Based in Croydon, this service supports 80 single homeless people up to 65 years of age with a range of support needs.
In the last year*...
of customers established contact with friends and family
of customers participated in education or training activities
of customers moved on positively from Alexandra House
Customers are referred to Alexandra House by Croydon Council and stay around one year on average. Accommodation is a mixture of studios and shared flats, and there is a communal area with kitchen facilities and a computer room available.
When customers move in, we work with them to assess their needs, choose their support worker and plan 1:1 sessions. This approach aims to identify their existing strengths and skills, and build a plan around their own goals.
The service offers wide ranging support to help people engage with whatever training, education or other assistance they need:
- Mental health support is available including counselling, one-to-one therapy and group workshops. This is complemented by support with physical health through partnerships with local services including local GPs and hospitals.
- Work and learning programmes offer advice, signpost to learning courses, and provide volunteer and employment opportunities. We work with organisations such as Job Centre Plus and the Department for Work and Pensions to help people find opportunities that they are passionate about.
- Our Rent and Income Advisors provide support with paying rent, budgeting, managing benefits, saving, and maximising income.
Co-production is built into everything the service does. That means working with residents to ensure that their voices are heard and acted on. We hold regular meetings, workshops and breakfast clubs to provide forums for feedback, and much more besides, as outlined in our Co-production Strategy.
30 of the 80 rooms at Alex House are designated as ‘step down’ accommodation, for those who need minimal support and are looking to move on. Once people are ready, our resettlement workers help them to find independent accommodation, and provide any information they need about renting, managing bills and budgeting.
I live in Thornton Heath now and I’m happy. I’ve got lots of friends here and I feel better now because I’ve got my own space. It’s wonderful that my granddaughter can come to visit me and we have somewhere to spend quality-time together.
Harold, moved on to independent living in 2014
*of those who left the service and needed support in this area.
