How We Help
The work at Marylebone Project is challenging and demanding, with our staff team committed in offering their skills and specialist support to address the variety of challenges and demands so that the women’s lives can be transformed.
There are two key strands to our work:
- Hostel Accommodation and Resettlement Support
- The Sanctuary (24/7, 365 Drop-In Centre)
Hostel Accommodation
Across our two buildings we provide a total of 112 residential beds, providing c. 40k bed nights each year offering shelter, hope, safety and support to women who would otherwise
have to remain on the streets or in situations detrimental to their well-being.
Three units operate the residential bed spaces are as follows:
- Support Services – 45 beds commissioned by Westminster
- Council’s Supporting People
- Resettlement Services – 63 beds
- Emergency beds – 4 beds
Support Services
Our Support Services team provide a higher ratio worker/resident support due to an increased number and dependency of women who are displaying chaotic and challenging behaviours because of complex needs, multiple disadvantages, continued drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems and who are fleeing domestic abuse and trafficking.
As a Project we aspire to move women from Support Services to Resettlement as a step- down transition towards independent living.
We have a small number of bed spaces for women with no recourse to public funds, one supported in partnership with one of our amazing corporate supporters BNP Paribas. These bed spaces broaden our service provision to support women who are at their most desperate and desolate. Sadly, they are increasingly in demand and one of the Project’s key objectives is to sustain long-term funding to support these bed spaces.
Emergency Beds
There are 4 Emergency Beds in the project. Women who use the services at The Sanctuary can be directly referred by the team there without having to be referred via any Third-Party agencies. During the 28 days of having an Emergency Bed (the timeframe coincides with the payment structures on Universal Credit) women receive the support and guidance needed to secure a more permanent housing solution – either in our residential arm or in an alternative provision.
Resettlement Services
This team has a lower ratio of workers to residents due to these women being further along their journey towards independent living.
For the fourth consecutive year, 100% of those women who have been resettled into independent living have maintained their tenancy and accommodation and this is a testament of the positive impact that the wider Project activities and support can have in
helping to transform lives in the longer term, not just whilst women are resident within the Project.
We remain extremely grateful to our health partners and external specialists who continue to work with us in providing the women with the best level of specialist support available, and who help us to respond to the women’s needs and in developing move-on plans for them.
Moving into the private rented sector is not always viewed as positive by the women due to the historical difficulties of rogue landlords and unsuitable accommodation but the resettlement team have worked hard to dispel these myths, develop partnerships with reputable landlords, and identify more affordable accommodation and offer greater choice for the women.
We successfully resettle over 50 women each year into independent living and a further number move through different stages in our hostel accommodation.
Volunteer
Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting our work. Have you got the time and skills to help make a difference to individual lives?
Donate
Every donation – big or small, goes directly to supporting our work and making that crucial difference in tackling women’s homelessness.