We are looking for Trustees who are as committed as we are about tackling social disadvantage and supporting people to realise their full potential. To enhance our current Board of Trustees and continue to develop our governance, we are looking for individuals with a breadth of key skills, knowledge and experience in the public or private sector, but particularly in the following areas:

• • housing
  • property
  • environmental issues
  • fundraising
  • finance

Current Trustees describe their role within SSJ as enriching and rewarding.  In exchange for their time and commitment, new Trustees can expect to:

• Help set the strategic direction of a £15 million organisation, employing over 350 people across Hampshire
• Make a valued contribution to the charity sector
• Acquire new insights, broaden their experience and meet new people
• Contribute to the development of others through the sharing of skills and experience

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Nicky Cantello on 023 8063 4596 or nicky.cantello@ssj.org.uk for a full Role Description and/or an informal discussion. You can also download the role description HERE.

The post We are looking for new Trustees appeared first on The Society of St James.

We’re proud to announce that on March 6th we’ll be supporting Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Waste Action Week campaign.

This year’s rallying cry – Win. Don’t Bin – is a week of action which brings the nation together to save time and money by making the food we already have go further.

A soon-to-be-revealed celebrity ambassador along with a team of exciting influencers will be occupying the internet and shining a light on how the correct storage of food can provide a second (or third!) meal for free.

Throughout the week we’ll be posting fun and informative content on our socials!

Get involved. Find out how you can save time and money.

Take the quiz at lovefoodhatewaste.com/fwaw

How are we winning and not binning at SSJ?

The Society of St James are working with The Big Difference to ensure food is redistributed to those who need it. Sanjay, the Head of the Big Difference says “The Big Difference has now given away an estimated 2 million pounds worth of food since the beginning of the pandemic”.  We are extremely grateful for the unyielding efforts of the Big Difference, to make a big difference.

To support this redistribution, SSJ launched James’ Pantry at our head office towards the end of last year for our service users, residents and staff.

The increasing cost of living is having a huge impact on everyone but most painfully on those from deprived communities.

Many of those individuals suffering economic inequality are residing in SSJ properties or are accessing one or more of the other services that we offer here at The Society of St James.

James’ Pantry aims to offer a good value, environmentally friendly solution to the cost of living crisis across Southampton and eventually Portsmouth.

We collect surplus food donations from across our geography and mainly from The Big Difference and make them available, for free, to the Society of St James residents and service users.  As we also know that it is not just our service users and residents that are suffering, our staff can also use the Pantry for a small charge. Since we started in September 2022 we have counted nearly 600 visits to the pantry and we are learning how to improve the way we do things all the time.

If you would like to help by volunteering at James’ Pantry, donating food or cash to support growth then please contact us here.

Otherwise, please consider signing-up to our newsletter.

The post Food Waste Action Week 2023 appeared first on The Society of St James.

I’m writing this at a time where the most vulnerable in society are being impacted by a national emergency, the cost of living crisis.

Recently the Office for National Statistics announced another record breaking increase to the rate of inflation.  This is obviously going to have an impact on many people across the country in the coming months and SSJ also needs to consider the impact on us as an organisation.

Costs are rising across a whole range of items, including food and household items, gas and electricity, fuel and travel as well as costs linked to maintaining our houses.  Many of our costs are the same as those incurred by any ordinary household.  We run a number of housing projects in order to accommodate as many people as possible, and the cost of running these services is steadily increasing.

We are also dependent on having wonderful staff who work hard to provide support and care to those we are seeking to assist.   Our staff are faced with same increases to their costs of living and may need to be paid more as a result.  We are also conscious that with the general shortage of staff in many sectors, we need to be able to offer increased salaries, otherwise we will not be able to fill our vacant posts.

We are also concerned about the impact of this on our service users and clients.  Many are dependent on welfare benefits, which are also not keeping up with inflation.  The challenges of trying to live on Universal Credit have been well publicised and can become an additional burden for those who are trying to resettle into the community after having been homeless.

For example, we are pleased to be able to offer some people the chance to move from shared accommodation into their own flat.  However, this process will often trigger a new benefit claim, which takes a number of weeks to be processed.  Therefore, people who are moving into a flat often immediately struggle to put money in their fuel meters and to buy their initial food.   

We are able to use some of the donations we have received to provide a food parcel and help with the gas and electricity.  However, once someone has moved in and their benefits have been received they still need to budget incredibly carefully to manage within their weekly budget.  We anticipate this will become more and more of an issue in the coming months.

This blog was originally sent out via our Newsletter last month. If you want to read the latest news first, you can subscribe to our newsletter here.

If you want to support SSJ, you can donate here – or email fundraising@SSJ.org.uk

The post The Cost of Living Crisis appeared first on The Society of St James.

You will be responsible for providing administrative support to the leadership teams across St James Care (Radstock Rd and Linden House) including the management of the Covid testing regime. You will develop an understanding of IT systems including Nourish (Care planning/case management system) and play a role in training and inducting new staff in these systems.

Working hours are expected to be Mon – Fri Office hours.

The ideal candidate will be organised and methodical. They will be able to work within a busy environment and as part of a team. Good team player, reliable with a passion for working with people. This is a very rewarding position for the right person.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a part in the successes of our wonderful care homes.

Apply Here

The post Recruitment: Administrator: St James Care appeared first on The Society of St James.

This week we have a guest blog from Louanne of the Southampton Homeless Period Project. The cost of living crisis is increasingly impacting women’s ability to purchase sanitary products, and Louanne has first hand experience in supporting women in poverty from across the south.

The post Guest blog: Talking about period poverty appeared first on The Society of St James.

The Accommodation Based Support Service (ABS) is a new service providing a range of housing related support to people in designated SSJ property in Southampton. The service will operate Mon -Fri during office hours and we are looking for another 3 people to join our team

Ideal Candidates

It is essential that you have experience of working with vulnerable people or in a residential setting. Working as part of the team, you will manage a case-load of residents and be committed to providing a good quality day-to-day service with a focus on promoting harm minimisation, basic life skills and emotional support.

You will have the ability to build positive working relationships and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external contacts and clients. You will be experienced in support planning, risk assessments and safeguarding vulnerable clients.

If this sounds like the perfect role for you, click here to apply.

The post New Jobs: Accommodation based support service appeared first on The Society of St James.

Working as a volunteer for SSJ gives you the chance to support people who have had a life affected by homelessness. There are hundreds of people less fortunate than us, who haven’t had the same opportunities in life and who have struggled with addiction and substance abuse – leading to homelessness – and a life that can often feel like a struggle.

When you work as a volunteer for SSJ, you’ll have a direct impact on those lives. You’ll watch people go on their journey towards independence, seeing them grow in confidence, seeing them prosper – and seeing them overcome the hurdles that were once in front of them.

Our volunteers are important to us. We recognise the hard-work that goes into supporting us through voluntary roles and we are always on the look-out for people with the mindset that supporting others is the best way forward.

If that sounds like you, then why not download one of the voluntary specifications below and join us as a volunteer.

Cafe in the Park – Volunteer Role Profile

Re-Fit Southampton – Volunteer Role Profile

SSJ Care Homes – Volunteer Role Profile

Rough Sleeping Support Service – Volunteer Role Profile

The post Volunteers Week – help support us appeared first on The Society of St James.

With support from Balfour Beatty, who designed and constructed the pad foundations for the accommodation, arranged the closing of traffic in the area – as well as taking charge of the installation – we were able to turn an old shipping container into a modular home for one of our residents.

Dominic Lawrence, speaking on behalf of Balfour Beatty, said: –  “At Balfour Beatty Living Places Southampton, delivering social value to the local community is an integral part of how we operate. We are thrilled to have been able to support this project, providing an individual with their very own space, which is a major milestone in life.

“We are so pleased to see the positive impact this has had on Marc, and we wish him all the best in the future.”

The property comes packed with all you would expect and is fully furnished with a cooker, bed and all you could possibly need in one unit. Marc has been part of our services for a number of years and was excited to move into the property in Northam recently.

When asked how he feels about his new home, Marc replied; “I’m ecstatic – I wake up every day with a cheesy smile on my face, it has made me realise how depressed I was before when I was living in hostels.”

Moving into his own home has been life-changing for Marc, and he commented; “I love living independently- it’s all I ever wanted, it contains everything I need for independent living.    It’s mine, it’s individual, and I love it.   Everything is positive about it”

There is no better feeling for residents when they move into their own home. The feelings turn into stability in their lives which lead to them progressing towards positive outcomes and a future they can enjoy. There is no better way to celebrate International Day of Happiness (March) than to share the story of Marc and his new modular home.

This is a first for Southampton and Society of St James have worked closely with Southampton City Council to provide this unit of accommodation for a resident as part of the Rough Sleeper Initiative.

Thank you to all who were involved in making this possible.

The post Modular Home a success for SSJ (Video exclusive) appeared first on The Society of St James.

We are fast approaching Christmas and people are already busily following street lights under the haze of the cold evenings, watching the displays in windows as they search for a gift to share with their loved ones which tells them they are not alone.

Christmas for most people is a time of reflection and joy. It’s a time when we can come together and recognise how lucky we are to be able to enjoy time with friends and family, reflecting on the year behind us and focusing on celebrating of love, forgiveness and togetherness.

It’s the opposite for those in our care as they come to grips with a Christmas away from the comforts of a warm home. They won’t be unwrapping presents in front of loved ones, they won’t be anticipating the taste of a cooked bird and the feast that accompanies it and they won’t sit back reminiscing with family members about days gone by.

Donate to our 2021 appeal by clicking here

By supporting our Christmas appeal, you’re providing hope, happiness and a little bit of the Christmas spirit to people who have and expect nothing at a time of year where loneliness can impact mental health and emotional wellbeing.

If you want to read more about our Christmas Appeal, visit our dedicated page and read about Jason’s journey – from homelessness at Christmas to the support he has received from The Society of St James, where he is now planning for a better and brighter future and a Christmas he can enjoy in 2021.

In 2020 we were able spend £4,500 on Asda Gift Vouchers for residents, approximately £4,200 on Christmas dinners for residents with suitable facilities, and where this wasn’t possible the Cafe in the Park produced a special Christmas hamper which was distributed to residents. Many residents were able to enjoy spending time with other service users and the true spirit of Christmas was in place for those who benefited from the 2020 campaign.

Donate to our campaign by visiting this link and help us raise £10,000 in 2021.

If you want to support our campaign or would like more information, email Dennis.Jones@SSJ.org.uk 

The post Welcome to our Christmas Appeal 2021 appeared first on The Society of St James.

Autumn, Winter and Christmas is an important time for us at SSJ – as we start thinking about the colder nights, rain, snow and other elements that may affect people during the darker nights.

It’s also at this time that we start planning for the launch of our Christmas Campaign (October 15th) which follows directly on from World Homeless Day on October 10th.

We have many stories we want to tell during these winter months – and once again we will be committing to raise money for our Christmas Meal Campaign, as we have done every year.

How you can help?

We are looking for community groups, businesses and anybody who wants to support us this Christmas to get in touch and let us know they want to support our Christmas Meal Campaign. The appeal will be going live on October 15th – and we want to give you the heads of as to what to expect, how much we need to raise and what will be happening during the winter months.

If you’re looking for a challenge this winter, please think about committing your support to our Christmas Campaign and help provide a more positive future for people affected by homelessness.

If you want to support us, email Dennis.Jones@SSJ.org.uk – we’d be happy to give you a call for a chat. We’re planning a Zoom meeting before the launch to talk about our Christmas plans, if that interests you email Comms@SSJ.org.uk (Headline: Christmas Talk) and we will add you to the list and let you know the details.

Ideas: Winter runs, fundraising evening, concerts, quizzes, staff events & more.

The post Supporting us this winter appeared first on The Society of St James.