Lighthouse Hostel Policies & Procedures

 

 

 

 

Admissions Policy

 

Version 5

 

June 2013

 

Next Revision Date June 2014

 

 

Audited by 

 

Residents Committee

 

Name:                                                                         Date:                         Sig:

 

 

Name:                                                                     Date:                             Sig:

 

 

Name:                                                                      Date:                            Sig:

 

Lighthouse Staff

 

 

Name:            Samantha Brown                           Date:                          Sig:

 

 

Name: Darren Beggs                                 Date:                          Sig:

 

 

Lighthouse Management

 

 

Name:            Mark Forsythe                                   Date:                          Sig:

 

 

Name:            Louise Quinn                                               Date:                          Sig:

 

 

Living Rivers Management Board

 

 

Name:            Dr Harvey Graham - Smith                        Date:                          Sig:

 

Contents

 

1. Admissions Statement

2. Description of accommodation

3. Eligibility Criteria

4. Exclusions

5. Referral Details

6. Our Aim

7. Management Discretion

 

 

 

1. Admissions Statement

 

Living Rivers Lighthouse Hostel is supported temporary accommodation which operates under the guidance of the Living Rivers Trust and their appointed management committee. 

The support element of our project is funded by Supporting People as part of the DSD.  

All potential residents should be made aware of the following three points:-

· All residents must be willing to avail of our support service and to contribute in the development of their individual support plans.

· All residents will be charged a weekly rent of £79.36. If they are eligible for Housing Benefit we will assist them to make their claim. Any shortfall between benefit entitlement and rent charged must be met by the resident.

· There is a compulsory weekly service charge of £37.00 payable by all residents, to contribute towards the cost of the laundry, meals and non communal heating and lighting expenses.

 

2. Description of accommodation

 

  • 20 single bedrooms
  • Staffed kitchen, dining room, communal living room and games room, toilets, showers, laundry and hallways.
  • All meals are served in communal dining room where beverages are made available all day.
  • Training room, where in house training is organised at no additional cost to the resident.

 

3. Eligibility Criteria

 

Our service is available to:

 

Adult Males aged 18-65:-

· Who are homeless and have a current housing application.

· Who are willing to accept the support offered within the hostel and         abide by terms and conditions of their licence agreement.

· Who are willing to engage with and accept support from relevant agencies in relation to their health/social wellbeing issues.

 

 

 

 

4. Exclusions:

 

Who we cannot cater for

 

· Female applicants.

· Children/Families.

· Young people leaving care.

· Males with a history of or convictions (current or pending) of serious violence, aggression, schedule one sex offences or arson.

· Anyone who has an active tenancy elsewhere.

· Due to the layout of our premises at this time, it is difficult to accommodate anyone unable to use stairways; however this will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Please note that when assessing an applicant we will consider our current client group to ensure there are no risks to them.

 

 

  1. Referral details

 

· Referrals are only accepted from NIHE offices.

· Self referrals and referrals from other agencies will be signposted to their local NIHE office.

· An interview which includes an initial assessment and risk assessment will be required before being accepted. This information is used as the basis for management to assess the eligibility of the applicant. Risks will not be used to exclude applicants.

· Applicants will be invited to view the accommodation after the initial assessment and risk assessment forms have been completed. Once the offer of accommodation has been accepted by the applicant the support process will begin.

· Beds are made available when residents move on.

· Length of stay may be from 1 day to 2 years, please note that our licence agreement is reviewed on a weekly basis.

 

  1. Our Aim

 

 Our aim is to provide a supportive, safe environment in which men are encouraged to see the potential of what they can achieve. We will support our residents to address the issues that they identify within their lives, helping them to set goals and supporting them to achieve them. We aim to equip men with the essential skills required for sustaining permanent accommodation, and we offer advice, support and will endeavor to arrange follow on support via external agencies such as Triangle etc to anyone who requires it when moving on or being re-housed.

 

 We are committed to ensuring that there is a team of suitable trained staff to provide the support required in a consistent, professional manner by:

a. A fair recruitment procedure.

b. Staff induction and continually reviewing staff training needs.

c. Appropriate training opportunities for all staff.

d. Regular staff meetings, appraisals and ongoing supervision.

e. Ensuring all staff are familiar with, and have access to our policies and procedures.

 

6.1. We are committed to providing a non discriminative, user friendly project by:

a. A fair admittance procedure for those males who fit the criteria. This will include a needs and risk assessment, with guidance in the resident’s hand book, paying particular attention to the house rules, complaints, support process, safeguarding and fire evacuation procedures.

b. A safe environment with a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment.

c. Ensuring equal opportunities for all residents by following the procedures stipulated in our Equal Opportunities and Diversity policy.

d. Offering a contractual licence which gives basic information, outlines the resident’s obligations and rights, our obligations and rights as a service provider and conditions for termination of the licence.

e. The use of a key worker system to provide tailored support plans using a person centred approach, which are reviewed regularly in relation to changing need, achievement of goals or at resident/staff request.

f. Regular resident’s meetings, residents committee and a working complaint’s policy.

g. Working closely with external organisations to provide the specialised services our residents may require.

6.2      We are committed to promoting the safety and well-being of both staff and residents by:

a. Complying with legislation, and ensuring the relevant policies and procedures are in place and adhered to by all.

b. Maintaining and storing all records and documentation in the appropriate places and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

c. Ensuring the relevant inspections have been carried out and recorded.

d. Ensuring the criteria for admittance reflects the vulnerability of our residents.

 

Even though the Lighthouse Hostel provides general support to our residents we recognise that due to the diversity of our residents needs, it is not possible to give everyone the specialised assistance they may require, therefore we work with external organisations, both statutory and voluntary to provide in house training and make referrals to specialist agencies at the residents discretion.

 

7. The management of the Lighthouse Hostel reserves the right to revoke any decision made to accept a referral if it is later established that false information was given by an applicant or referral source during the admittance procedure.