Meet Up No. 3 - February 17

This month we spent time dreaming up hopeful and crazy ideas for our communities and services that could be put forward for the funding from the St Martins Network Ideas Board You can see a full list of our ideas here Crazy IdeasHere are a few examples of what we came up with:

A Fresh Start

A Fresh Start will provide a ‘move in pack’ of basic supplies for people moving into emergency accommodation in the city. At any one time there are around 600 people in emergency accommodation and often they are provided with just a bed and cooker, but no bedding or cooking utensils. We think providing these very basic needs will help decrease abandonment of accommodation, and improve physical and mental health.Also people often have problems with their benefits when they first move in to emergency accommodation we can also include emergency food parcels as well as more ‘luxury’ items that many people would take for granted as homely items, such as photo frames, a clock and plants. This would be along with staples such as duvets, pillows, sheets, kettles, crockery, cushions and pans.The research from Justlife has shown many people do not have the basic things they need to stay warm and keep themselves healthy when they move into this accommodation. This has also been seen first hand by workers in Brighton.We will attempt to measure the outcomes by counting the number of packs given out and collecting surveys from those supported on the impact.The cost of buying or gathering donated items, along with staff time to arrange and deliver we estimate will be £200 per person. For £10,000 we will be able to support 50 people over a year.

Safer Injecting Room (SIR)

We would like to create a safer injection room in Brighton to reduce the increasing number of overdoses and infection levels of HIV & Hep B/C, and to promote recovery options through people being less isolated and supported.We are aiming to support IV drug users by providing a safe space off the streets. Using a multi disciplinary approach we would aim to get people linked in with services and educated on safer injecting, and providing staff who can administer an anti-overdose pen if needed.A SIR has recently been given the go ahead in Glasgow and currently run in over 90 places across Europe. In 2014 the city's Independent Drugs Commission has said “drug-use rooms will not be piloted in Brighton but could still open in the future”A study in 2010 identified just over 2,000 heroin and cocaine users in the city who could be problem drug users, because they were dependent, or had health or social problems or were committing drug-related crime.The project would be measured by monitoring use of the service. As well as counting drug related deaths that were prevented and the number of users signposted to other services through engagement with staff.We estimate we need £10,000 for a pilot project.

Fridge the Gap

We would like to buy a refrigerated van that enables us to collect fresh surplus food stock from local companies such as M&S, Iceland, Greggs and pass it on to organisations that provide food for homeless people.As well as tackling food waste and providing food for those in need, it also reduces the cost local services need to spend on food for their clients. Meaning they are able to spend their money on other much needed services. The main beneficiaries of this would be the approximately 1200 people in the city who are rough sleeping or housed in emergency and temporary accommodation.Food distribution takes place in Brighton by S.E.S (Sussex Economic Support) but there is a significant amount of food that can’t be redistributed at present. The model is there and the supply and demand. Nationally the presence of food banks and waste food projects such as the Real Junk Food Project has shown there is a huge need.We would measure the outcomes by seeing how much food we are able to pass on to homeless projects and how much this saves them, and how many service users are able to benefit. This project will cost £7,500.To keep up-to-date with Frontline Network events, sign up to our mailing list.