THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST JOHN WITH ST MARY MANSFIELD
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Mission Statement
To support the homeless and vulnerably housed adults of Mansfield by providing a safe place where they can feel valued, receive the support they need and engage with other services. Everyone is an individual with a unique set of issues which have brought them to the place they are in. We aim to meet them in that place and hopefully through relationships enable them to make wiser choices to transform their lives
About This Cause
Who are we? Part of the ministry of St John’s with St Mary’s, Mansfield, the Beacon has been helping the local needy for over 20 years. Our clients often live very isolated and chaotic lives. They may have mental health and addiction issues, often with other health problems related to long term substance misuse and living on the street. A large proportion are also ex-offenders and veterans, potentially with PTSD and other trauma. All of which means they can struggle to cope in society….to navigate the systems we take for granted. What do we do? The Beacon is a safe place where we listen to their needs and provide access to a range of services to improve their physical, social, emotional & spiritual wellbeing, including…. • Food for the hungry – hot meals and emergency food parcels. • Access to showers, laundry & clean clothes, sleeping bags & tents as needed (especially for the homeless) • Signposting and advocacy with agencies related to housing, addictions, health & well-being, debt & money management, benefits, and gaining settled status. • Practical support helping fill in forms, make phone calls any accompanying to appointments, action planning and more How do we do this? Our aim is to build relationships based on trust. To make everyone feel valued and cared for. To be recognised….to be seen…. as an individual….a person of value…..no matter how they present, or what’s going on in the moment. We look to self-esteem and promote change in their lives, enabling them to function as members of society, and where possible reconnect with their families and build positive relationships Who can come in? We work on a referral only basis, this could be from a health, housing outreach, probation, drug and alcohol, DWP, social or council professional =…….in fact anyone who is supporting the service user. We are not an open access service….we reserve the right to refuse entry to those without support or who refuse to adhere to the Beacon rules. When are we open? We open on Tuesday’s and Friday’s all year round, just for a couple of hours. And through the colder months this year (November to March) we will be open on Saturday mornings too. A warm and welcoming space on a day when currently there is nothing available in Mansfield. Who are we? The Beacon Project supports Mansfield’s homeless and vulnerably housed adults. Part of the ministry of St John’s with St Mary’s, Mansfield, the Beacon has been helping the local needy for over 20 years. Our clients often live very isolated and chaotic lives. They may have mental health and addiction issues, often with other health problems related to long term substance misuse and living on the street. A large proportion are also ex-offenders and veterans, potentially with PTSD and other trauma. All of which means they can struggle to cope in society….to navigate the systems we take for granted. What do we do? The Beacon is a safe place where we listen to their needs and provide access to a range of services to improve their physical, social, emotional & spiritual wellbeing, including…. • Food for the hungry – hot meals and emergency food parcels. • Access to showers, laundry & clean clothes, sleeping bags & tents as needed (especially for the homeless) • Signposting and advocacy with agencies related to housing, addictions, health & well-being, debt & money management, benefits, and gaining settled status. • Practical support helping fill in forms, make phone calls any accompanying to appointments, action planning and more How do we do this? Our aim is to build relationships based on trust. To make everyone feel valued and cared for. To be recognised….to be seen…. as an individual….a person of value…..no matter how they present, or what’s going on in the moment. We look to self-esteem and promote change in their lives, enabling them to function as members of society, and where possible reconnect with their families and build positive relationships Who can come in? We work on a referral only basis, this could be from a health, housing outreach, probation, drug and alcohol, DWP, social or council professional =…….in fact anyone who is supporting the service user. We are not an open access service….we reserve the right to refuse entry to those without support or who refuse to adhere to the Beacon rules. When are we open? We open on Tuesday’s and Friday’s all year round, just for a couple of hours. And through the colder months this year (November to March) we will be open on Saturday mornings too. A warm and welcoming space on a day when currently there is nothing available in Mansfield. What is the current situation? The Beacon is a charity (1143132), funded solely through donations and grants. The 4th management team of Claire Nielsen and Joanne Gregg took over in 2022, supported by a team of approximately 20 volunteers. Since Covid, and now with the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’, numbers attending the Beacon on a weekly basis have skyrocketed. We support nearly 4 times the number of service users than a year ago, serving almost 400 meals a month. In recent years we have operated the ‘Greggs Voucher Scheme’ through which homeless service users could get access to a meal at Greggs over the weekend when there are no other services operating. This year as a replacement, for the first time, we will be open on a Saturday mornings, providing a warm space, basic refreshments & something to do. How can you help? The Beacon operates solely on donations and grant funding. As a church-based charity the majority of donations come at Christmas, Easter and Harvest Festival – but our service users are in need throughout the year. We provide basic, non-perishable items where needed, and our stores deplete quickly, especially in the current economic climate. Financial help is always welcome as we can buy what we need, when we need it…..and if you are eligible for Gift Aid it is even more beneficial. Volunteering – the Beacon is an extremely rewarding but also often very challenging environment. Many of our volunteers have been with us for long time. They love it, and we really appreciate all they do. But it would be unrealistic to expect them to continue indefinitely, so we need to re-enforce the team. What practical donations do we need? • Tins of rice pudding, meat & fish products, baked beans, mushy peas, fruit, soft drinks • Pot noodles, biscuits, instant coffee, sugar, cereals & UHT milk with screw tops. • Non food wise....wet wipes, washing powder, & toilet rolls but also mens trainers, winter coats & sleeping bags. • We buy the cheapest if we can, and used practical items are absolutely fine.