Housing

Nottinghamshire YMCA offers various types of accommodation in the City and County, with provision for 86 residents at Shakespeare Street and 28 in Mansfield. All accommodation is supported housing to assist residents in gaining the skills to maintain independent tenancies.

There are several opportunities to help in the Shakespeare Street hostel and locally by volunteering with residents.

Each housing project is tailored to its community's needs and we strive to ensure that each aspect of each project is a high quality provision. As a Registered Social Landlord, we act in accordance with the Housing & Communities Agency and the Tenants Services Authority, and other required statutory bodies to ensure that our accommodation is as safe and secure as possible.

Key Working

Needs Assessment
Needs assessments are carried out to establish the areas of need for each resident. This is done in complete consultation and agreement from each resident.

Support Plan
The support plan is created using information from the needs assessment forms, to ensure appropriate support is offered.

Individual Objectives
Targets are then set based on the contents of the Support Plan using the 'SMART' acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed). Some of these targets are for the resident and some for that resident's key worker. It is essential that the resident agrees with the targets to achieve the correct areas and levels of support.

Life & Social Skills

As our projects assist those aged sixteen and upwards, life and social skills are an essential provision as part of the holistic approach to support. We aim to equip our residents with the skills to be able to cope in an environment where there may be no support available in order to help with tenancy sustainment and ultimately, improved quality of life.

Cooking
Cooking can be a difficult skill - even for qualified chefs. As a result of this, we offer assistance in food and produce purchasing, food preparation and finally cooking methods, whilst bearing nutritional value and budget in mind!

Health & Safety
To be able to live independently, it is handy to have certain maintenance skills, and to help with this, we offer assistance in basic maintenance and heath and safety procedures and practices around the home.

Sexual Health
This is a topic which can often be overlooked, but one which is vitally important to all of us. Support and answers to questions are offered as part of this provision, as well as contacts with appropriate health services. Naturally, all this takes place in a confidential environment.

Women Only Activities
Those women who benefit from the Women Only activities on offer come from diverse backgrounds and histories, ranging from those fleeing domestic abuse to those who just want an informal chat with other women. Friendships and fun can be found at these programmed events, where topics range from men to manicures!

Training and Employment

The Training and Employment section of the YMCA aims to encourage individuals to explore their options of getting back into training, with the end result being getting back into employment. We offer advice, help and support, assisting our clients with a range of needs, such as Job searching, interview coaching, cv writing and sign posting to external specialised services across the city.

Our targets are measured on a quarterly basis, we are anticipate to achieve 4 residents into employment per quarter, 3 residents to work in voluntary positions and 28 resident to go onto accredited courses whilst at the YMCA.

We have recently recruited an additional member to the team, this persons role is to primarily deliver workshops, helping clients develop their life skills, for example budgeting, cooking, IT, English and maths.  We endeavour to make many of the workshops client led, to ensure that we address the need of out service users.

IT Training
We know that computer based skills are essential in today's working practices, and, as such, we can offer specific training in either of our training rooms. Because everyone has different levels of skills in this very wide topic, we try to make sure that all who attend these classes receive bespoke training.

Communication Skills
Nottinghamshire YMCA is delighted that we are attracting a wide diversity of clients, as this has been one of our long term (as well as ongoing) goals. As a result of this, our housing projects offer advice and training with regards to providing facilities to help improve the communication skills of the residents.

GEM Project
Gem is a motivational project initiated in 2003 as a joint partnership with ourselves, West Nottinghamshire College, Framework Day Centre and Mansfield Diamond Partnership. It was recognised there was a need to engage the young people who use the services of the YMCA hostel and Framework Day Centre. The project exists to provide training, work opportunities and personal development for the participants. The project has developed with additional funding and as well as continuing with training, it has now become broader to include academic and vocational qualifications.

We continue to work with a number of community partners, to provide work experience and apprenticeships as well as voluntary opportunities. We also have periodical team-building and recreational activities such as outdoor pursuit weekends, paintball and other youth-based days out.

Move-On Accommodation

As well as two hostels, we also have three houses (in Mansfield) with two bedrooms in each house. If a resident has shown that they are ready for more independence, but not yet ready for complete independent living, we can offer them a room in one of these 'move-on' houses (subject to availability). Support is still offered to the resident, and access to hostel facilities is still available. This is an extremely popular part of our housing provision, and offers an excellent transition for those who still need a little support.

A new resident is congratulated by the Mayor	The keys are handed over!	Our CEO, Will Wakefield is congratulated by the Mayor

If you are homeless in Nottingham or Mansfield, please click here

Supported Housing

Those residents who receive support from us are assessed by trained staff, who then formulate plans (in complete consultation and agreement with the resident) to help offer training and support in the relevant areas.

Success Stories

We would like to show you that the appropriate areas and levels of support can change people's lives. The names in these stories have been changed to protect the identities of the resident.

Terri
A 20 year old female called Terri, a dependent heroin user for three years, came to stay at Mansfield YMCA. Her use of heroin began when she started a relationship with a male who was already an addict. Terri was accepted to Mansfield YMCA on condition that the only visitors that she had were family members. This gave her space to be able to decide what she wanted for herself. Terri decided that she wanted to stop using heroin and was referred to a drugs worker by staff at Mansfield YMCA. She started on a methadone drug replacement programme and was accepted into second stage housing specifically for recovering drug users. She has since called back to see staff at the hostel and she continues to recover well.

James
James has been a resident at the YMCA for just over 9 months. He came to the YMCA after a relationship breakdown with his wife, and having a problem with alcohol. He had no knowledge of the amount of support there was available at the YMCA. He worked well with his key worker and started accessing our counselling service. He was referred to Double Impact (a substance abuse project based in our premises) who has helped him to control his drinking. He proved to be very helpful around the hostel and has assisted others that have been in similar situations to his. He took on the role as resident representative, and is partaking in voluntary work within the hostel.

Due to the work he had done around the hostel, he felt that he would like to do more. With encouragement from his key worker, he applied to 'APAS' voluntary helpline service (advice for alcohol and drugs problems), giving advice to people with drink issues or problems over the phone. He has continued with this and is enjoying it immensely, and hopes to work in this field.

James was offered a property and successfully moved in. He has agreed to continue his voluntary work here and will be working for up to twelve hours a week.

Resident Participation

Resident's Meetings
Residents are encouraged to attend the meetings which are arranged to not only help to keep residents informed of the latest news and changes, but also receive comments and/or feedback regarding any aspect of their stay (although feedback is always welcome at any time!). Currently we are working with a local organisiation SUPE (Service User Positive Engagement) in offering a independent complaints and particicipation service to residents.

Make Poverty History
On 31 June 2005, two members of staff and five residents from Nottinghamshire YMCA made a journey to Edinburgh. The next day they became seven of the 225,000 people who gathered in Edinburgh for the Make Poverty History rally. At midday on 1 July, dressed in white, those 225,000 people set off on a march around the city of Edinburgh to form a huge white band. Nottinghamshire YMCA residents and staff were there to tell the world leaders at the G8 Summit that people should not be living in poverty. Everyone benefited from the experience, from planning stage, to learning of the harsh reality of living in a situation of poverty.

Youth Governance
Putting young people at the centre of the YMCA is part of our mission and vision. By putting this vision into action, young people are empowered as they see their decisions, ideas, thoughts and beliefs being considered. Nottinghamshire YMCA is proud to be involved in this initiative and we put forward our own young people to participate at a regional and national level.

Housing Committee
Resident involvement at committee level is not only welcomed, but also actively encouraged. As we strive to maintain an open and transparent operational ethos, we believe that not only should residents have representation on the Housing Committee for probity's sake, but also for reasons of personal development.