Thames Reach are delighted to have been selected as one of Lloyd’s of London Foundation’s partners for 2023. This selection was made after a vote by employees at Lloyd’s, resulting in a £50,000 grant to support financial resilience and digital skills training for people at risk of homelessness.

Thames Reach have been selected on the basis of fulfilling the Foundation’s criteria, including: supporting people and communities directly, demonstrating long-term sustainability, and supporting groups that are at risk and hardest to reach.

Our Employment and Skills team help the people we work with to move towards suitable employment by developing essential skills and finding sustainable jobs, thereby ensuring they can afford their rent, pay utility and food bills, and ultimately keep their homes, ever more so, during the current cost of living crisis. With this grant, the Employment and Skills team will be able to help 2,000 people this year.

Thames Reach’s Employment and Skills programme includes the following strands:

• Financial Resilience and Digital Inclusion: IT training and equipment to ensure the people that we support have the skills essential for the day-to-day activities of everyday life.
• Information Advice and Guidance: to help a person to establish their goals, objectives and aims (keep a roof over their head, pay the bills, train and develop skills, and seek employment).
• Access to Training including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL): over 50% of the people currently sleeping rough in London are non-UK nationals and need to improve language skills in order to access work.
• Volunteering: we provide people with little recent experience of the workplace environment, an opportunity to volunteer with appropriate support and training to build confidence, self-resilience, workplace skills which are a precursor to a pathway into employment.
• Job Brokerage: we provide job brokerage with employers, as we help people prepare to move into work, including interview preparation, work placement, and matching people with supportive job offers.
• Step Up: we provide those already in work with support to increase their income and job security.

Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive at Thames Reach, said: “We are delighted to be one of Lloyd’s of London Foundation’s charity partners for this year. This generous support will allow us to expand our work preventing homelessness, by helping people to maintain their tenancies, develop skills, find work, and gain confidence. By providing digital skills and financial resilience advice to almost 2,000 people, we will be able to work towards closing the social and digital exclusion gap, and help people manage their own lives successfully.”

Zorina Begum, Area Manager for Employment, Skills and Prevention Services at Thames Reach said: “It is a privilege that Lloyd’s employees have chosen Thames Reach as one of their Foundation charity partners of the year. We very much look forward to the many opportunities to work with Lloyd’s employees as volunteers to support the delivery of our skills and employment homelessness prevention work, for instance as mentors to our service users, supporting with CV writing and interview skills.”

For editors:

Thames Reach is a charity based in London, supporting people facing homelessness through prevention, response, and recovery. The charity specialises in helping people with complex and multiple needs, including mental health and drug and alcohol use. It manages a range of services, including street outreach, frontline hostels, day services, specialist supported housing and employment and skills schemes. Thames Reach’s mission is to assist homeless and vulnerable adults to find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. thamesreach.org.uk

The Lloyd’s of London Foundation is the independent charity founded and funded by Lloyd’s. We partner with people and charities to build resilient communities.

Society needs resilience more than ever: the ability to bounce back from unexpected events and prepare for a more sustainable, inclusive future.

That’s why we are working to empower and embolden communities through tangible action and long-term partnership.

We channel the resolve, relationships, and resources of the Lloyd’s market to open doors and drive real change for people around the world – instilling confidence and unlocking independence. www.lloyds.com/foundation

Last year, we happily revealed that we were working in partnership with Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 to lend tablet devices to people we work with across Thames Reach. Recipients, many of whom are in hostels and temporary and emergency accommodation, have access to the device, apps and six months of free calls and data, thanks to the partnership.

Managed by the Essentials Skills team at Thames Reach, there has been a hugely positive response from the scheme, which is currently in its pilot stage. Angie* and Kamil* have both received a tablet on the Tech Lending Scheme, and are gaining further independence.

Angie is in her fifties and a resident at one of Thames Reach’s hostels. She has a history of mental health support needs and drug use, both of which she has been receiving support for during her time in the hostel. Back in September 2022, she received a tablet from the Tech Lending Scheme, and said she intended to use the device for music and games. Angie is a big character, and a prominent figure within the hostel, and has proven to be a big advocate of the Tech Lending Scheme, role-modelling positive behaviour and results to other residents. Staff have remarked how peer-to-peer advice is often the most powerful intervention, and resonates with Angie’s fellow residents. She has used her own tablet to help cope with difficult periods of mental health, describing listening to music via the device as a coping strategy. When contacted by Tech Lending Hub staff for feedback, she said, “I’m loving it. I use it 24/7. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to have one.”

Kamil is a Polish national in his forties who has been residing at our night shelter since early October 2022. He has limited English language proficiency, and a history of physical ill health. He was loaned a device by Thames Reach within his first week of moving into the shelter, and immediately started using it to make positive progress, including attending an online ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes twice a week. He uses his tablet to complete online homework set by his ESOL tutor, as well as additional study outside of class, which will contribute to future independence. When Kamil needed to visit hospital at the end of October, he was able to use the Voice-to-Text Google Translate feature on his tablet to liaise with doctors about the problem he was experiencing, allowing him to receive the right treatment. Staff at the shelter have remarked that Kamil has been using the tablet to provide peer support to other residents, hoping to embed digital skills for others who have received tablets through the Tech Lending Scheme.

*names have been changed for confidentiality purposes

A tablet lending scheme, which sees people who are facing digital exclusion given access to a digital device for up to six months, is being trialled at Thames Reach. This has been made possible thanks to funding from Hubbub, in partnership with Virgin Media O2.

Managed by the Essential Skills team, 300 tablets will be lent out to people living in temporary accommodation, while they are receiving support to end their homelessness. Devices come with free calls, texts and data allowing beneficiaries to use them for anything they need, from accessing emails and messenger apps to online materials for education and drug and alcohol programmes.

The scheme has already been rolled out in Thames Reach hostels in Lambeth and will soon be expanded to other forms of short term and emergency accommodation. Feedback from the initial pilot has been highly positive, with hostel staff seeing improvements in self-care and increased independence for residents.

When device recipients were asked how they are getting along (via text), they said:

“I am really pleased with the tablet, it is really useful in my recovery. To have the minutes and texts and data is useful. Thank you for the trust.”

“The tablet is brilliant, it is really helpful. I’m thinking of running, as I was in hospital for 6 months and had to learn to walk again. And the Mind app is great.”

“I’m loving it, I use it 24/7. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to have one.”

Alongside the scheme, all recipients will be able to develop their digital skills through Thames Reach’s in-house digital training programmes delivered by specialist staff.

On 16 November, the Southwark Works team ran a jobs fair at Thames Reach’s Employment Academy, specialising in opportunities and support for the Latin American community in South East London. Employers from a range of sectors were in attendance to meet with people in the Latin American community who were looking for work in the capital. 

The fair was a unique event; from two years experience working with Latin American communities in and around Southwark, the team had established the need to connect people looking for work with potential employers. This is not always a straightforward task, given challenges including language barriers, right-to-work documentation and a sufficient understanding of welfare systems, and accessing a GP.

Opportunities available in construction, care, cleaning and hospitality were shared with attendees, as well as specialist advice from Southwark Works, support services and education providers. 

We spoke with Alvaro and Julia, originally from Colombia who attended the fair in Camberwell. 

Julia said, “I was really happy to get information on the English courses, as I am looking to improve my English; it was also interesting to find legal advice here around immigration.”

Alvaro said, “We came today to look for work opportunities, and to try and find new opportunities to improve our lives in London. Now we have taken contact details and will be hopefully receiving some support to get into work and test our English, to see where we need to improve our skills.”

The fair was very well attended, with almost 100 people in the local Latin American community coming to the Employment Academy. It was an incredibly positive event for attendees, employers and Southwark Works alike. 

Giovanni, support worker in the Southwark Works team, said: “This event has been a great opportunity for the Latin American community to find out about opportunities in South East London, whether they need general support, training or employment. Similarly, it has also been a chance for support services, employers and training providers to network together, find out more about each other’s work and create the basis for long-term collaborations, and possibly a development of a hub of professionals that liaise together in order to offer specialised and tailored help to this fantastic and hard-working community.”

Yesterday, 10 November, Thames Reach held an event to launch a new independent report into the work done by our Community Living and Support Service (CLaSS).

Written by independent researcher Frank Curran of SP Solutions, the report looks at the impact CLaSS has had since the service first launched in February 2020.

What is CLaSS

The CLaSS team is comprised of staff from Thames Reach, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM) and Lambeth council. The team works with vulnerable people within Lambeth hospitals who are facing delays in being discharged from hospital due to non-medical issues such as housing. The team also works with people in the local community to prevent them from reaching a crisis point that might lead to a hospital admission.

CLaSS operates as part of the Lambeth Living Well Network Alliance, a partnership between Thames Reach, SLAM, Lambeth council, Certitude and the Lambeth NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which helps people using mental health services in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Why it is needed

Many people who get admitted to hospital, and who have support needs related issues such as housing or mental health, often remain on hospital wards long after they are medically fit for discharge. Usually, because they are unable to return to the local community. As well as being immensely difficult and distressing for the people involved, this can also prove costly for hospitals with limited resources. CLaSS attempts to address this.

The report launch

Thames Reach held a remote launch event yesterday for the report, which featured a presentation on the findings, followed by a panel discussion.

Bill Tidnam, Thames Reach Chief Executive, said: ‘We’re proud of our involvement in the Lambeth Living Well Network Alliance, and the work of the CLaSS team which shows what this collaboration between partners can achieve. The report looks at the success of the team and their work to support discharge, and the approach of the Alliance that recognises the contribution that the voluntary sector can make in constructively challenging professional silos in the health and social care sector.’

You can watch both parts of the event below.

ClaSS Report Launch Part One – Presentation

ClaSS Report Launch Part Two – Panel Discussion

The CLaSS Report

You can also read the CLaSS Report in full here.

We are pleased to announce that Deptford Reach, our service offering prevention support across Lewisham, has been awarded a grant that will fund five years of outreach in the community. This new model for Deptford Reach, which has been piloted for several months, will allow the team to work with people at risk of homelessness in the wider community, through food banks, churches, and other hubs, to ensure that support is directed where it is most needed. With the cost-of-living crisis, Thames Reach acknowledge that new people will require the service, so it is important that the team are expanding outside of the day centre model. New figures showing an increase in people sleeping rough for the first time highlights the need to take action to stop the existing crisis of street homelessness escalating further.

This funding is thanks to a partnership with City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charity funder, and will allow people to access support who may be affected by the social stigma of homelessness. With the support given by the Deptford Reach team, the objective is to help as many people as possible, through casework and engagement to help issues around accommodation, mental health, employment, and immigration.

Having been recognised with a £10,000 prize at the London Homelessness Awards in October, Deptford Reach will now secure its place as a valued service in the community by expanding into the wider Lewisham borough, reaching people who won’t have had contact with the service yet. With a presence at food banks, for example, people using this service will be able to receive practical advice on maintaining their tenancies and preventing homelessness as well as essential food supplies.

Fiona Sutherland, Area Director, said: “Thames Reach are delighted for the recognition and funding from City Bridge Trust in order to continue to work to resolve issues which lead to homelessness for people in Lewisham. We know street homelessness is traumatic, and this intervention will allow us to be visible and accessible in the local community, and offer resolutions to issues which commonly lead to homelessness.”

Jordan McTigue, Lead Manager for Deptford Reach, said: “This new funding will make sure we are delivering the best service for people at risk of homelessness, providing real options to help with specific issues being experienced. From experience, we know that being out in the community is an effective way to help people who may be feeling they are running out of options.”

“New figures released by City Hall today show a worrying increase in people sleeping rough across all groups recorded, with the most significant increase in people sleeping rough for the first time, and non-UK citizens experiencing street homelessness. The data covers the period June to September, so before much of the increase in costs of living, which are likely to have a particular impact on people who receive benefits and are on low incomes, and on people who are moving away from street homelessness.

“The reasoning behind this increase is complex and will depend on the individual’s situation, but increasing pressure on the housing market has meant that private renting has become more expensive and precarious. The capping of benefits has also added to this pressure, particularly in London, where this means that much of the capital is unaffordable to people on benefits.”

Numbers increasing for the second quarter in a row

“A 33% increase in new people coming to the streets is a real concern. Our prevention services have been working with people in the community who are at risk of street homelessness as a result of low-quality housing and employment, immigration status or mental health support needs compounded by increasing costs, but we need to make sure that these services are funded and expanded to engage with people as early as possible to avoid the trauma of street homelessness.”

Numbers of non-UK citizens sleeping rough increasing

“The challenges facing people with limited or unclear eligibility and no recourse to public funding are not going away. We call on the government to continue reviewing their stance on non-UK citizens, so we can support people in a range of situations to get back into employment, secure their immigration status and move away from street homelessness.

“While we are all noticing the changes and strains under the current crisis, the same issues we have noticed for years remain the key issues in tackling homelessness: access to housing that is good quality, secure and affordable; employment; mental health support; substance use treatment, immigration advice and prevention measures. This includes direct engagement with different communities who may not feel comfortable accessing homelessness services themselves.”