I am a Progression Coach at Crisis Skylight in Newcastle upon Tyne, working with people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. I have a background in adult education, careers guidance and drug and alcohol services, and I spent several years working for the Big Lottery Fund which gave me an interesting perspective on the wider issues around third sector roles and responsibilities in relation to social issues. About 7 years ago I decided I wanted to return to more client facing work, and I completed a Masters degree in Psychology, which led into my current job at Crisis.
For the past few years I have taken a particular interest in working with people leaving prison and the particular issues they face. This project was partly inspired and shaped by many conversations with my colleagues at the probation service, doing a brilliant job in the face of real challenges. I learned, for example that there are no Approved Premises for women in the the north-east, the closest being Edinburgh and Leeds. Quite a significant distance for women separated from family, children and support networks.
The ethos of working with clients (“members”) at Crisis is around empowerment of individuals, coaching an supporting members to achieve the life that they want, and find their own route out of homelessness. I was naturally drawn to those types of organisations when researching this project, I looked for organisations with similar values that empowered and inspired their clients to make changes in their lives. I will be visiting some transitional centres which provide the missing link between prison and society, giving people the means to help themselves on release. And I will be visiting some Housing First projects to look at how they work in their areas, visiting unique projects achieving outstanding results.
I have had so much help and support with this project, from friends and family, colleagues in Crisis and partner organisations fighting to end homelessness and I am so thankful for their support, as well as of course that of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust whose generous support enabled me to take on this project.
Joanne McGrath