarding a course I wanted to go on.  As well as sending them an email she posted letters and helped me fill in the forms and helped with suggestions for my own response to the application.  She has not let up, not once and I am so pleased not just for the help and support I've had from Tomorrow's People, but to have such a wonderful and helpful person like Joanne.

Thanks to Tomorrows People, Joanne has helped me to get on to a counselling course at City & Islington College. I'm in my fourth week now.  I panicked and was very stressed because I didn't have the cash to start the course, they wanted £148 fee for this.  In the end they reduced it to £35 and Tomorrows' People paid it for me.  I'm so grateful as I am very serious about these courses, I had done the first level about 3 years ago and I needed to do level 2 in order to progress and now feel that my life is back on track and with the right support and help from Riverside House and Tomorrows People I will succeed and can do it.  I also know they're not wasting their time and money with me because I will follow up this learning until I gain a diploma, this is my life now.

I just cannot believe my luck with Tomorrows People, I wanted to do Reiki and Joanne had tried to find me some courses, but to no avail.  Then she kept trying until one day she said you know there is a place in Whitechapel where you can get cheap breakfast and even some clothes, and also a place in Commercial Road called Skylight for people like yourself where they are lots of things you might be interested in and may even be able to get help with funding.  I followed this up too, I had breakfast at the place in Whitechapel and got a few bits of clothing and I'd followed up the lead at Skylight Café etc and I was amazed, Joanne was right and I know I'm in good hands.  I'm now on a Reiki course and my life is looking pretty good with lots of things to do, I can't complain.

Well on to me for getting this far, but big-up to Tomorrow's People and many thanks.  It's very encouraging because I can phone Joanne at any time I'm baffled or confused about the things I'm doing or I need some info about courses and so on.  If she misses a call she will phone me back without fail.  She is indeed an asset and makes such a difference to have someone who is so dedicated and selfless who is willing to help and not seeing things as being a burden or get upset or irritated.  I wish I had her strength, I know I will get there one day because it is in me as well.

Bless, I had better stop here as I am so excited.  Thanks.

Wednesday 3^rd October 2007

Salvationist Article of the lst March, 2008, celebrating the Addiction to Employment Initiative.

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