2021-09-01-accounts

Embassy Trustees Annual Report

For the period 02/09/2020 to 01/09/2021

A. Reference and administration details

Charity name: Embassy Charity number: 1174728 Date registered: 19/09/2017 Registered address: 2 Whitley Avenue, Barnton, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 4LW Founders: Mr. Sid Williams Mrs. Tess Williams Charity trustees: Mr. Richard Ayres (Chair) Mr. Richard Selby (Treasurer) Mr. Antony Bullivant Mr. Derek Gough Charity Director: Mr. Sid Williams Independent examiner: Mrs. Christine Truslove

B. Structure, governance and management

How the charity is constituted: A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity trustees (‘Foundation’ model constitution).

The governing document: A Constitution document that follows Charity Commission guidelines. Trustee selection method: The name of suitable person known by one or more of the trustees, who has the necessary experience and background, is brought to a formally convened trustees meeting. A vote is then taken and recorded in the meeting minutes.

Size of charity: Income during the past financial year was £241,009. How the charity is governed: Regularly convened meetings of the trustees, at which minutes are taken. Policies in place: Safeguarding vulnerable adults policy; risk assessment; operating procedures to ensure the safety of residents, volunteers and employees.

C. Objectives and activities

The trustees have noted and followed the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit when defining the charity’s objectives and activities.

The objectives of the charity are to deliver the following public benefits:

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• To relieve the need of people in England and Wales who are rough sleeping, homeless or vulnerably housed; and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) by providing or arranging for emergency and temporary accommodation within a Christian ethos; and

• To advance the Christian faith by the propagation of Christianity according to the Bible.

Although Embassy is a Christian charity, we welcome equally whoever is referred to us, of any faith or none.

The intention of the charity is to deliver these public benefits through the following activities:

• a) Help those who are homeless to restore their lives and become part of healthy communities by doing the following:

• i. Work with partner agencies, including local councils, to identify those who are homeless and are serious about turning their lives around.

• ii. Provide each resident with their own room plus shared access to a kitchen, bathroom and living area.

• iii. Employ a team of resettlement workers to welcome our homeless guests and to take each of them through a programme of resettlement activities, which includes:

• Weekly house meetings in each house

• Weekly one to one mentoring session with each resident

• Weekly twelve steps course for unpacking past trauma

• Practical instruction on food shopping

• One to one cooking lessons in line with the two-week meal plan we provide to help residents budget and eat healthily

• Training around bill, rent and tax payment

• Optional bible and prayer times

• Optional weekly sports sessions

• Assistance with benefits, ID recovery, bank account and email set up.

• iv. Help our homeless residents to obtain suitable permanent employment through the contacts that the charity has established with local companies.

• v. Talk to our homeless residents about our Christian faith, as we know from our own experience that nothing can restore lives as well and as permanently as the truth about Jesus.

• vi. Help our homeless residents to successfully find and move into suitable permanent housing when the time is right. As each resident enters into a rental contract with the charity, we are able to write a reference for future landlords to help them move on.

• vii. Help those who have moved into permanent housing to settle in and remain, through regular ongoing visits by our resettlement workers. This will include introducing them to an appropriate church near their new home if they wish us to.

• b) Help our residents to help themselves by making the provision of accommodation subject to, by prior agreement:

• i. The person remaining sober and free from drug abuse.

• ii. The person engaging in the resettlement activities described above.

• c) Ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, staff and volunteers by doing the following:

• i. Adhering to a comprehensive Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults policy.

• ii. Only accept residents that come by risk assessed referrals from partner agencies.

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D. Achievements and performance in the past year

1. Built up our capacity to provide homes in rented housing

At the end of the last report, we were just moving from renting from a landlord to leasing two properties in order to be the landlord and for our residents to stop being homeless guests and have the status and rights of somebody in a rental contract. This allows us to end people’s homelessness on day one, cut out anything resembling a shelter and also to be able to write to the next private landlord to give a reference for men as they leave us. We have been using a legal model called license agreements, which give the same protections to the resident as a shorthold tenancy but allow us as the landlord access to the property in order to deliver training and support. It also allows us to introduce some rules to the agreement which would be difficult to level with a standard tenancy. In our case the rules include no drugs or alcohol in the properties, no visitors to the properties and an agreement to engage in some training around budgeting, cooking and also work readiness. This has worked well this year with residents happy with the program and a calm and safe environment.

Security Ring door bells and cameras have been installed at the front doors and in communal areas of the properties in order to keep people safe. The footage disappears after 30 days but if an incident were to occur, we could download that and the police could make use of it. Thankfully, no such incident has occurred, but the cameras are clever and can also be used as a two-way audio communication, which can be useful is somebody has lost a key or wants to attract our attention. It has also helped us fend off unwanted people knocking at the door, etc.

Claiming enhanced housing benefit should have helped us break even on our costs at the houses this year but despite being approved for exempt housing benefit by both Bolton and Salford councils, neither has began to pay them yet. It has taught us that we cannot rely on local authorities to deliver their end of an agreement and that we need to become a Registered Housing Provider next year ahead of developing more properties. Being a Registered Housing Provider will enable a better interface with the council and will also mean that the council can claim back all the additional housing costs and so will be more inclined to help.

We’ve been looking to rent further accommodation to expand our capacity but have found nothing suitable, which is extremely frustrating. We almost took on a building that would have allowed us to take five more people and had agreed a “friendly” rent and obtained the keys two weeks before the contract was due to start. However, when we were cleaning the property (with the permission of the landlord) we realised that the neighbours were drug dealers so decided to cancel the agreement to avoid potential issues. We have the staff capacity to serve more people but many landlords in the area have sold up to capitalise on the current property values, and the properties remaining have all been filled with residents. We’ve now found a charity in south Manchester who have two buildings but only the staff to man one and so we have a four-bedroom house at our disposal and are just finalising a contract of engagement that will allow us to house men there. To say growing our portfolio has been difficult would be an understatement, as it’s been extremely hard work to make any progress.

2. Continued resettlement activities

The training we have been delivering was significantly hampered as we went in and out of lockdowns both national and local. We have managed on a small scale to assist 7 men in this period, in the housing we have managed to secure, the results of which have been most gratifying. We’ve seen the men learning to budget, cook and grow in confidence. Further to that there’s been support given by our team to another 5 men who we had already helped move on from our accommodation last year but who needed some ongoing support to be successful.

Finding jobs for the men has been difficult for the majority of the period of this report, because our employment partners had little to offer as Covid was still slowing a lot of the businesses. In the

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summer we saw one man move into full time into a landscaping job and just recently he moved company to do the same job working for a housing association with whom he is now hoping to secure a home. In the later part of the year, we had the joy of seeing two men employed full time with Engie. One in an administrative role and the other as an engineer in training. (Just after the end of this reporting period, both of these men moved on from us successfully but this is not included in the statistics for this year).

We further developed our relationship with a company that owns Go-Ape, a driving range and another golf course at the Trafford Centre. Some of our residents have been enjoying going for free with our team. We also have been given a small plot to manage and maintain at RHS Worsley and one of our residents has been out there with James, one of our resettlement workers, who’s also a part time gardener. We were also taken under the wing of Gone West, a tree planting company. They have committed to offset the entire carbon output of the charity and its future village through tree planting. We have taken one of our men out to plant trees which he enjoyed both for the physical challenge and for getting out of the city. The plan now is to do this on a larger scale and any men who enjoy it will be offered full time work.

3. Prepared for the creation of a homeless village

The charity has had a long-term aspiration to create a ’40 home village’ in Greater Manchester for homeless men, where they could have their own front door and receive resettlement training and enjoy social activities as they do now. A large landowner in the region offered the charity some land in a central location in the city on a 125 year lease, which is surrounded by waterways on three sides making it secure and manageable. The site is known as the “Arches” as it is below a railway viaduct. 25 companies generously provided their services to complete the surveys, design, planning and public consultations. Planning permission has now been secured and fund raising has begun to secure the funds needed for construction, estimated to be £3,000,000.

4. Statistics for the year

The following statistics indicate the number of people that the charity has helped during this reporting period:

• a) Current capacity: 6

• b) Number of homeless individuals who we have provided a home for: 7

• c) Number of homeless individuals who the charity helped to move into employment: 4

• d) Number of homeless individuals who the charity helped to become permanently re-housed: 1

• e) Number of homeless individuals who the charity helped to move to alternative accommodation (such as move in with family, a hostel, or residential rehabilitation): 0

• f) Number of responses to the Gospel: 0

• g) Number of people the charity supported in their next accommodation: 5

E. Planned activities for next year

1. Increase the capacity of our housing

The charity aims to build capacity back up to at least the number of residents that we were helping when we were operating the Embassy bus, before the COVID-19 crisis. This will require the charity to lease or buy more houses which we are already looking for – both for men and women.

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2. Start helping women in addition to men

The charity has considered it necessary to avoid mixing men and women for reasons of safety and dignity, whether on the bus or in a house. Therefore, as there are far more homeless men than women in Greater Manchester, we have focussed just on helping men. Now that the charity has started to use houses, we have made the decision to expand our operations to enable us to help women as well. We have now recruited an experienced female resettlement worker, Emmalee, who has now been familiarised with the charity’s resettlement process, and the charity is in the process of acquiring one or more houses for women. Emmalee has been seconded for 3 months to a combination of ‘Imagine If’ in Liverpool, Salford Council and also MASH in Manchester. Emmalee has experienced homelessness first hand and is very experienced in care and social work. We hope to secure funds to buy a property in 2022.

3. Construct the homeless village

Once necessary funds have been raised, construction of the village will commence. The charity is aiming to commence moving residents into the village in late 2022.

The Village will be 40 single occupancy homes. Each being a bedsit and self-contained meaning men will practice running their own home and their own space as well as their finances, cooking, shopping, etc. We will also build a ‘Village Hall’, which will provide somewhere to gather everyone for social and training purposes. The Village Hall will also provide office space for the team of staff, a training kitchen, a laundry, counselling room and spare toilets and showers. Also on the village site will be gardens and a multi sports pitch.

4. Continuous improvement

The charity will continue to refine how it operates, aiming to efficiently provide its residents with a good experience while helping each one to find a job and to be re-housed without delay. This approach includes regular meetings of the director and resettlement workers to identify changes that are needed and how they should be implemented. Such learnings will be transferred to the operating of the women’s houses and the Village. We have also developed a ‘working group’ with Manchester City Council’s adult social services, homeless team and revenue and benefits unit in order to plot a workable way forward both for referrals and income. We have established a steering group for the Village, which includes Peel (the land owner), Capital & Centric (who are developers) and The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

F. Financial review

1. Fundraising strategy

The charity relied mainly on donations for funding the work that we do and therefore effective fundraising is essential. The charity has been blessed by the donations that we have received so far, especially the increasing number of individuals and businesses that give monthly, for which we are very grateful.

During the year, the charity worked with a fundraising agency called Chell Perkins but sadly the resulting funding raised, after costs, failed to meet expectations.

2. Sources of funding during the reporting period

The total amount of income that the charity received during the year was: £241,009

Of which:

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• 46% was from individuals (including Gift Aid reclaim from previous year)

• 12% was from businesses

• 15% was from churches and other charities

• 17% was from charitable trusts and foundations

• 5% was from rent paid by the residents (from their wages or housing benefit)

• 4% was from the sale of items (i.e. the much loved but no longer needed bus).

Income from fundraising including Gift Aid from previous year, net of fundraising costs: £215,516 Of which, net of fundraising costs:

• 41% was from regular giving

• 53% was from one-off giving including large donations

• 1% was via a fundraising agency

• 2% was from fundraising events

• 1% was from fundraising vouchers

• 3% was from HMRC Gift Aid reclaim.

3. Reserves policy

The charity aims to maintain reserves that are sufficient to cover three months of operating costs, including salaries. At the end of the year our reserves exceeded this, due partly to funds already raised for the construction of the village.

4. Summary of finances (to the nearest £)

	Amount
Opening balance (carried forward from previous year):	£91,479
Income (unrestricted):	£188,981
Income (restricted):	£52,029
Total income:	£241,009
Staff payroll:	£135,569
Other operating costs:	£70.425
Total outgoing:	£205,944
Balance (funds carried over to the next year):	£126,495

5. Independent examination of the financial reports

The reports have been independently examined and verified by Mrs. Christine Truslove (MAAT).

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G. Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved this report.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Signature: …………………………………………… Date: …………………… Name: Mr. Richard Ayres Position: Chair of trustees

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----- Start of picture text -----
Embassy 1174728
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period
from: 01-Sep-20 To: 01-Sep-21
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£ £
A1 Receipts
Large single donations 49,415 41,341 - 90,756 62,073
Large single donations via fundraising agency - 5,627 - 5,627 30,000
Regular donations 84,086 4,000 - 88,086 47,615
Small ad-hoc donations 23,441 1,060 - 24,502 26,061
Fundraising events 3,449 - - 3,449 21,860
Gift Aid reclaimed from HMRC 7,127 - - 7,127 7,228
Housing Income 12,463 - - 12,463 -
HMRC Job Retention Scheme (COVID-19) - - 25,406
- - - -
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 179,981 52,029 - 232,009 220,242
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
Sale of assets 9,000 - - 9,000
- - - - -
Sub total 9,000 - - 9,000 -
Total receipts 188,981 52,029 - 241,009 220,242
A3 Payments
Payroll & pension 93,601 41,968 - 135,569 129,774
Other staff costs 434 - - 434 1,917
Volunteer costs - - - - -
Training for staff & volunteers - - - - -
Resettlement costs 1,916 - - 1,916 2,406
Travel and meeting expenses 522 - - 522 558
Mobile phone costs 668 - - 668 144
Stationery & postage 36 - - 36 90
Insurance 608 - 608 878
Food and drink supplies for guests - - - - 79
Guest actvities and equipment 14 - - 14 254
Housing set up costs 1,489 - - 1,489 -
Housing rent and other payments 25,773 - - 25,773 -
Housing repairs 475 - - 475 -
Housing furnishings - - - - -
Housing other costs 5,041 - - 5,041 -
Cleaning materials - - - - 47
Maintenance of interior fittings - - - - 8,708
Vehicle tax - - - - 100
Vehicle maintenance inc. MOT - - - - 1,199
Fundraising event - - - - 549
Marketing 70 - 70 3,203
Fundraising agency 3,960 - - 3,960 15,250
IT 1,367 - - 1,367 92
Arches Project 7,892 - - 7,892 -
Miscellaneous items - - - - 170
Professional services - - - - -
Response to COVID-19 crisis - - - - 9,097
Donations to other charities (tithe) 20,160 - - 20,160 14,640
- - - - -
Sub total 164,025 41,968 - 205,994 189,153
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
- - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total payments 164,025 41,968 - 205,994 189,153
Net of receipts/(payments) 24,956 10,060 - 35,016 31,088
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 91,479 - - 91,479 60,391
Cash funds this year end 116,435 10,060 - 126,495 91,479
----- End of picture text -----

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

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Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Categories Details funds funds funds
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B1 Cash funds Embassy bank account 116,435 10,060 -
- - -
- - -
Total cash funds 116,435 10,060 -
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s)) OK OK OK
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
funds funds funds
Details to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets - - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Fund to which Current value
Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional)
B3 Investment assets - -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Fund to which Current value
Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use - -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Fund to which Amount due When due
Details liability relates (optional) (optional)
B5 Liabilities -
-
-
-
-
Date of
Signature Print Name
approval
Signed by Trustee Treasurer Richard Selby
Inspected by Christine Truslove
----- End of picture text -----

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Embassy On accounts for the year ended 2021 Charity no (If any) 1174728 Set out on pages 1to2 I rep)rt to the trustees on my eXaMinat￿n of the accounts of the above charityllhe Trusf) for the year ended 0110912021. Responsibilities and As the chanty trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Acl"). I report in respect of my examinalton of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions gtven by the Charrty Commission under sedion 14515)(b} of the Act. I have completed my examination. l tt*nfifm that no material matters have come lo my attention (other than that disclosed below) in connection with the examination whth gives me ￿use to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ wrth section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not a¢￿d with the accounting record5 the accounts did not comply with Ihe applicable requirements conixming the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection wilh the examination to which attention should ￿ drawn in order to enable propel understanding of the ac4unts to be reached. Signed." Date: <kw)IoL Name: Mrs. Christine Truslove Relevant professional qualification{sl or body (rf any): MAAT IER October 2018

Address: 146 Bradshaw Road Bolton Lancashire BL2 3EN Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of con￿rn Isee CC32, IndeFendent examination of charity aGGounts.' directions and guidance for examiners)- Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dl$¢lose. IER Octobar 2018