Sponsored by
Crying out for help at St Theresa’s
Lynne King sorts washing for the clients. Picture: Ben Davis
Being homeless is just one result of many unexpected events that can throw our lives off course. Carly Lewthwaite visited St Theresa’s day centre for the homeless in Peterborough, where they are in desperate need of volunteers.
THE charity-run centre can be found at Manor House Street, where small queues of clients wait patiently outside for the centre to open.
Running from 9.30am-3.30pm Monday to Friday, it offers a lifeline to people living on the streets or “sofa surfing”, with no fixed address.
With around 100 clients visiting on a daily basis, the centre is desperate for more volunteers, and keen to highlight the fact that homelessness is a year-round problem, and not confined to the winter months.
Assistant to the centre manager, Diane Bentley, has worked at the centre for the last eight years. She said that St Theresa’s has supported homeless people since 1991. Some come from as far as Stamford and St Neots.
As well as a place to shelter from the elements, St Theresa’s offers a full English breakfast and lunch, as well as hot drinks at reasonable prices.
No client is ever turned away, with loan cards on offer for those in real need.
“The people who come here are socially excluded and very vulnerable, so we help them to move on.”
As well as offering a safe place to enjoy a meal and a hot drink, the centre offers a clothes washing service and showers.
Diane said: “In the afternoon we have a range of meaningful activities, such as swimming, computer classes, job searches and help with completing CVs and filling in benefit and housing forms.
“We also have a hairdresser who comes once a month, a housing officer and contact with a number of local agencies, so if we can’t solve a problem, we can point clients in the right direction.”
Despite doing everything they can for the clients, Diane said that there are a number of rules in place.
“People come here to feel safe, so we have a zero tolerance policy regarding the use of drugs and alcohol, as well as violence and abuse.
“Most of the rules are common sense. We simply ask that both clients and staff treat others how they would like to be treated themselves.
“They really do have a great sense of humour. All our clients want is someone to give them a step up in life. They have been through a bad time and some have lost all faith in themselves and society.
“It is hard for them to get a chance or just to get someone to listen.”
Although not a common occurrence, the fact that some clients feel that they have run out of options is a sad reality of working with homeless people.
“It can be hard once that person has the stigma of being homeless.
“Our centre and the work we do here is very important. You do hear of suicides. It is harsh but realistic. This really could be their last chance, these people have nowhere to go.”
A unique facility in the Peterborough area, Diane said that any potential volunteers would be joining a winning team.
“Our volunteers are great, we have the best in Peterborough.
“They are very reliable and come here because they know they are doing good, and get to meet new people too.”
Despite having around 18 volunteers currently on the books, they are still short, needing help at the day centre as well as at their charity shop on Park Road in Peterborough.
“Some volunteers are here all week, whereas others do a few hours a month, so there is always something that needs doing.
“At the day centre, duties range from sandwich making and light office duties to handing out tea and coffee and befriending clients.
“We also need help at our shop in Park Road, from serving to sorting donations. To sell any surplus we have a market stall that needs manning once a month, which is quite good fun.”
When it comes to volunteers, Diane is looking for someone caring and compassionate.
“You have to be reliable and a good listener. I would encourage anyone with an interest to come down and give it a go.
“If the day centre is not for you, there is always the shop on Park Road.
“People come into the centre and they are surprised to see what we do here.
“It is very easy to turn a blind eye to homelessness, but there are a lot of good people in Peterborough. We have great donations that come in, from food and clothes to boxes of chocolates. People rally round. It is great to see.”
St Theresa’s is also an agent for the Big Issue magazine, which can be a real source of income and self-esteem for the clients who become sellers.
Janine Richardson started as a volunteer last September, but got a full-time job at the centre in March this year.
She said: “I started volunteering towards the end of a bout of ill health. I realised that I was becoming more active and wanted to occupy my time effectively.
“I chose to volunteer at St Theresa’s because I have friends and family who have experienced the same kind of issues as the clients here.”
With most clients coming in every day, Janine added that everyone gets well acquainted.
“You do get to know the clients and some will even come back to update us on their lives when they have moved on. It is almost like an extended family.
“They are really friendly and generally nice people who are very loyal to each other, which is understandable when you see the way they live. They have to survive.
Janine added that although the work can be emotional on occasion, it is very rewarding.
“You need to accept that you can’t change the world, but you can help to make things better.
“There are many reasons why people are homeless. There are very few links in the chain between living your life and being homeless. We all have hurdles in our lives that we can’t conquer.”
Janine added that those without experience are more than welcome to apply.
“You gain all the experience and skills that you need on the job, as well as the training, which is very good and often held on a one-to-one basis.
“The work that the volunteers do here is invaluable. They work hard and put a lot into what they do.
“I really enjoy working here because no two days are the same. There are always challenges to overcome and we all learn something new every day.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
Comments
There are 7 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Zanni
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 09:22 PM@Holly thats what a hostel is! Well done all the hard work done by volunteers but I'm still not sure whether providing a place like this in the city just increases the problem of homelesseness or helps reduce it.
SokeBoy
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 07:18 PM@ Fenman: no problem. Hope it helps!
doggo
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 06:56 PMSokeBoy - Thanks for that.
Holly Golightly
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 05:46 PMIf this is a daycentre for the homeless, would it not make more sense to open it at night instead. They could be registered at that address, and no longer be homeless?
SokeBoy
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 05:34 PM@ Fenman: It is a way by which people can have voluntarycommunity work credited. For every hour a person helps out locally they can earn one timebanking credit- a 'community loyalty point'. That person is then able to use their timebanking credits to 'buy' services from others using the scheme .For example, shopping, child or pet care or a range of other services. The only limit is the amount of collective skills available in one's local timebank. The more people who take part, the more skills people can trade. This scheme has existed for some time and is not a new idea but would be a great way to boost voluntary participation in :Peterborough and the Environment Capital aspiration. Please go to www.timebanking.org for more information and have a go at setting one up in your community.
doggo
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 04:55 PMSokeBoy - Could explain what TimeBanking is?
SokeBoy
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 04:01 PMThe staff at St Theresa's do excellent work and I hope they get the volunteers they so obviously need. But the answer to the question of encouraging volunteering for St Theresa's and other local organisations, exists in Timebanking. Parnwell already has a successful scheme and one has just been started by Cross Keys Homes in Westwood and Ravensthorpe. Peterborough needs more of these schemes,as this appeal for volunteers clearly shows.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.