SanKTus Welfare Project
Formerly Our Lady Help Of Christians Welfare Project
4 Lady Margaret Road,
London NW5 2XT
tel: 020 7485 9160
mobile: 07951 600451
email: pwcoordinator@yahoo.co.uk
Charity No. 1136596

A profile of our guests
The vast majority of people who access our services are vulnerable and isolated; some are street homeless but others are housed but have difficulties sustaining their accommodation or making connections in the community. Physical and mental health problems are common and several have a history of, or are prone to heavy drinking or substance abuse.

They visit the project regularly for company, a meal, a shower and change of clothes; many of our guests lack the life skills to undertake household tasks or manage their own finances or welfare benefits, but their avoidance of official services means that their problems escalate and any opportunities for resettlement or retraining are often ignored.

Their daily visit is often the only constant in their lives and other agencies increasingly see the project as an access point to re-establish contact and pass on vital information. Sometimes our guests need re-assurance that all possible avenues have been pursued in dealing with their particular concerns, whether it is an eviction order from the council, or an offer of a hostel place from the Street Safe Team. It can just be a matter of confirming the same information but giving them more time and space to talk through their options.

Our staff and volunteers can offer more long-term support to those who struggle with matters that unsettle them. We have found that our care and encouragement has make a difference in how people adapt to changes in their lives and circumstances, whether this is helping someone to settle into sheltered housing for the first time, bringing some furniture around and staying for tea, or taking the time to listen to someone who is dealing with the loneliness which often accompanies older age.

*Represents a single, daily visit, which can include take up of food, refreshments, washing, or support services. In addition we have 25 regular members who attend our Tuesday pensioners group and lunch club.

How you can help us
If you want to support SanKTus to continue its much-needed work, a financial donation is much needed and will be put towards the project’s food and equipment costs. There are two ways to make a donation.

By Credit/Debit card
Go to CAF Online search for Sanktus and follow the instructions to make a donation that will go straight to the project.

By Cheque
Please print off the donation form and return to SanKTus, 4 Lady Margaret Road, London NW5 2XT for the attention of Mona Carr.

Coming Soon
Gift Aid: make your donation go further.
We are in the process of registering with HM Inland Revenue so that we can recover the tax paid by you on the donations you give, without any additional cost to you.

Download our
ANNUAL REPORT 2011

From small beginnings...
SanKTus began life as Our Lady Help of Christians Welfare Project in February 1992 when parishioners of the local Catholic Church came together on Sundays to provide tea, sandwiches and companionship to the growing number of homeless people in the Kentish Town area. The 32 original volunteers worked in teams and this laid down the foundations for how we work today.

The objects of SanKTus are the relief of poverty, the advancement of health and the relief of those in need by reason of their age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages. The beneficiaries are homeless and vulnerable people, older people and those with support needs.

Our main purpose is to respond to disadvantage and social isolation in its immediacy by:

• Preparing and serving a nutritious meal and refreshments for homeless and socially excluded people every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday afternoons.
• Finding emergency housing for rough sleepers through referrals to statutory and voluntary provisions.
• Offering facilities every Sunday for guests in needs of a shower and a change of clothes.
• Befriending of guests in a welcoming environment.
• Referrals to mainstream housing, health and social care services.
• Providing support to the running of the night shelter in the parish halls for up to 14 rough sleepers once a week over the winter months, networked to other shelters in Camden.

Since 2008, we have organised regular activities for the Over 50s in our locality including:

• The 'Tuesday Morning Club', a lunch club for older people offering a range of cultural and recreational activities.
• A weekly keep fits group on Wednesday afternoons.

Since 2006 we have received funding from the Irish Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Emigrant Support Programme to cover the project's running costs and to employ a p/t Welfare Coordinator to project manage our services. This enables us to respond to the complex needs of our guests for sustenance, support and help to access mainstream health and social care services.

Economic pressures have increased the numbers of newly arrived single men from Ireland whose options are limited by their ineligibility for housing here and by their own lack of social connections; they gravitate towards SanKTus as an Irish project attached to a Catholic church; we are uniquely positioned to address their immediate needs and to provide a link into local services. From January to December 2011 we supported up to 60 guests at each service; all together they made 14,221 visits to the project. We also see many East Europeans who connect with the project for shorter periods.

We rely on a significant number of volunteers from the local Irish community who continue to support our work; they represent the link between the older and younger Irish emigrants and this connection is invaluable in sustaining the Irish dimension to our services.

Funding and support
SanKTus receives funding from the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Emigrant Support Programme and from public donations. From this we meet all purchasing, the salaries of two part time staff, our administration and the pensioners' lunch club and activities including the keep fit sessions. All our premises costs are subsumed by Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, where we are based and without which we could not offer such extensive services. We also receive H/R support from the Diocese of Westminster. We are immensely grateful to all those individuals who donate much needed clothes and toiletries for us to distribute to our guests and to all those who bring in food donations to help ease our food preparations and costs.

Future plans
In this uncertain economic climate our guests are challenged by the changes to their benefits and pensions, and also with rising living costs. Housing and health care is becoming difficult to access especially specialist care, like supported housing and drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, which our guests are more likely to need. As well as this, they are faced with added pressures to become more self reliant through employment and training.

Having recently surveyed our guests we are now in a better position to present a clearer profile of who they are, what their circumstances are and how best we can help them progress. We have established that the majority are older men but of working age, living alone in sub-standard housing; they don't work because of poor health, although we are aware through our support work that they feel totally unprepared to find work and fear the impact of recent benefit changes. They do not eat well or have any social life and a number of them have literacy issues.

We hold a core of regulars who have accessed the project for many years, more for the social connection they get from us than the food; through our support and compassion we feel we can encourage our guests to participate in activities that better fit their needs. Recent rationalising of our food menus have freed up staff and volunteers' time to allow us to introduce more Day Centre type activities during the food services; it is this aspect of our work that we are currently fundraising to develop, including the cost of running a worker led 'Moving Forward' Project with the purpose of unlocking the guests' confidence and self reliance to pursue employment and other community opportunities.

We anticipate continued funding from Ireland's Emigrant Support Programme to meet the core costs of staffing, our pensioners’ activities and the stocks needed to provide the free food services to the homeless and vulnerable, for another year.

Volunteer opportunities at SanKTus
We offer a free food service to meet our guests' needs for sustenance, and a place to meet with support and advice to ensure they access and sustain links with mainstream housing and social care services.

To do all this we depend on volunteers to help us organise our regular food and support services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 12pm and 3.30pm and/or on Sundays between 1pm and 4.30pm.

• You will work alongside staff and volunteers to set up a hospitable meeting space and help us to prepare and serve a meal of nutritious soup and other refreshments;
• You will take time to engage with our guests, to show concern for their welfare and to encourage them to participate in the project's activities;
• Those guests who indicate a need for support to resolve specific issues, you will refer to the Welfare Coordinator to take forward with other services.

The time commitment varies from a minimum of one regular Sunday per month, or one session on a regular weekday. You will need to sign a Volunteer Contract to commit your involvement for a minimum of 6 months and to meet with the Welfare Coordinator and/or the Kitchen Organiser for induction.

Working in a team with the common purpose you will find volunteering at SanKTus a rewarding experience.

If you are interested, and we hope you are, please see our Volunteers' Role Profile and the Project's Poster and with this in mind, please complete the attached Volunteer Application Form to indicate your availability and either return it in to Mona Carr at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, or email it to mona.carr@googlemail.com

We have immediate vacancies to work on any of the regular Sunday sessions each month or for regular Mondays or for holiday cover for all other weekdays; so we would be pleased to hear from you if you could help us on any of these days.

Please contact Mona Carr, the Welfare Coordinator at SanKTus on 07951 600451 to arrange a visit to the project to discuss our project in greater detail. Our centre is based in the Parish Halls, Falkland Road, Kentish Town, NW5 and is part of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church or download the Project's Recruitment Poster, Role Profile and Application Form that explains further the services we provide and how you might be able to help us.

It is very much about building relationships with our guests so they feel comfortable enough to ask for our support to help them move forward with their lives. SanKTus is a very welcoming place to work and you will meet a great number of like-minded people all working towards the same goal. If you are looking for work experience it offers pathways to support and community work also hospitality and catering jobs. We also welcome people who have worked in similar settings or have been involved in caring or bringing up a family.