Residential Unit

The unit has 50 long term and 4 short term beds each housed in a fully furnished room with a sink. Bathrooms, kitchens and lounges are shared with around seven residents and a laundry and drying room is available on the ground floor. We aim for residents to be resettled within two years of arrival.

A project worker is specifically assigned to each resident to help ensure a meaningful and sustainable individualised support plan is developed. This focuses on the delivery of safe and secure temporary accommodation whilst preparing and supporting residents for moving on to longer term housing.

There is an acute shortage of move on accommodation within Greater London and supporting residents require resourcefulness and creativity, whilst at the same time ensuring they make the necessary progress towards being ready for resettlement.

Supporting marginalised and formerly isolated women presents numerous challenges .We work hard to ensure good links are maintained with GP's, Westminster Primary Care Trust, educational establishments, drugs counsellors, the Police, Westminster City Council officers and community mental heath teams. Appropriate agencies attend some resident meetings and the women are put in touch with appropriate agencies directly.

We also focus on establishing community both inside and outside the hostel, including regular resident meetings and opinion surveys. Training in health and safety, recruitment, personal safety and protection from abuse is made available to our residents.

Project Workers develop constructive and positive working relationships with residents, and we actively encourage and support residents to become involved in resident committees, health and safety, staff recruitment and to contribute to the development of our policies. As a consequence of the trust created, residents can be supported to address some of the distressing long term issues that have made them vulnerable. Having the confidence that an experienced member of the team is around to help provides considerable reassurance on the path out of and away from homelessness

The Facts

• Residents have 24-7 access a project worker.
• Around 110 homeless women are served annually in this unit.
• We aim for residents to be resettled within a maximum of two years however where the resident is ready and accommodation identified this can be earlier.
• With the cost of removal and provision of furniture/utensils an average move can cost £375. This will provide a resident with basic essentials when moving to unfurnished accommodation.
• It will take, on average, 108 hours of project worker's time to conclude a successful resettlement.

Marylebone Project, 1 - 5 Cosway Street, London NW1 5NR
Tel: 020 7262 3818, Fax: 020 7402 8752
E-mail: bradbury@maryleboneproject.org.uk