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Brent Homeless Users Group

Method(s) Used


Name of person who posted the project:

Kerry Ryan


Location of project:

United Kingdom


Date when the project started:

2005


Date when the project ended/project ongoing:


Background to project:

B.HUG is a user-led organisation which aims to empower homeless people to help themselves and to have a voice. B-Hug also aims to prevent and raise awareness of homelessness by providing information and support.
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Purpose of project:

B.HUG works around 3 areas:
  • User Involvment- enabling homeless people to have a say in the way services are delivered and designed.
  • Prevention and Awareness - delivering educational session at schools.
  • Capacity building - pre-employment support to homeless people.
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    Community Research offers consultancy and research services to organisations around homelessness and social inclusion while delivering self-development opportunities to homeless people.
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    Community Insight gives a voice to homeless people and includes them in improving service provision to homeless people. It is a social enterprise managed and run by homeless people increasing their skills and confidence.
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Project activities:

Exchange visits organised by B.HUG have involved six service providers visiting each other within the Brent area. The visits have been extremely useful in increasing their mutual understanding. B.HUG has also hosted three speakout events.
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B.HUG runs Homelessness Road Shows in youth clubs and secondary schools in Brent. The aim is to inform young people who are at turning points in their life of the realities of homelessness and to ensure they are aware of the support available to them should they find themselves in a situation that can lead to them being homeless. The Homelessness Road show is a way of increasing awareness of homelessness. The Road Shows are delivered by people who have a personal experience of homelessness.
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The Empty Homes campaign aims to encourage Brent Residents to report empty properties to the council, using a stamped addressed postcard (to Brent Council) to deliver this message.
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Project results:

As well as the above B.HUG has run an interpreting course that equipped homeless people with a second language with the skills and knowledge to become community interpreters. 10 people have successful completed the course.
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Over 1,000 students from secondary schools in Brent have participated in B.HUG Homelessness Road show leading to a reduction of around 40% in young people approaching the council for housing.
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In a recent service review - homeless people interviewing homeless people throughout Brent - homeless volunteers managed to contact 100 people. The majority of users are hard-to-engage groups.
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Contact details:

Email: admin@brenthomeless.com
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Telephone: 020 8965 2561
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Postal address:

Unit 2,
Ajax Building,
16a St. Thomas�s Road,
London,
NW10 4AJ
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