Nightwatch Ji 11 ii:. PO Box 9$76. london. SE23 SIH Nightwatch I•TI Annual Report 2021
Nlghtwatch Annual Report 2020
Contents
| Contents | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nightwatch Philosophy | 3 | Treasurer’s Report | 14 |
| Chair’s Report | 4 | Independent Examiner's Report | |
| To the Trustees of Nightwatch | 16 | ||
| Numbers we Serve | 6 | ||
| Accounts | 17 | ||
| Nightwatch Covid Clinic | 7 | ||
| Nightwatch in the News | 20 | ||
| The Street that Gave | 8 | ||
| Hardship Fund | 22 | ||
| Resettlement Report | 10 | ||
| Information for Volunteers | 23 | ||
| Committee Members | 10 | ||
| Legal Information | 26 | ||
| Our Thanks to | 11 | ||
| Useful Numbers | 28 | ||
| Fundraising & Donations | 12 |
The Nightwatch Philosophy
Nightwatch is a charity founded by members of the community in Croydon who were concerned about homelessness. We believe in local solutions for local problems.
Still entirely voluntary, we have been running for more than forty years, adapting to new conditions and applying ourselves to the challenges of homelessness in today’s Britain. Our core activity is a meeting point that is staffed every evening where we give basic help with food and clothing and address more profound needs.
We help people who are street homeless, in squats and other inadequate accommodation, in hostels, in bed and breakfast accommodation, and those who are housed but still need support to help prevent them from again becoming homeless.
Our philosophy is that we treat homelessness as a fluid rather than a steady state – people in need are constantly moving through the system: getting out at the top (becoming housed and needing no further help) or falling off the bottom (becoming street homeless). Our objective is to try to keep people’s motion upwards, so our intervention is tailored to individual needs and aspirations. We assist some people out of street homelessness, others out of
hostels and so on. We address people’s own wishes, working with them to encourage independent living and refurnish new accommodation.
For former homeless people who wish to keep in touch with us, we can help with expensive items such as cookers and fridges, which are beyond their means but without which life is squalid and unpleasant. By maintaining such contact, we help to prevent future homelessness.
Where appropriate, we supply materials to help in re-entering education such as books or travel cards; and we supply appropriate clothing (such as working boots) for people looking for work.
The clients we see have a variety of backgrounds but often have institutional life in common – they have been in children’s homes, psychiatric care or the armed forces, and a number are ex-offenders. Significant problems frequently seen are mental health, drugs, alcohol and marital break-up. It is an important part of our work that we treat all people as individuals and tailor our advice and assistance to their needs. People cannot receive advanced levels of help unless they are willing to address their problems, but everyone gets some help appropriate to their level, with the promise of more as they progress towards independent living.
This work is time consuming and labour intensive, we are the largest volunteer organisation in our borough and we are at work every day of the year.
Nightwatch Annual Report 2020 3
Chair’s Report
This has been a challenging year nationally and at Nightwatch we took our share of the burden. We have been out every night caring for homeless and otherwise vulnerable people in Croydon.
Many of our longstanding volunteers had to stand down at the beginning of the epidemic in March 2020 because they were elderly or caring for vulnerable people. This left a void which was filled by our appeal to young people who came through to keep up our service every night of the year.
While we can view the situation with some equanimity now, it is as well to remember that when we asked people to come forward and help, 1000 people were dying a day nationally and the health service was almost overwhelmed. Inexperienced new volunteers did not know what dangers they were subjecting themselves to, even with our careful protective measures. We owe them a great debt of gratitude.
The second wave of the epidemic, though more deadly, was not such a trial as we had adapted with new procedures to continue working regardless.
When the Covid 19 vaccination became available, we arranged for our volunteers to receive vaccination early, as front-line workers with the homeless; and later co-operated with the NHS and other organisations to ensure all our clients had access to vaccination including those who are not registered with a GP.
Donations
As will be seen on our financial report on pages 14 to 19, the charity had another record year last year, thanks to the generosity of our donors. We regret that our spending on has been low because of limited commercial activity during the Covid emergency.
We have been receiving regular donations of canned and packet food from UK Harvest and City Harvest, which is co-ordinated via Croydon Voluntary Action. We receive Tesco donations via the FareShare network and also receive food from Croydon Foodbank and Purley Foodbank.
Croydon Churches Floating Shelter members could not provide their regular shelter during lockdown and so turned to helping us by providing teams to produce sandwiches for which we are very grateful. Over the Covid period the distribution of hot food donated by allied groups has increased so now almost every night has takeaway meals. We have had contributions from the Sikh group which has continued to contribute hot food on a regular basis; similarly the Ahmadiyya Muslim Group. Various groups in the Hindu community have also been making regular donations, first as part of SEWA Day and then on a more permanent basis.
The arrangement for organising outside groups who wished to distribute food was becoming so complex that we decided to appoint a hot food co-ordinator which would be a committee position. Ayesha Sharma stepped forward and assumed the role in January.
4 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
In other changes we were sorry to lose Tony Sewell who has retired as a team leader and committee member after 22 years of volunteering. His efforts have been highly appreciated by volunteers and clients alike. In particular his advocacy work has been exemplary; it has taken many hours of personal dedication with often frustrating officials and corporate bodies. We wish him well in future projects.
Cindee Low has indicated her intention to leave her position as volunteer co-ordinator at the end of 2021. Ayesha Sharma has volunteered to take over this demanding role in 2022.
Ayesha Sharma is co-ordinating hot food supply
Faith celebrations
The Greggs Fund which has previously supported our Christmas presents with a £2000 donation was not operating this year. We paid out of general funds. As an organisation we have commemorated Christmas in the past with (non-religious) gifts. When most of our volunteers came from a Christian background and our clients were overwhelmingly Christian, it was understandable that we should privilege the festival in this way. Now our supporters, volunteers and clients are much more diverse, it would seem right to recognise the main festivals of other faiths from which we enjoy support. We intend to distribute foods associated with the event on a day soon after (perhaps the first Sunday after) the main religious festivals. In 2021 these would be: Eid al-Fitr 12 May; Diwali 4 November; and Guru Nanak’s Birthday 19 November.
Jad Adams
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Numbers we Serve
In 2020 numbers increased as other agencies withdrew services. The Sunday Night average increased from an average of 69 in 2019 compared to 77 in 2020. Averages increased more during weekdays. The chart shows the way the numbers increased on Thursdays. In ~~t~~ he first 3 months the average was 40 per night whereas later it increased to 66.
The most dramatic change was the total contacts made during the year that Nightwatch made with the poor, vulnerable and homeless members of our community. In 2019 there were 14,000 contacts whereas this increased to almost 21,000 in 2020.
Roger Davies
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25,000
Nightwatch
Total Contacts
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
Thursdays
10 2020
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
6 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Nightwatch Covid Clinic
We arranged with former Nightwatch volunteer Dr Dev Malhotra for a pop-up Covid vaccination clinic to set up by our distribution site on two Sundays so people without other recourse to healthcare could have a vaccination.
We also directed people to a special clinic set up at Croydon mosque and distributed NHS cards to help people register with a GP if they are not already signed up.
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
The Street that Gave
All through the crisis Nightwatch has been receiving donations of food from residents at Temple Road, part of the South Croydon Community Association. Each house in the scheme has donated tins and packets for us to distribute to clients.
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020 9
Renata and Pedro
Susana and Olivia
Ellie
Nat and Mat
Sam and Adam
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Resettlement Report
We make full resettlements for former homeless people in new accommodation which means substantial amounts of furniture including cookers, beds and fridges.
This totalled 28 resettlements in 2020, lower than the previous two years because of the Covid crisis. All were at the beginning of the year before the lockdown started and in the summer easing of the lockdown. Authorities such as the council and housing associations were not providing accommodation to which our clients could move.
Of the resettlements, 11 were female (39 per cent). It is usual for resettlements to be one third female, though we see fewer women than men at our nightly service area.
The higher percentage of women receiving help with resettlement may be because women are more likely to be offered accommodation; or they are better motivated to work towards making a placement successful.
The number of women among our clients has been increasing. For many years we would confidently say the client group was 10% female. Now, by a count of the distribution of gendered items such as toiletries and Christmas presents, we can say there are 19-20 per cent women (19 women and 80 men on one count on 13 December, 20 women and 72 men on another, on 15 November).
There were also 75 deliveries of small items short of full resettlements. This compares with 114 last year, the reduction was because it was not possible to take requests or deliver during lockdown.
These small items are required because, for example, if a client’s fridge or cooker stops working, they cannot afford the repair or replacement, and we can help out.
We work mainly with the recycling charity Emmaus who receive donations of unwanted furniture from members of the public; they store and recondition it and deliver it to our clients as we request them to do. We paid them a total of £ 10,271 this year, less than half of our spending last year.
computers; sets of tools for a carpenter, a bricklayer and plasterer; painter’s whites and brushes for one man and a shearer and hedge trimmer for another.
We also supplied 108 pairs of steel toe-capped boots for clients who are finding work in the construction industry or other jobs involving heavy lifting such as landscaping and warehousing. Work related expenditure totalled £2,527, very similar to last year’s figure of £2,692. This indicates a high level of work or of attempts to find work, despite the difficulties of 2020.
Committee Members
Chair
Jad Adams 020 8699 6718 croydonnightwatch@btinternet.com
Secretary
Nicky Edwards 07828 144645
Treasurer
Roger Davies 01883 342986
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Cindee Low 07403 456756 cindeenw@gmail.com
Premises Liaison
Phil Forrester 07840 594184
Hot Food
Ayesha Sharma 07794 325156 ayeshasharma7@hotmail.co.uk
Fundraising officer
Yasmin Halai-Carter yasmin@ethstat.com
Committee member
Nana Acquah 020 8405 8712
Committee member
Vocational support included two reconditioned laptop
Tony Packwood packers@gmail.com
10 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Our Thanks to
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stationery
ethstat
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WHITGIFTIAN
LD RF
O C
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Fundraising & Donations
Croydon Wagamama’s donation was very popular with clients
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Pirate Pantomimes raised
money with a virtual panto
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Franklin Henry raised £287.91 for Nightwatch
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Hot food from Vishal
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
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and City Harvest
Weekly donations came from UK Harvest
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RiverStone Management
donated a ton of food
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Donations from Waitrose
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Treasurer’s Report
Financial Report 2020
The chart shows the income, expenditure and reserves for the last 10 years, allowing some interesting views of the way things have changed over that timescale.
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Yearly Financial Figures
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Receipts
Donations 15,400 10,000 25,200 43,000 25,000 42,400 46,650 74,000 63,928 50,101 92,684
Virgin Money 10,733 14,223 26,263
Lottery/Gift Aid 33,000 27,000 1,281 747 482
Grants 17,700 31,000 20,200 16,200 16,200 6,000 2,000 4,700 13,100
Interest 336 468 258
Total Receipts 66,100 68,000 45,400 59,200 41,200 48,400 46,650 74,000 78,278 70,240 132,786
Expediture
Food and Preparation 1,000 2,100 1,800 9,400 9,300 9,250 10,500 9,350 10,850 15,122 11,310
Clothing 3,600 2,500 3,300 4,300 4,800 4,700 3,800 3,400 2,527 1,960 4,219
Training 2,300 850 1,900 1,700 2,300 14
Toiletries/Sleeping Bags 300 200 2,200 2,450 1,900 1,100 1,911 2,280 2,606
Gifts/Donations 1,700 800 2,000 1,800 1,900 1,600 1,700 2,236 2,749 5,380
Hardship Fund 10,466 18,331
Resettlement 41,500 26,100 14,700 17,800 13,800 29,800 27,500 8,500 23,803 26,744 14,230
Total Clients 50,400 32,350 19,800 35,600 33,600 50,400 45,300 24,050 41,327 59,320 56,091
Core Costs
Administration 5,400 7,200 4,900 4,700 3,500 2,800 2,650 3,350 3,932 3,504 3,420
Rent 2,000 2,600 3,800
Insurance 1,400 1,400 1,350 1,300 1,400 1,350 1,400 1,450 1,256 1,276 1,276
Audit 800 700 700 850 750 750 650 600 625 605 660
Total Core Costs 9,600 11,900 10,750 6,850 5,650 4,900 4,700 5,400 5,814 5,384 5,356
Operational Costs 60,000 44,250 30,550 42,450 39,250 55,300 50,000 29,450 47,140 64,704 61,447
Net 6,100 23,750 14,850 16,750 1,950 -6,900 -3,350 44,550 31,138 5,536 71,339
Capital/Special 7,800 1,000 11,000 1,686 1,445 1,045
Covid 19 56,173
Total Expenditure 60,000 52,050 31,550 42,450 39,250 55,300 61,000 29,450 48,827 66,148 118,664
Balance 6,100 15,950 13,850 16,750 1,950 -6,900 -14,350 44,550 29,451 4,091 14,121
Total Reserves 14,282 30,232 44,082 60,832 62,782 55,882 41,532 86,082 115,533 119,721 133,842
COIF 42,017 17,173 72,261 92,598 98,163 108,421
HSBC 14,282 30,232 44,082 60,832 62,782 13,865 24,359 13,821 22,936 21,559 25,422
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14 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
The following review of 2020 includes rounding of the figures for clarity.
Receipts
2020 was a record year for donations to Nightwatch. At £132,800 it was far greater that ever seen before (£78,000 in 2018 and £70,000 in 2019). This includes £92,700 (£50,000 in 2019) from general donations, £26,300 (£14,200 in 2019) from Virgin Money Giving and a specific Covid grant of £13,100.
The community has really reached out to Nightwatch where the service has been maintained throughout the Covid crisis.
Major donations of £10,000 were received from Barratt Homes and Red Door Research, £8,200 from Tower Gate/Ardonagh Community, £5,300 from Croham Hurst Golf Club, £5,000 from Auxillium and £4,500 from London Catalyst. The top 10 donations amounted to £54,000.
Expenditure
Total spend at £118,700 (£66,100 in 2019) was also a record. The spend on “normal” activities was fairly stable at £61,400 (£64,700 in 2019). Resettlement £14,200 was lower than £26,700 in 2019 but the Hardship Fund was higher at £18,300 (£10,500 in 2019). The major difference was £56,100 spent on the Covid crisis. This consisted of £38,700 on food, mainly sandwiches from Simply Lunch, £13,800 on Vouchers, £1,900 PPE and £1,300 on Rough Sleeper food bags. 95% of total expenditure was used directly for Nightwatch users, 4% on Administration (Insurance etc) and just 1% on unusual items (shelves, laptop etc.)
Reserves
There was a surplus of £14,100 which meant that total reserves increased from £119,700 to £133,800. The deposit account contained £108,400 and £25,400 in current account.
There was an intention to start reducing the level of reserves in 2020 by introducing the Hardship fund of £15,000 per year. However, the levels of both income and expenditure have been so extraordinary and it has increased rather than decreased the reserves by almost 12%. The intention to reduce the reserves will continue in subsequent years.
Total Receipts
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140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Total Expenditure
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140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Total Reserves
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140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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Roger Davies
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Independent Examiner's Report To the Trustees of Nightwatch
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st December 2020 set out on pages 17 to 19 which have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies on page 19.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The trustees of the charity are responsible for the preparation of accounts; they consider that the audit requirement under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), does not apply. It is my responsibility to:
-
examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act.
-
follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners made under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
-
state 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 no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner’s statement
Based on my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, accounting records have not been kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act, or that the accounts presented do not accord with those records, or comply with the accounting requirement of the 2011 Act. No matter has come to my attention in connection with my examination to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Carol Thomson ACA ICAEW 2 PEARTREE CLOSE SANDERSTEAD CR2 9BR
Date: 06/05/2021
16 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Accounts
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2020
| Notes Receipts Voluntary receipts Grants and gifts received Tax refunds under Gift Aid Other receipts Interest received Total Receipts Payments Payments in furtherance of the charity’s objectives Direct costs 2a Overheads Indirect Costs 2b Total Payments Net Receipts/(Payments) before transfers Transfers between funds Net Movement in Funds Balances B’fwd Balances C’fwd |
Unrestricted Restricted 2020 2019 General Funds £ £ 118,946 13,100 132,046 69,024 482 - 482 747 119,428 13,100 132,528 69,771 258 - 258 565 |
|---|---|
| 119,686 13,100 132,786 70,336 |
|
| 99,163 13,100 112,263 59,320 6,401 - 6,401 6,830 |
|
| 105,564 13,100 118,664 66,150 |
|
| 14,112 - 14,112 4,186 - - - - 14,112 - 14,112 4,186 119,720 - 119,720 115,534 |
|
| 133,842 - 133,842 119,720 |
The notes on page 19 form part of these accounts.
Nightwatch Annual Report 2020 17
Accounts
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2020
1. Fixed Assets
Nightwatch has no fixed assets The charity has use of the premises in Croydon for preparation of food
2. Bank & Cash Balances
3. Other Assets & Liabilities
| Note HSBC COIF Assets Gift aid tax recovery not yet received Liabilities Unbilled fee for Independent Examination |
2020 2019 £ £ 25,422 22,937 108,421 98,162 |
|---|---|
| 133,842 119,720 |
|
| 2020 £ 2019 £ - - |
|
| - - |
|
| 641 660 |
|
| 641 660 |
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf on
Date: 06/05/2021
by Jad Adams, Chairman of Trustees.
18 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Accounts
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2020
1. Accounting Policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
| 2a. Direct costs Notes Food, distribution and preparation Clothing Client Training Special Needs i.e Toiletries Gifts Resettlement Hardship Fund Covid 19 Relief 2b. Indirect costs Equipment General Administration Insurance Independent examination |
General Restricted Total Total Funds Funds 2018 2018 £ £ £ £ 11,310 - 11,310 15,122 4,219 - 4,219 1,960 14 - 14 - 2,606 - 2,606 2,279 5,380 - 5,380 2,749 14,230 - 14,230 26,744 18,331 -- 18,331 10,466 43,073 13,100 56,173 |
|---|---|
| 99,163 13,100 112,263 59,320 |
|
| 1,045 - 1,045 1,445 3,420 - 3,420 3,504 1,276 - 1,276 1,276 660 - 660 605 |
|
| 6,830 - 6,830 6,830 |
3. Employees
There were no employees during the year.
Amounts paid to trustees relate to reimbursement of expenses only.
No other expenses were paid to trustees or connected persons.
No trustee is remunerated for trustee services.
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Hardship Fund
Despite the Covid Crisis the demands on the Hardship Fund continued. The spends were as follows in 2020: -
There were 26 payments in 2019 amounting to £10,466. There was a large range of requirements ranging from Christmas present to a daughter to service charge debts, rental arears and utility bills.
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debts, rental arears and utility bills.
No Reason Amount
32 Service Charge 12,372.30 The main area of debt is service charge from hostels.
The financial model of a hostel is that rent (generally
6 Rent Arrears 3,010.88
about £330 per week) is covered by Housing Benefit
5 Utility Bill 493.71 but there remains a service charge (for utilities etc) of
1 Council Tax Debt 833.76 between £15 and £18 per week. The service charge is
paid from the individual’s Universal Credit, and knowing
1 Dog Vaccination 35.00 the chaotic lives that some of our clients live other
1 Glasses 149.00 demands take priority over service charge payments.
1 Mobile 34.95
The hostel is somewhat responsible because they
1 Present 25.00 have allowed the level of debt to accumulate and
issue Notice to Quit without thinking about using their
1 Rent deposit 850.00
charitable objectives to reduce the debt. Nightwatch
1 Training 150.70 now insists that a Standing Order is established for
future payments when the debt is cleared via the
1 Travel 65.00
Hardship Fund.
1 Water and TV 310.82
Roger Davies
52 Total 18,331.12
Average Payment 352.00
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22 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Information for Volunteers
Nightly Teams
Volunteers go out in teams every evening. You should have contact details of other volunteers on your team. Volunteers decide themselves how they handle the work. Some go out and also make sandwiches to take; others collect sandwiches from volunteer sandwich makers; others collect from shops that give us unsold food. Some teams take out more elaborate food than soup and sandwiches. Whatever you wish to do, claim the cost from our treasurer unless we have supplies in the hall (e.g. sandwich fillings).
If anything prevents your usual routine (very bad weather, for example, stranding some volunteers in the south of the borough) buy ready made-up food from whatever shop is available: a garage, supermarket or fast-food outlet. Get a receipt and claim the cost. Maintenance of supply is more important than cost. There should always be at least one man in a group. There should be a person designated as group leader (normally the most experienced person) to whom members should speak if they are unable to go out on a night. The group leader should try to find a replacement if necessary.
A volunteer should also talk to the group leader if they wish to stop volunteering for Nightwatch. The group leader will tell the volunteer co-ordinator. It is important that the volunteer co-ordinator always has a picture of the way each night is working. We do not want to be in the situation where a couple of people leave from one night and the first the volunteer co-ordinator hears about it is when there is a crisis and the night is completely uncovered.
Our volunteers have to be over 18, confident and levelheaded. The age limit is to prevent teenagers from being exposed to experiences for which they are not yet emotionally equipped.
It is advised that all who come into contact with people who fit our client group profile should have Hepatitis B inoculation. You can get this from your GP who should not charge as you are ‘at risk’ but if you are charged, claim from Nightwatch. The injection is not one of the most unpleasant ones but it does have to be boosted twice in the first year to give full protection.
In the Kitchen
Remember we are running a catering operation and the highest standards of food hygiene must be maintained. Please keep the kitchen clean and respect the needs of other users. Drain unused soup in a strainer and throw it in a bin (solids block the sink or toilet). When rubbish bags are full, throw them out in the big green rubbish bin outside. Recycle tins in the separate bin.
For any problems, call Phil Forester who looks after premises liaison. If we need things such as dishcloths or bags, just buy them, keep a receipt and claim the cost. In general, you can always buy things you need for our work such as torches. If you are in any doubt as to the appropriateness of anything you want to get, speak to the treasurer.
Anything placed in the fridges must be labelled with the date. Treat unlabelled food as out of date and throw it away. Remember that our clients sometimes take away food to eat for breakfast so the food you give them must have sufficient shelf-life to stay unrefrigerated until the next day.
Reports
Note on the daily log which volunteers were out and which clients we have seen (where you know the names). Note anything unusual which will help following evening: tension, arguments between clients, unexpected behaviour. Note the total number of people and where possible gender and race.
You may take clothing requests but do not under any circumstances assure people that the things they ask for will be provided by the team on the following Sunday. Any requests you make will not be seen by Sally and the clothing team until Sunday, then won’t be bought till the following week and won’t be supplied until, at the soonest, the next Sunday.
Where people are sleeping out and obviously in dire need, by all means supply them with sleeping bags or blankets from the store but note that you have done so.
We have public liability insurance.
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Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Parking Permits
We have three parking permits which allow us to park in Fell Road (and nowhere else). If you want to take one, please return it to the log book when you return to the hall. We have had difficulties with people taking permits away and not returning them, to the considerable inconvenience of other volunteers.
Resettlement
Resettlement volunteers organise furniture deliveries from Emmaus which is a charity that recycles furniture. Home visits sometimes do take place but you must be careful: whenever you are visiting a client at home make sure you write down the address and leave it with someone you know. Visits should be brief. Women volunteers should not be alone with male clients in their flats, and everyone should act with caution.
At the service area
Always stay within sight of other volunteers. You may need to speak confidentially to a client but do not go far from the main body of volunteers.
Ideally, one person at least should have a mobile phone with them. Threats against volunteers are very rare, but if made should result in withdrawal to the top of the path and then evacuation of the site if you feel unsafe. Incidents of violence should be reported to the police immediately. Volunteers should not carry any cash with them when in the service area and if clients ask, they should be made aware of this policy.
More common is argument between clients in which volunteers are not involved, but the same principle applies: neither we nor the clients should have to be in a violent situation. Other clients will often try to calm a situation down if there is an argument. Stand aside and let them do it, they are probably more experienced at this than you. Do not get involved and try to settle a dispute rationally – it probably isn’t about anything accessible to reason.
If there is trouble down in the service area, make it clear you cannot work in these conditions and you will have to withdraw. If trouble persists, go to the top of the path at Fell Road. If there is no improvement, leave.
In general: always leave the service area together. Never leave one person talking with a client while the body of volunteers goes back to the hall. Do not be alone with clients unless in a controlled environment. This is partly because of the fear of unpredictable behaviour, but also because many of our clients could reasonably be described as ‘vulnerable adults’ and public authorities insist that we should take steps to ensure the clients cannot come into danger from volunteers.
Hardship Fund
We operate a Hardship Fund which is intended to provide one off hardship payments that will overcome a short-term financial problem and relieve the receiver of immediate worry. Please just send the name and contact details of the applicant to the Treasurer who will review the position and gain approval for payment from the other Trustees.
Children
Volunteers must not deal with children directly. There are public policies of screening volunteers and protecting the safety of children with which we do not comply. As we almost never see children alone, it has not proved necessary for us to adopt the cumbersome procedures necessary for organisations which do. The needs of our clients’ children should be addressed via their parents.
Obviously this rule must be interpreted in terms of common sense and charitable behaviour: occasionally we see child runaways in the gardens who should be spoken to with appropriate concern.
Equality Statement
Nightwatch is committed to serving the homeless community of Croydon. Our services are available to all regardless of gender, racial origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or mental state. The sole qualification to be in receipt of help from Nightwatch is to be present at the Queen’s Gardens at 9.30pm expressing need.
Our volunteers are drawn from the community of Croydon and are accepted on the basis of their willingness and ability to make a long term commitment to the needs of the homeless. No other consideration is taken into account.
24 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
The Committee
The committee oversees resources and the interpretation of policy which is set by the Annual General Meeting that takes place in summer. It consists of a chair, secretary, treasurer, volunteer co-ordinator, premises liaison external liaison officer (who attends meetings with other bodies and reports back) and an administrator. Committee members are happy to help, so feel free to contact them but everyone is a volunteer so time is limited. If you have problems which you can sort out yourself, please do so. For example, if volunteers expect to be short on a particular night, try to sort the problem out before asking the volunteer coordinator’s help.
Current voluntary organisation practice urges us to have a grievance procedure. Anyone with a complaint should take it up with their team leader. If resolution is not easily possible (or the team leader is the person complained of) we have designated the secretary as the committee member responsible for investigating and resolving grievances.
Ethical Standards – Nightwatch
Nightwatch is committed to maintaining the highest standards in its operation. The following guidelines are presented to give clarity on our procedures regarding personal behaviour.
There are situations in which inappropriate interactions are possible: between clients and volunteers and between volunteers themselves. These guidelines are written with the understanding that some clients are vulnerable to exploitation, while some are manipulative and prone to exploit others, including volunteers.
Any inappropriate behaviour or comment by a client towards a volunteer should be reported to the team leader that night, who will judge whether it is grave enough to be reported to the volunteer co-ordinator or committee. Volunteers should immediately withdraw from conversation with a client who exhibits inappropriate behaviour towards them or uses unacceptable language.
Volunteers are expected to act in an appropriate manner, so as not to bring Nightwatch into disrepute. Volunteers are responsible for reporting any action that may endanger ourselves or our clients, or damage our reputation.
Volunteers should not be alone with clients. On occasions when it is necessary to visit a client where they are living, a volunteer should have someone with them. If solo working is inevitable, they should not enter the premises but stay at the door or meet in a public place.
Volunteers should not have relationships with clients outside of friendly assistance. If a more intimate relationship occurs, either the volunteer or client must stop engaging with Nightwatch (the volunteer must cease volunteering or the client must stop being a client).
Inappropriate language or behaviour between volunteers themselves should be challenged. If persistent, it should be reported to the team leader. If the team leader is implicated, it should be reported to the volunteer coordinator.
If any volunteer is concerned about the behaviour of another volunteer towards volunteers or clients, they should in the first instance discuss it with their team leader or the volunteer co-ordinator. If the volunteer is not happy then they should contact the Chair directly, or another committee member.
25
Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Nightwatch - Legal Information
The name of the charity is Nightwatch, it is sometimes known as Croydon Nightwatch after the site of its activities. The charity number is 274925 and the mailing address is PO Box 2576, London, SE23 3ZH. The trustees over the period for which this report was compiled, the calendar year of 2020, were Jad Adams, Roger Davies and Nicky Edwards. The secretary was Nicky Edwards.
Nightwatch is governed by a constitution which was adopted in 1976 when the charity was founded and updated in 2003 and (for minor changes requested by a funder) 2005. Its objectives are the care and treatment of persons in need who are homeless, rootless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity or who by reason of adverse circumstances or being a discharged offender, are in need of help in acquiring a settled way of life. We are further dedicated to the education of those persons so as to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities that they may develop full maturity as responsible individuals and members of society, that their conditions of life may be improved.
The Committee meets four times a year to review the activities of the charity including fund raising, the approval of the annual report and accounts prior to their submission to the AGM. The Committee also oversees such issues as insurance, health and safety, assessment of risk, and compliance with legal requirements. It also reviews our contacts with Croydon Borough Council, with funding bodies and with outside agencies doing complementary work. As part of the internal control system, a budget is prepared at the beginning of the year. Management accounts are prepared each quarter, and reviewed by the committee with significant variances being investigated.
The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each year. The financial position of Nightwatch is set out in the accompanying annual accounts. The trustees agree that an audit is not required for the financial year, but according to the provisions of the Charities Act 1993 an independent examination is required. Our accountant is Carol Thomson Bsc ACA (ICAEW) of Peartree Close, Sanderstead, CR2 9BR. Our bank is HSBC.
The main activities taken in relation to these
objectives are the maintenance of a meeting point in the Queen’s Gardens area in central Croydon every night of the year at which we meet homeless and other needy people. This reporting year we supplied food, clothing and other personal items and provided a constant, caring presence in what were often chaotic lifestyles. We gave advice and guidance. We also provided furniture and essential household items to resettle formerly homeless people into new accommodation; and assisted with household goods those who are accommodated but could not afford such items. We assisted with the provision of working clothes and other items to help people into work or education. We operated a hardship fund making one off payments to overcome short term financial problems. A breakdown of these activities is in this report, as is an account of the charity’s deployment of its more than 150 volunteers.
Trustees are elected at an Annual General Meeting from volunteers from among the active membership. Nightwatch is run by a voluntary Executive Committee elected by the Annual General Meeting.
The Nightwatch practice on reserves is to maintain in a COIF account a sum at least equivalent to nine months’ unrestricted expenditure commitment corresponding to £45,000 in cash terms. The trustees are satisfied with the reserves position of the charity. As at 30 December 2020 our reserves consist of £108,000 which will be reduced over three years by an annual spend of £20,000 on the Hardship Fund. There are no restricted reserves. Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
26 Nightwatch Annual Report 2020
Nlghtwal£hAnnual Report 2020 27
Useful Numbers
| Useful Numbers | |
|---|---|
| Emmaus (for furniture donations) | 0300 123 2001 |
| 9 Knight’s Hill, SE27 0HY | |
| Street Rescue(street homeless people) | 0300 500 0914 |
| www.streetlink.org.uk (online referrals) | |
| Palmer House(Hostel) | 020 7870 8850 |
| 105-107 Lansdowne Road, CR0 2BN | |
| Croydon Council Single Homeless Service | 020 8760 5498 |
| Routes Home(for foreign nationals) | 020 3092 7455 |
| CAYSH(Croydon Association for the Young Single Homeless) | 0208 683 0227 |
| Croydon Turn around(14-21 year olds) | 020 8760 5530 |
| 51/55 South End, CRO 1BF | |
| Crisis Skylight | 020 8683 5179 |
| 13 Surrey Street, CR0 1RG | |
| Croydon Refugee Day Centre | 020 8689 4527 |
| West Croydon Baptist | Church, Whitehorse Road, CRO 2JH |
| Rape Crisis South London | 020 8683 3311 |
| Helpline | 0808 802 9999 |
| MIND in Croydon | 020 8668 2210 |
| Albert Kennedy Trusthomelessness among LGBT+ young people: | 020 7831 6562 |
| www.AKT.org.uk | |
| Citizens Advice Bureau | 0800 144 88 48 |
| For help claiming Universal Credit Freephone: 0800 144 8 444 | |
| www.citizensadvicecroydon.org |
www.croydonnightwatch.org.uk
Nightwatch - Homeless Charity
@WeAreNightwatch
@WeAreNightwatch
Financial donations can be sent via www.virginmoneygiving.com, Nightwatch
PO Box 9576, London, SE23 3ZH
Email: croydonnightwatch@btinternet.com
Trustees: Jad Adams MA FRHistS; Roger Davies MSc; Nicky Edwards Registered Charity No 274925.
Cover pictures: Nightwatch volunteers out during 2020 by Thelma Gossel