Thames Reach works to prevent homelessness by helping vulnerable people cope with the challenge of independent living. Our staff visit people in their own flats to provide the emotional and practical help needed to stop them from ending up on the street.
Some of the men and women we support have experienced homelessness in the past. Others are ex-offenders or people with complex needs, such as mental health problems or drug or alcohol misuse.
Often it is isolation that makes people vulnerable to homelessness, so our staff find ways for them to engage with their community.
The assistance we provide depends on people's individual needs. It can include:
- giving people advice on benefits
- helping them to set up home
- finding education, training and work opportunities
- basic DIY
- teaching people life skills, such as cooking and cleaning
- helping them to stay on their medication and avoid hospitalisation
- getting them into the right specialist services
- helping them to manage their drinking
- advocating on their behalf to prevent them from being evicted
- connecting them with social and leisure activities
