16 December 2022

“The partnerships are key to this new contract,” said Development Officer and Environmental Lead Jonny Goldsmith.

“We’ll be working closely alongside not only the council, but also The Haven Wolverhampton which supports women and children who have experienced domestic abuse, Changing Lives which works with people experiencing homelessness and substance misuse, St George’s House which supports men who have been marginalised and experienced tough times and Good Shepherd Wolverhampton which also works with people to tackle poverty and homelessness.

“Our partnerships with these organisations will bring together the localised knowledge, resources and contacts that will enable us to provide the best possible services to people in Wolverhampton.”

So, what are these services?

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This comprises street outreach and floating support: outreach to enable people to safely exit the streets and settle in comfortable short-term accommodation and floating support to prevent homelessness in the first place. P3 already offers these services in Wolverhampton, but the new contract will encompass the wider scope of the new partnership to improve people’s support.

Peter Bilson House

This council-owned, purpose-built building will provide four emergency beds for people to access directly from the streets, as well as a further 22 places for people to provide a stable, long-term home for up to two years as they look to fulfil life aspirations such as getting back into work, education or volunteering. In addition, Peter Bilson House will have office space within it for partner organisations who work alongside P3; in effect, it will be a multi-agency hub for people who need support. The building is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023.

Housing First

The Housing First service will offer support for up to 41 people who have experienced prolonged periods of homelessness and have multiple, complex needs.

Head of Support and Community Services Sam Bailey said:

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to develop and strengthen our partnerships with specialist service providers in the city of Wolverhampton and deliver a new P3 service in the city.”

“As an organisation we remain committed to continuing our work and ensuring anyone who finds themselves with no home receives an immediate, kind response and the right support. Here at P3 we believe that no one going through a tough time should be left with no other option than to bed down on the streets.”

“We didn’t know if we’d get it but obviously we’re glad we did,” said Service Manager Tracy Litchfield. “And it’s going towards our new Cosy Club.”

The Cosy Club is a weekly meeting where people can get into a warm space, have hot food and drinks, charge their phones and socialise. They also receive advice and support in staying warm in their own homes.

“The grant is going towards having a staff member in one day a week for the 20 weeks that the club will be running,” Tracy continued. That colleague is Support Worker Hayley Harper, pictured, who is well-placed for the role – she’s working towards a Level 3 Award qualification in Energy Awareness with fuel poverty charity National Energy Action.

In addition, the hub is putting together Warm Packs for people. These contain thermal flasks, hot water bottles, warm fleeces, thermal underlayers, socks and equipment to improve energy efficiency in people’s homes, such as radiator reflector rolls, letterbox draught excluders and brush door seals. The packs even contain slow cookers, with the hub providing a new recipe and ingredients for it every fortnight.

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“Every week at the club, we look at a different aspect of energy efficiency and keeping warm,” Tracy said. “It’s a way of educating and supporting people.

“We’re also working with the charity Marches Energy Agency and they’re going to visit the Cosy Club to give a talk about it. They also have an interactive mobile exhibition, a sort of ‘house on wheels’, to share information. We plan to hire it for a Cosy Club event.

The story behind Chanukah takes place in the second century BCE when King Antiochus persecuted the Jewish community by outlawing the religion and desecrating the Temple. The Jews raised a rebel army led by Judah Maccabee and eventually triumphed. But when they went to rededicate the Temple, they found the menorah – the seven-branched candelabra that needed to be kept permanently alight – was out. There was only one day’s worth of oil left for it and it would take over a week to acquire more.

The menorah was lit anyway … and according to legend, a miracle caused the oil to burn for eight days and nights, until more was brought back to the Temple. Thus, we mark Chanukah for eight days and eight nights.

Chanukah has always been one of my favourite festivals. As a child I loved lighting the chanukiah – the eight-branched candelabra used to mark Chanukah, with an additional space for the candle used to light the others, known as the shamash. (That’s the difference between a menorah and a chanukiah.) With every night, another candle is added.

In addition to this, we give gifts, sing songs and eat oily food such as doughnuts and potato latkes (essentially a kind of hash brown), to commemorate the miracle of the oil. We also play a game with a small spinning top called a dreidel. The story goes that Jews, under Antiochus, would continue their religious studies where they could but if a soldier approached, they would quickly pretend to be playing dreidel instead.

The chanukiah is my favourite part of it, though. On the last night, when all the candles are burning brightly, I always have to share a picture. One year I ran out of candles and created a makeshift chanukiah with artfully arranged tea lights. Another year I attempted to make doughnuts at home. The recipes warn you that you’ll need a deep fat fryer and that it won’t work in an ordinary heavy frying pan. They’re right. Ask me how I know!!!

But burned, liquid doughnuts aside, it’s always a lovely festival and it’s beautiful watching my young son enjoy it just as I did as a child. When the nights are long, dark and cold, there is something truly spiritually warming about upholding an ancient tradition of light and celebration.