MORNING STAR HOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMirrEE REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The Management Committee present their report and the audited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The Management Committee have adopted the provisions of the Statement ol Recommended Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities. {FRS 101} in preparing the annua report and financial statements of the Charity. Manag8m8nt Committee of the Charfty In accordance with the Constitution approved in August 2018, responsibility for the Management of the Moming Star House rests with the Morning Star Management Committee. The Management committee discharges those responsibilities in accordance with its Constitution. The Management Committee comprises members nominated by the Morning Star Praesidium of the Legion of Mary along with general appointments for the purposes of addressing periodic skills shortages, etc. It has 4 office bearers: a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary supported by several other members. Changes to membershlp of the Management Commlttee durlng the year ended 31 March 2023 Committee membership is as follows.. R Culbert - Chair (appointed 18 May 2023) HA Fitzsimons- Chair (resigned 3 October 2023) J Cassidy - Secretary R Dowey- Treasurer T Flanagan - Committee member {appointed 4 April 2023) C Faulkner- Committee member (appointed 16 May 2023} M Lewis - Committee member (appointed 18 May 2023) P Mcllvenny- Committee member (appointed 16 May 2023) M Doyle - Committee member {resigned 7 February 2023) M Mccurley - Committee Member (resigned 6 December 20221 G McGuigan- Committee Member {resigned 1 April 20221 SR R Curran- Committee Member (appointed 6 June 2023) M McGlade- Committee member (resigned 1 April 2022) In October 2018, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) opened a statutory enquiry. CCNI'S report on its statutory enquiry was expected to be issued in Q4, 2019, but remains outstanding. STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Constitutlon and objects Morning Star House is a not-for-profit hostel wlth charitable ststus that provldes for and works with homeless men in Belfast. It is managed by the Management Committee in accordance with its constitution. The Hostel has as its objectives.. to support the homeless through Provision of Temporary Accommodation, A5SiStance and Capacity Building towards the Bettem)ent of the individual. We are constantly working to improve our Governance and have strengthened our Management Committee with New members who have considerable experience in areas of Governance and the needs of homeless in Northern Ireland. This has b88n welcomed by both the CCNI and NIHE.
MORNING STAR HOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Recruiting and Appointing of New Management Committee Members The constitution requires that the Committee has a minimum of 4 Management Committee members. New members must be approved by the Management Committee from time to time provided that the prescribed maximum 12 is not 8xceeded. Declslon-maklng The responsibility for the management of the hostel is discharged. on behalf of the Momlng Star Praesidium of the Legion of Mary by the Management Committee. A minimum of four members must be present for any decisions to be deemed valid. Members are responsible for the legal and financial- management of Morning Star House. Relatlonshlp wfth oth•r charlty or organlsatlon The charity supports the ethos of the Legion of Mary. It aims to work in conlunction with partnar charlties, other homeless hostels and bodies offering all those in need the best support available. The charity also works in conjunction with Council for the Homeless, TarAnal, Extern etc. The Charty has been working closely with the Charity Commission Nl to improve governance and adminlstration systems and to enhance the standing of the charity. Statement of Risks The Management Committee is committed to ongoing assessment of risk5 to the achievement of Moming Star House objectives while complying with any impacting regulation and legislation. It also considers extemal factors e.g., funding reductions whi18 recognising these are outside its immediate control. The new fomialised, structure means of risk assessment and assurance was developed the previous year. The othorking's of this was captured in a risk register which also identifies mitigations. Main risks ongoing are= Loss of funding through non-compliance with conditions of funding andlor being considered incapable of handling public ndS effectively Recruitment and tumover of staff
MORNING STAR HOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Lack of capacity to engage staffing levels are still a concern and difficult to maintain desired levels due to absences and tumover. Steps were taken to address this and access to employee assistan telephone helpline and the use of Occupational Health Services have been running for over a year now. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The principal activity of the charity is to carry on for the benefit of the community the provision of accommodation for men of 18 years and over who are homeless upon terms appropriate to their means. In particular, the Hostel shall provide accommodation for homeless men who suffer other disadvantages. inter alia, addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling that render them unable to secure other accommodation. The ethos of Legion of Mary, as encapsulated in the Constitution, is pivotal to that support service we provlde. Hlstory of the Hostel The legion of Mary has provided temporary accommodation to homeless men since 1938 at the Morning Star Hostel 125 Divis Street Belfast. On 11 February 2002 a fire at the building led to the death of 2 of the hostel residents. The fire also rendered the hostel premises unusable. The Morning Star Hostel was without premises until 28 July 2004 when the current hostel opened. The hostel is a refuge for homeless men, many of whom have a history of rough sleeping and alcohol or substance misuse and frequently present challenging behaviour. The premises can accommodate up to 39 guests in 24 bedrooms on the wet side, 7 bedrooms on the dry side, 4 self-contsined apartments and 4 8mergency beds. Other support and recreational facilities are available. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Explanation of the Maln Objectlves for the Year The primary objective for the year was service provision and resettlement support to the homeless. This necessitates securing adequate and additional income to continue to provide a safe, secure, and compliant support service to our guests, The hostel's range of services is extensive and includes slgnposting frontline outreach, hostel and supported temporary and longer-term accommodation, but also includes life-skills coaching, education, counselling, and training. INe are ideally placed in the community to further develop these seniices for those in need. Morning Star House aCknoedgeS that its services should bè directed towards assisting those homeless men, who are unlikely to be able to resolve their homelessness problem without intervention of skilled support staff. It aims to encourage and foster a spirit of self-help and self-reliance. The Hostel still has several volunteers who give their time and effort to help out in the hostel, particularly in the evenings and the weekends. This was built back up after the pandemic caused the use of the volunteers to be suspended. All volunteers have been subject to Access Nl Checks. Bed occupancy has been at capacity for most of the year.
MORNING STAR HOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Prlnclpal Policies to Achleve Objectlves Morning Star Management Committee still recognises that to achieve our objectives, we must work in partnership with a range of organisations and individuals and must develop innovative and effective policies and procedures to assist those who end up on the street and to prevent homelessness to those that are vulnerable to homelessness. Work continued this year on creating Policies and procedures and formalising these within tha Morning Star Hostel. These are shared with staff once introduced and work is ongoing. FINANCIAL REVIEW Morning Star House receives funds from the Northem Ireland Housing Executlve for support of its guests and for maintenance and support of the building. Funds also are received from a charge to guests and from Charitable donations from time to time. Income received during the year from Supportlng people, Housing benefit, charges, charitable Donations and Investment income amounted to £848,390. Expenditure during the year was £691,811 resulting in a Net surplus of £156,579 in the year, reflectlng net income in restricted funds of £135,428 and net income in unrestricted funds of£21,151. GOING CONCERN The Charity is dependent on funding form the NIHE which is also the primary source of client ref8rrals. Wthout this funding the charity would not continue to function. Thankfully the Trustees are in regular contact with the NIHE to ensure the organisation meets the funding conditions set by the NIHE and a good relationship has been established. ISSUES THORUGHOUT THE YEAR Manager left mid-January 2023 Interim Manager appointed from 1st February until 10th April. New manager took up post 7th April 2023 Chairman took ill at end of January 2023 and Interim Chaimian appointed on month-to-month basis. An additional Senior Support working was introduced into Hostel to allow for a Senior lo be available for each shift. Meetlng the Publlc Beneflt Requlrament The principal activity of the charity is to cary on for the benefit of the community the provision of accommodation for men 18 years and over who are homeless upon terms appropriate to their needs. The Hostel shall provide accommodation for homeless men who suffer oth8r disadvantages, inter alia, addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling that renders them unable to secure other accommodation. The problem with homelessness continues to grow along with it, there 15 growth in areas such as addiction and mental health difficulties. The provision of this service helps address this issue and benefits our guests and society as a whole. The CCNI has issued comprehensive guidelines on Annual Reporting requirements and the Management Committee confirms that they are aware of these and have had due regard of the guidance in all our deliberations.
MORNING STAR HOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 statement of Management Cornrnittèe responslbillties The Management Committee are responsible for preparing the Management Committee Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regLblation. Company law r8quires the Management Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the management committee have prepared the finanual statements in accordan with United lQngdom accounting standards, comprising FRS 102'The Financial reporting standard applicable In the UK and Republic of Ireland" and applicable law (United Kingdom Generally Acc8Pted Accounting Practice). Under company law the management committee must not approve the financial Statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the incoming resources and application of resources, including their income and expenditur8, for that period. In preparlng these financial Statements, the Management Committee are required lo: Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently Observe the method6 and principles In the statement of recommended practice.. Accounting and Reporting Charities12015) Make Ihe judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent., and Prepare the financial slatements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that they will continue in business The Managemenl Committèe are responsible for keeplng adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time th6 financial position of the Hostel 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 hostel and hence forth tsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection5 of fraud and other irregularities. Dlsclosure of Inforniatlon to Auditor8 To the knowledge and belief of the Directors, there is no relevant information that the company's auditors are not aware of, and the directors have taken al the steps necessary to ensure the directors are aware of any relevant infomiation and lo establish that the company's auditors are aware of the infomiation. This report h8s been prepared in accordan with the Statement of Recommended Practlce ('Accounting and Reporting Charities,) and the special provisions applicable to companies subject to the small company's regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2008. The Management Committ88 r8port was approved by the Board of the Management Committee. R Culbert Rory Culbert Ichalrpersonl Tstee Dated: 30101124