2023-03-31-accounts

Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Homelessness Action Collaborative

A Charitable Incorporated Organisation

Annual Report: 31[st] March 2023

REGISTERED OFFICE at End of Financial Year

c/o CITIZENS ADVICE, BCP Council Civic Centre BOURNE AVENUE, BOURNEMOUTH BH2 6DX

Charity number 1182745

Faithworks Wessex

CONFIDENTIAL

Report of the Trustees for the year to March 31[st] , 2023

Our Aims and objectives

The BCP Homelessness Action Collaborative (“the Collaborative”) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation formed on 2[nd] April 2019; it has the following object in its constitution:

“…to relieve hardship, need and distress among those in Dorset and surrounding areas who are homeless or threatened with homelessness”

Background and current role:

The Collaborative was set up to bring together agencies, charities and businesses to find ways to “do more by doing it together” and thus reduce homelessness in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. It worked informally prior to and after its formal CIO formation, to encourage strong partnerships and provide excellent information to all those working with the vulnerably housed and rough sleepers in the area.

It played a key role in the development of the Homelessness partnership (BCP) which now has a senior-level cross sector Homelessness Reduction Board, a Homelessness Forum, and a range of Action Groups working on specific tasks. Since the formation of the Partnership, the Collaborative has taken on new specific roles:

• It is the membership body: as it is a legal entity, organisations can become members (on signing the partnership charter).

• It will provide the primary means of communicating with partnership members; there will be a regular Forum meeting to feedback on the actions and plans from the HRB and partnership action groups.

• It develops and promotes on-line sources of help and information for the whole conurbation

• It will be a key source of ideas to feed into the rest of the partnership; ie. membership is about 2-way communication, allowing proposals from all sectors that will then be considered at HRB and in action groups

• It will provide a funding route for non-statutory sources of money that are needed across the rest of the partnership.

Impact and Focus of the Homelessness Partnership in BCP

The Collaborative’s early influence in driving the homelessness partnership has borne fruit in the extraordinary level of partnership working that continues to deliver despite the cost of living challenges. For example, the regular monthly forums (chaired by the HAC chair) continue to be attended by 40-50 people from over 40 organisations every month making sure that partners know what is happening, and as importantly, what is fact and what is rumour. These partners are from statutory, charitable, educational, business, and faith sectors and many local councillors attend the Forum as a key way of keeping up to date.

The Partnership continues to work on the agreed local strategy including focuses on early and effective upstream prevention; reducing and stopping the cycle of homelessness; and sustaining improvement

Over the course of the last year, there have been several new developments including

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• Dedicated capacity being given to partnership comms including regular partnership newsletters celebrating stories of change and Heroes of the month, plus new social media channels; the first Partnership conference took place in September 2022

• A Prevention action group working amongst other things to put in place a revamped landlords’ group, plus a new Let’s Talk Renting initiative

• Two trustees of the Collaborative were involved in putting together a bid with the Council and other partners to the Royal Foundation; this led to the BCP area being successful in becoming one of 6 chosen areas for Prince William’s new Homewards programme (launched in June 2023)

Key projects involving the Collaborative:

1. Contactless giving

The Change for Good contactless giving fund continues to deliver funding that changes lives. The 10 giving points across the local area were enhanced by posters with a QR code link to the Change for Good giving site.

The points (plus additional giving from direct gifts through Dorset Community foundation) generated over £6500 over the course of the year. Applications from 6 local charities enabled:

• A hugely vulnerable female to escape violence and travel with her belongings to safety in another town

• 20 vulnerable women to be supported into supported accom

• The purchase of mobile phones for those rough sleeping so they could contact key support agencies

• 10 moving in packs for people moving into more secure accom so that they are more likely to stay there

• The provision of sun cream and water to supply a range of cool spaces across BCP on the hottest days when SWEP was called.

The Collaborative continues to pay the admin charges so that 100% of what people give goes to the pot.

2. Partnership website

The new portal (https://homelessnesspartnershipbcp.org/) as described last year was indeed launched at the Homelessness Conference in September 2022. It provides easy help for those on the street, those who are at risk of losing their home, and those who simply want to get involved.

The collaborative managed to obtain funding to pay the ongoing costs for this. And we have since obtained funds to take this to the next level of development including revamping the system so that it can be more easily found in searches and thus give SEO (search engine optimisation) stats. The new system will also incorporate the Homewards programme branding (due Autumn 2023)

Financial Review

In 2022, the Collaborative was delighted to have been chosen as the charity of the year by Chewton Glen Spa and Hotel. The staff there not only regularly made collections of

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toiletries and clothes, but also ran a series of events that raised £4,525 in the year. They also offered a gala night to raise further funds that had to be postponed until later in 2023 – some of the funds raised were used (as an “pay it forward type approach”) to pre-plan this gala night (e.g. deposits etc.)

We were also grateful for the following grants:

• Bournemouth Town Centre ward councillors chose to give £4320 of Community Infrastructure Levy funds to help with paying for and installing Contactless giving points

• The Valentine Trust gave £5000 towards Change for Good costs (£2k), Website development (£1k) and Core costs (£2k)

The costs shown in the accounts are largely from 3 sources:

• The costs of developing the new web app

• The purchase, lease, installation and promotion of the Contactless points

• Basic running costs including insurance and book-keeping

Note that the accounts show income from Change For Good (“contactless donations” – see restricted fund line at bottom of the page) and that income then being sent on (ie. a transfer cost) to the Dorset Community Foundation.

At the end of March 2022, the Collaborative had £8,146 in their accounts, with £5,216 in unrestricted funds.

The trustees therefore met their aim of having at least 3 months reserves in unrestricted funds.

Governance & internal Controls

Trustee team

Emma Lee from the Voluntary sector umbrella body, CAN, joined the trustees during the year, leaving 6 trustees from Business, University, Charitable and Faith sectors.

The trustees meet 3 times in the year; they continue to ensure that there is sound governance in place:

• Banking systems and book-keeping (outsourced to Oak Accounting)

• Policies especially around Safeguarding, volunteer management etc.

• Communications with members (the wider Partnership forum provides this)

As part of the ongoing development of the Homelessness Partnership (BCP), the Council Partnership manager attends the trustee meetings to cement links, and enhance communications across the partnership.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

Company law and charity law require the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

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• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provision of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

This report was approved by the trustees on 3 October 2023.

Signed: (Alistair Doxat-Purser, Chair of Trustees) Dated: 3 October 2023

Appendix 1: Trustees

The following are trustees of the CIO on 31[st] March 2023:

• Alistair Doxat-Purser, CEO, Faithworks Wessex (Chair)

• Zoe Bradley, CEO, BCP Citizens Advice (Treasurer)

• Ian Jones, Head of Engagement, Bournemouth University

• Richard Marshall, Manager, Premium Event Productions Ltd

• Kate Parker, Manager, Shelter Dorset

• Emma Lee, Partnership Manager, CAN (Community Action Network)

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Appendix 2: Annual Accounts to end March 2023

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BCP – Homelessness Action Collaborative Charity ref: 1183745

CONFIDENTIAL

Independent Examiner’s Report for the Year to 31[st] March 2023

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and examiner

As the charity Trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of Section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43(7)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and

to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act;

have not been met or; or

to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date 06th September 2023

… … N Jeffery

Natalie Jeffery

51 Kimmeridge Avenue Parkstone Poole Dorset BH12 3NU

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