The Charity
As a registered charity, Bedford Concern for the Homeless and Rootless (BeCHaR) has been running The Prebend Day Centre since 1993. We take a holistic approach to helping individuals take the next step towards reintegration into the local community. We achieve this through our drop-in centre and support team, which is available to vulnerable men and women (individuals in crisis) aged 16 and over; 365 days a year.
The Prebend Day Centre offers wrap around services that enhance other service provisions in the local area. These wrap around services provide all the necessary amenities and facilities to individuals to remain dignified whilst we work with them to address their individual needs. Our support team specialise in offering advice, advocacy and pathway referrals onto other specialist organisations, agencies and services in the local area.
BeCHaR is a member of B:DAT and we use the B:DAT Single Assessment Tool as a means to capture in depth information of individuals, this document then progresses with them as they are referred to other services. We are also members of the Hostel Forum and use the CAPITA system to refer individuals into hostel and other supported accommodation.
Facilities:
- Showers and toilets.
- Laundry (washing and drying).
- Clothing Bank.
- Canteen serving three meals daily (breakfast, lunch, afternoon soup and rolls).
- Tuck Shop (Client involvement).
- TV lounge and activity lounge with a pool table and football table.
- Courtyard with seating and a sheltered smoking area.
- Medical room.
- Meeting room for client engagements.
- Dedicated support office for client engagements and assisted telephone calls.
Support Services:
- Dedicated and professional support team of five, headed by a Senior Support Worker.
- Housing access and advice (CAPITA and other referral means).
- Benefit access and advice.
- Substance and alcohol misuse service access and advice.
- Key working sessions.
- Emotional support and access to counselling.
- Mental health access and advice.
- GP registration, access and advice.
- Access to telephones
- Access to computers for emails and CV writing etc.
- Activities (including Tuck Shop, Allotment – Community Garden, Arts and Crafts, Fishing).
Visiting Satellite Services:
The Prebend Day Centre has worked extremely hard in the recent two years to develop into a ‘Hub’ and ‘Focus Point’ for other organisation, agencies and services. We encourage other services to offer ‘Satellite Clinics’ from the organisations facilities. This has proved invaluable and we have rapidly expanded our clinics.
- Kings Arms Project – Rough Sleeper Outreach Worker, weekly on Mondays
- General advice and advocacy.
- Specific ongoing client support.
- Pathway Referrals.
- First Law Partnership, weekly on Mondays.
- General Law advice.
- Support in ongoing legal proceedings.
- Assistance in obtaining funding for court proceedings.
- ‘Mini’ MAP (Multi Agency Panel), weekly on Mondays.
- Panel to discuss hard to reach and chaotic rough sleepers.
- Members:
- BeCHaR – Senior Support Worker
- Bedford Borough Council – Complex Needs Officer
- Salvation Army – Centre Coordinator
- Kings Arms Project – Night Shelter Manager
- Kings Arms Project – Rough Sleeper Outreach Worker
- AddAction Clinics, weekly on Tuesdays.
- General advice on their service.
- Encouraging disengaged clients to reengage.
- Pathway referrals to their service.
- Befriending.
- On specifically booked days: Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training & General First Aid/ Overdose Awareness Training.
- POhWER Advocacy, monthly on Tuesdays
- Specialists in mental health advocacy work.
- Helping individuals ensure they receive the service they expect from agencies/organisations etc.
- Helping handle complaints.
- Helping individuals talk and ask questions to people.
- Supporting individuals at meetings.
- Supporting individuals to make choices.
- Polish British Integration Centre (PBIC), weekly on Wednesdays.
- Translation service.
- Assistance and general advocacy for A8 Nationals.
- Benefit assistance.
- Access to work related training.
- Work opportunities.
- Referrals to alcohol and drug rehabilitation and treatment services.
- Counsellor, weekly on Wednesdays
- General counselling sessions.
- Person centred approach counselling.
- Westminster Drug Project Alcohol Arrest Referral Team, weekly on Thursdays.
- Criminal justice initiative with a health focus, to prevent those misusing alcohol from either offending or reoffending.
- Targeting offenders or likely offenders offering an alcohol support outreach service.
- General Practice Nurse, twice weekly: Thursday & Fridays 9:00AM until 11:30AM.
- General nursing, health checks.
- Pathway referrals to A&E, GP’s and Mental Health Team (Crisis Intervention).
- Hepatitis Vaccinations.
- Blood Borne Virus screening.
- Flu Immunisations.
- Sexual health advice, access to condoms, pregnancy tests and Chlamydia tests.
- Homeless Substance Misuse Prescribing Clinic, three weekly: Monday 8:30AM – 11:30AM, Wednesday 9:00AM – 12:00PM, Friday 12:00PM – 3:00PM
- Partnership – NHS, SharedCare (SEPT), 2 Goldington Road Surgery, BeCHaR.
- Providing a prescribing clinic for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
- Chiropodist, every quarter ( 3 monthly)
- Woodgreen Veterinary Clinics, every quarter ( 3 monthly)
- Free pet health checks.
- Free flee and worming treatments.
- Free claw and teeth treatments.
- Free ID Micro Chipping and registration.
- Free food, collars, muzzles, leads, coats, bedding and other accessories.
- Support applying for grants for further treatments required.
We also facilitate Community Practice Nurses who attend daily to help administer medication for individuals receiving care in the community and throughout the week we allow access to the medical room and meeting room to agencies wishing to engage our guests at the charities property for specific individual reasons.
Partnership Working:
BeCHaR is a vital service in Bedford, providing the necessary holistic and wrap around care provisions enabling individuals to engage further with other service, agencies and organisations. We are recognised successfully for your contribution and we are active members in the following partnership management groups and forums:
- B:DAT (Bedfordshire Drug and Alcohol Action Team) Partnership Managers Group Meeting – every 6 weeks.
- To discuss NTA (National Drug Treatment) agenda and working policies.
- To discuss and share good working practice.
- Service updates.
- Training opportunities.
- Tool and working document development.
- Practitioners Group Meeting – every 6 weeks.
- To trial tool and working document developments from Partnership Managers Group.
- Practitioner feedback forum.
- To discuss and share good working practice.
- Rough Sleeper MAP (Multi Agency Panel), every 6 weeks.
- Panel to discuss hard to reach and chaotic rough sleepers.
- Rough Sleeper ‘Mini’ MAP (Multi Agency Panel), every Monday.
- Panel to discuss hard to reach and chaotic rough sleepers.
- Supported Housing Forum, every 6 weeks.
- Forum for information sharing, good practice sharing.
- Panel to discuss all rough sleepers and individuals in need of housing.
- Training opportunities.
- Hostel Forum, every 6 weeks.
- Forum for information sharing, good practice sharing.
- CAPITA information sharing (Bedfordshire’s Hostel Vacancy Database).
- Panel to discuss all Hostel residents.
- Training opportunities.
