Freedom Community Alliance is a Christian charity based in Barnstaple that delivers support, in partnership with other front line agencies, to vulnerable local adults.
One of the services that FCA provides is a day centre service based at the Freedom Centre. The service includes an open access service four days a week from Monday to Thursday where clients can access food as well as practical and emotional support.
Clients of the Freedom Day Centre include those who are rough sleepers; have substance mis-use issues; experience mental health problems; criminal offending and are likely to be suffering from the causes and effects of social exclusion, poverty and deprivation.
Freedom Day Centre staff work as part of a wider North Devon Rough Sleeper Service which is made up of staff from partner agencies that work with rough sleepers and those in temporary accommodation. These Partners include North Devon Council, mental health, general NHS nurse and GP, Together drug and alcohol support, police and others. The team works in an integrated way to deliver tailored support on site and through outreach patrols to rough sleepers and those in temporary accommodation.
The role holder will be expected to work collaboratively with Freedom colleagues and partners within the Rough Sleeper Service to engage with clients, listen to them to understand their needs, and provide practical and emotional support that will encourage and enable clients to take control of their lives and make positive forward steps. This will be during open access times in the day centre, but also through outreach patrols (sometimes out of normal office hours) and by attending appointments to support clients. The role holder will help facilitate the smooth running of the open access day centre which may include helping with the provision of meals and covering the reception function. At other times will work flexibly to respond to partnership priorities and client needs.
They will be expected to explore with colleagues and partners new ways to deliver better trauma informed and holistic support to clients including types of social prescribing and seek to build wider partnerships to help deliver the aims of the role. They will be expected to deliver ‘navigator’ type focussed support to more entrenched rough sleepers referred by North Devon Council.
The role is based at the Freedom Centre and the role holder will be accountable to the Freedom Day Centre Manager.
The closing date for applications is 1200hrs on Monday 4th December 2023.