Charlotte Earwaker: HARP Southend

Our speaker today was Charlotte Earwaker from HARP, Southend’s leading charity supporting homeless people.

Every year HARP helps about 1,000 people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It has emergency accommodation, a women’s hostel, and move-on accommodation enabling it to house at any one time around 350 people who would otherwise be homeless. Recently the Archbishop of York (a former Bishop of Chelmsford) visited HARP for the opening of its Bluebird project, which will provide 50 extra residential units in six separate buildings.

Most of the people HARP helped last year (67%) were aged 30-59, 17% were 18-25, 9% 26-29 and 7% were 60+. 74% were male and 26% female. 60% reported mental health problems and 62% had issues with drugs and alcohol.

All those entering HARP are placed on the “HARP pathway”, which consists of three steps:

1. Early support and planning: working with each person to prepare a plan to help them with areas of their life such as finances, physical and mental health and any issues with substance misuse to give them the best possible basis on which to move on and stay in accommodation.
2. Life skills: encouraging people to engage in activities that will build their self-esteem and confidence.
3. Preparation to move on: Supporting people as they prepare to move on to accommodation of their own beyond HARP.

HARP has paid professional staff and volunteers. A doctor and nurse pay regular visits to residents. There is no government funding, income coming from clients’ Housing Benefits, from donations and sponsorships, sales thought its shops and fund-raising events.