Welcome to our April blog, keeping you up to date on all that’s happening here at Cyrenians.

Fundraising

We are extremely grateful to solicitors Mills & Reeve, Cambridge branch, who had a smart clothes drive to collect suits and shoes for both men and women so that our residents can have something smart to wear for more formal occasions. Mills & Reeve have made us their Charity of the Year 2019 and their ongoing support is very much appreciated.

Thank you to King’s College Boat Club who flexed every muscle in a 24 hour Ergathon on rowing machines outside King’s College to raise money for the city’s homeless. The proceeds from this herculean task will be divided between Wintercomfort, Jimmy’s and Cyrenians.

Allotment

We were delighted to receive a Fungus Lab for our allotment project from the Grow Wild UK team at Kew Gardens. This means we can now start growing grey oyster mushrooms and become more aware of the important part mushrooms play ecologically.

New Residents

Several residents have moved into our accommodation during April. One woman has moved into a women-only house after seven years of sleeping rough. In the past, she had not felt comfortable in big hostels but she is much happier in a smaller house, sharing with just a few other women in a homely, rather than institutional, environment.

Mental Health and Homelessness

Mental health issues are a major cause of homelessness. 80% of homeless people have a mental health condition of some kind and 26% cite this as the main cause of their homelessness. These figures underline the importance of offering high-quality support quickly so that mental health needs can be focused on.

When residents arrive with us, our Mental Health Nurse, Louisa Hallisey, is one of the first people they meet.

After taking a degree in Mental Health Nursing at Anglia Ruskin University, Louisa began her career at a private secure psychiatric unit. She then travelled widely for several years, living in Israel, India, New Zealand and Australia. During this period, she gained a wealth of professional experience, nursing on a medium secure Learning Disability and Mental Health Unit, a Treatment and Assessment Unit, and a Mother and Baby Unit as well as in private and state hospitals with older patients and caring for two children with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Returning to Cambridge, Louisa felt drawn to working with the homeless in her home city and was delighted to join our team in September 2017.

The fast access to an in house mental health nurse that we are able to offer is unique in Cambridge homeless provision. Residents might present with anxiety and depression, schizophrenia or substance misuse issues. Louisa assesses the support that they need and refers them to in house or external counselling as well as community mental health and substance misuse services as appropriate, or works with them herself over a longer period of time.

Alongside medical help, holistic support is also very powerful. Louisa arranged for a resident who enjoyed martial arts to take tai chi classes. He has since also taken up yoga and Polish classes. Another resident, who suffered with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, started working on our allotment where he built a shed, grew vegetables and then took on his own allotment. He was also a founder member of the football group and has now moved on into his own tenancy.

Louisa has managed to help so many of our residents one of whom had this to say “Words fail me to express my true appreciation; I am astonished how people can give so much without seeking a return. You do so much unseen, but I get to see the end results and enjoy the benefits”

If you want to donate to support our work you can do so here https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/donation/to/9790/Cambridge+Cyrenians