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Our work to provide homes for rough sleepers is the subject of a 30 minute documentary on BBC One this evening (Monday 7 March).
Homes for the Homeless goes out at 8.30pm on BBC One in the East and West Midlands and will then be available on the BBC iPlayer . It shows the work of our Housing First service and its impact on the lives of former rough sleepers.
Along with service users (Lisa pictured above) and other staff we meet Claire Wellington, Team Leader at Housing First: here she explains her role and her passion for Housing First and Framework.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
“I love my job and am so passionate about this service. I can honestly say I look forward to work each day. Not many people can say that.”
What does your job involve?
“I manage a team who work one-to-one with former rough sleepers to support them in their tenancies often on a daily basis. This can be very challenging so I make sure I’m there to support them as needed. I also support the team to ensure the service we provide is to a high standard and our clients get the best support possible.
“It’s also part of my role to meet partners and stakeholders regularly to keep in touch, discuss more complex cases and discuss new referrals. I enjoy the variety!”
What makes your work so fulfilling?
“Knowing we are making a difference to someone’s life. Also helping to reduce the number of people rough sleeping and adding years to their life – or even saving a life – by creating a safer environment for them.”
What are the highs and lows?
“The highs are seeing how far our service users have come in maintaining their tenancy and generally improving their life.
“Also the team! This service is extremely challenging and we have the most wonderful people who never give up. Without doubt we achieve such good results because of our great staff.
“The lows are definitely the deaths we have had on the service. Sadly, we have had a few. We support the most vulnerable people with a prolific rough sleeping background and sadly the risk of death is high for many of them. We really feel it when someone dies.”
Why is the work Framework does so important?
“Our client group often have no hope anywhere else. We might be the only person in their life so it’s important we are there when no one else is. The work we do is vital because its life-changing and often life-saving.”
To watch Claire in action please tune to BBC One East Midlands or West Midlands this evening at 8.30pm and later on the BBC iPlayer where you will also find more information about the programme.
