ANNUAL REPORT 2024 – 2025
Address
Online
Official
18 Glamorgan Road
Kingston upon Thames KT1 4HP
www.literacy100.org
info@literacy100.org
Registered charity number: 1198309
OUR MISSION
Literacy100 campaigns for accessible literacy services in England and Wales for adults with histories of complex needs, including homelessness. We believe that all citizens should have the chance to participate in the reading and writing activities the rest of us take for granted.
BACKGROUND
Studies in the UK have identified a high prevalence of weak literacy and its accompanying disadvantages amongst adults who have experienced homelessness.[1 2 ] A 2024 report from the Centre for Homelessness Impact[ 3] suggests that half of social immobility in Britain is driven by unequal access to education. In a reciprocal and generational relationship, low literacy and numeracy are important predictors of homelessness, while housing instability is a chronic risk factor for academic achievement.
The detrimental effects of low literacy extend to many corners of everyday life. There are, for example, worse health outcomes for patients who cannot access or understand medical information. Sustainable work becomes hard to find. There are significant practical difficulties with travel and shopping, and individuals can sometimes experience exclusion from social opportunities in the community.
The OECD’s most recent international survey of adult literacy and numeracy (PIAAC, 2024)4 found very little improvement in England since 2014. Around 8.5 million adults continue to have low literacy and/or numeracy skills. A recent government focus on the 16-19 age group has shown some success, but a similar strategy for adults has not emerged.5
2
Engagement with appropriate educational opportunities is not always straightforward, and people experiencing disadvantage, particularly those with additional learning needs, have historically been amongst the group least well served by national literacy programmes.[6] The reasons are complex, but learning is less likely to be successful if, for example, an individual has difficulty juggling competing priorities or coping with travel, suffers from low self-esteem, and has a traumainduced fear of the classroom.
In the 2023 Literacy100 Charter and Report,[7] colleagues from a wide range of sectors and professional backgrounds recommend straightforward action that can be taken by homelessness and educational organisations to facilitate participation in adult literacy learning. With these principles in mind, we will continue in 2026 to advocate for accessible, trauma-informed literacy provision for adults affected by the complexities of homelessness.
3
Iltsr•eyKIO Empowerment Through Literacy A Crter for AdulL wth ExFtnetKe of HonE1. 6 .Q24I )" SEPTEMBER 2023 Read the LiteracylOO Charter online.
EXPERIENCE OF COLLEGE – Gary
When it was suggested that I go to college, honestly I was quite scared. My anxiety levels were really high on the first day. I couldn’t do the work they gave me, so I felt frustrated and angry.
My support worker told me that I should explain my dyslexia difficulties to the teacher. I was nervous, but to my surprise, she was very nice about it. She gave me more time to prepare things, and didn’t expect me to learn long lists of spellings. So, I knew how to explain to my other teachers, and since then they’ve all been brilliant.
College has been a tremendous benefit in my life. Now I can travel anywhere I want because at last I can read signs and instructions. In my volunteer work, I can access the computer to record important information. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been given more responsibilities.
I’m still signing up for classes. I’ve got to say that the difference college has made to me is fantastic, lifechanging!
5
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
The focus of Literacy100’s work this year continues to be the development of an unaccredited literacy course for vulnerable learners with multiple needs at City Lit college in London. The aim is to build a model of good practice to promote to the wider adult/further education and homelessness sectors.
In recent years, funding constraints and the increased number of adults without secure accommodation have obliged homelessness organisations to concentrate more exclusively on housing issues. In some cases, they have closed well-established in-house education and skills services, including literacy provision. This tightening of focus may explain why the pilot literacy programme at City Lit has experienced difficulty in attracting referrals during its first year. As it enters its second, the college has been proactive in building
relationships with local homelessness organisations and the adults they support. We hope to see the dividends. Literacy100 continues to reach out to its own network, and to contribute expertise in the fields of homelessness, trauma-informed practice, and literacy pedagogy.
We continue to raise awareness of our mission and to widen our network in the relevant sectors. In June 2025, Literacy100 joined the Learning & Work Institute’s ‘Get the Nation Learning’ campaign. This will provide a platform
6
to promote our work to organisations in the fields of housing, communities and adult education.
Literacy100 maintains a healthy bank balance to meet its current, modest outgoings. The charity continues to be managed solely by volunteers, and has no property to rent or maintain.
Identification of additional team members remains a challenge, our current trustees continuing to conduct the bulk of operational work. Literacy100 is actively seeking an operations assistant, plus two new trustees to contribute perspectives from the homelessness and further/adult education sectors.
My thanks as Chair go to my fellow trustees who, despite significant professional commitments elsewhere, offer their time and expertise to Literacy100 with great generosity.
Julia
7
EXPERIENCE OF COLLEGE – Mary
When I left school I still couldn’t read and write properly, and I spent a long time as an adult still trying to get help for my literacy. It was so frustrating.
When I was told about the literacy course at City Lit, I thought I’d give it a try. But, I needed someone to help me enrol in the first place, because I wasn’t used to that sort of thing.
The college was really good about helping me find the right teacher and the right class. They didn’t put me in the right one to begin with, so they sent me to another class, but the work there was too easy. The third one was about right and I’m doing ok there now.
I’m dyslexic, and my teacher understands my needs. They’ve also given me a reading coach who really helps, because there’s so much I want to read.
Yes, I’m pleased with college. One day I’m going to try one of their other courses -there are so many you can do, it’s amazing. But for now, I’m going to concentrate on my literacy, because that’s what’s going to help me with my future.
8
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
| Bank balance at Annual Report 2024 | 3809.60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming resources | ||
| Donations | ||
| Mr Arthur VesteyGift Aid 15/07/2024(£250 Bank fee 8.75) | 241.25 | |
| 241.25 | ||
| Interest | ||
| CAF Bank 26/09/2024 | 2.02 | |
| CAF Bank 27/12/2024 | 2.01 | |
| CAF Bank 23/03/2025 | 1.88 | |
| CAF Bank 26/06/2025 | 1.73 | |
| 7.64 | ||
| Resources expended | ||
| Bank Charges July24 to June 25@£5per month | -60.00 | |
| Wix website Hostingcosts Feb 25 | -288.00 | |
| Wix website Hostingcosts May2025 | -161.28 | |
| LadyJulia Olisa Book Refund(10/02/2025 | -125.00 | |
| POS Zoom.com(11/04/2025) | -155.88 | |
| POS Squarespace(17/06/2025} | -14.40 | |
| -804.56 | ||
| Bank balance at 27 June 2025 | 3253.93 |
9
WITH THANKS TO THE TEAM
| Julia Olisa | Chair | Appointed |
|---|---|---|
| trustee | ||
| Dyslexia specialist | ||
| Literacy and homelessness | ||
| Hilary Stevens | Finance Officer | Appointed |
| trustee | ||
| Business and development | ||
| Alessy Beaver | Communications | Appointed |
| trustee | ||
| Homelessness, education and | ||
| sustainable employment | ||
| Gary Chambers | Literacy100 Ambassador | |
| Linda Constable | Libraires consultant | |
| Kat Goodacre | Research consultant | |
| Tasa Hendrix | Website consultant | |
| Audrey Mitchell | Homelessness consultant |
Literacy100 is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (‘Foundation’ Model) Date of Constitution: 1[st] March 2022
REFERENCES
1 Dumoulin, D. & Jones, K. (2014). Reading counts: Why English and Maths skills matter in tackling homelessness . London: St Mungo’s Broadway/The Work Foundation
2 Olisa, J, Patterson, J & Wright, F (2010). Turning the Key: Portraits of low literacy amongst people with experience of homelessness. London. Thames Reach.
3 Ellingwood, J., Vallis, D. & Sanders, M. (2024). Literacy, Numeracy and Homelessness: What Do We Know? The Centre for Homelessness Impact.
4 NFER (2024). Key findings from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) in England .
[chromeextension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.nfer.ac .uk/media/r0kpehmv/key_insights_from_the_survey_of_adult_skills_piaac _in_england.pdf]
5 Stevenson, S. (2025). International Literacy Day 2025: (It’s still) time for action.
[https://learningandwork.org.uk/news-and-policy/international-literacyday-2025-its-still-time-for-action/]
6 London Development Agency (2006). The London Skills for Life Strategy.
[www.lda.gov.uk/upload/rtf/The_London_Skills_for_Life_Strategy_Novembe r_2006.rtf -]
7 Empowerment Through Literacy: A Charter for Adults with Experience of Homelessness. September 2023.
[www.literacy100.org or https://homeless.org.uk/knowledge-hub/literacy100-charter-and-report]
11