SanKTus Welfare Project
Formerly Our Lady Help Of Christians Welfare Project
4 Lady Margaret Road,
London NW5 2XT
tel: 020 7485 9160
mobile: 07951 600451
email: pwcoordinator@yahoo.co.uk







A profile of our guests

The vast majority of people who access our services are vulnerable and isolated; some are street homeless but others are housed but have difficulties sustaining their accommodation or making connections in the community. Physical and mental health problems are common and several have a history of, or are prone to heavy drinking or substance abuse.

They visit the project regularly for company, a meal, a shower and change of clothes; many of our guests lack the life skills to undertake household tasks or manage their own finances or welfare benefits, but their avoidance of official services means that their problems escalate and any opportunities for resettlement or retraining are often ignored.

Their daily visit is often the only constant in their lives and other agencies increasingly see the project as an access point to re-establish contact and pass on vital information. Sometimes our guests need re-assurance that all possible avenues have been pursued in dealing with their particular concerns, whether it is an eviction order from the council, or an offer of a hostel place from the Street Safe Team. It can just be a matter of confirming the same information but giving them more time and space to talk through their options.

Our staff and volunteers can offer more long-term support to those who struggle with matters that unsettle them. We have found that our care and encouragement has make a difference in how people adapt to changes in their lives and circumstances, whether this is helping someone to settle into sheltered housing for the first time, bringing some furniture around and staying for tea, or taking the time to listen to someone who is dealing with the loneliness which often accompanies older age.

*Represents a single, daily visit, which can include take up of food, refreshments, washing, or support services. In addition we have 25 regular members who attend our Tuesday pensioners group and lunch club.

Download our latest
ANNUAL REPORT

From small beginnings...

SanKTus began life as Our Lady Help of Christians Welfare Project in February 1992 when parishioners of the local Catholic church came together to provide tea, sandwiches and companionship each Sunday to the growing number of homeless and vulnerable people in the Kentish Town area. 14 guests attended on the first Sunday.

The 32 original volunteers formed five 'Sunday Club' teams led by team leaders; this laid the foundations for how we work today. Since 2006 we have received core funding from the Irish Government to run the project and employ a Welfare Coordinator; this has enabled us to respond more effectively to the complex needs of our guests many of whom have an Irish background.

Our Current Activities

• Daily preparation of a meal and refreshments for homeless and socially excluded people.
• Facilities for guests to shower and a change of clothes.
• Befriending of guests and referrals to mainstream housing, health and social care services.
• A night shelter for up to 14 rough sleepers once a week over the winter months, networked to other shelters and referrals to other services in Camden.
• The 'Tuesday Morning Club', a lunch club for local people aged 50+ providing a range of cultural and recreational activities and support.
• Support to the 50 volunteers who deliver our services to homeless people, 365 days a year.

Current funding
SanKTus is funded by the Irish Government and from the donations of parishioners at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, Kentish Town. From this we meet the running costs of the homeless project and night shelter including all food costs, the salaries of two part time staff, our administration, and the pensioners' lunch club. Currently our premises costs are subsumed in the parish costs of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church where we are based and without which we would be unable to offer such extensive services. We are immensely grateful to all those individuals who donate much needed clothes and toiletries for us to distribute to our guests and to all those who make sandwiches at home to help ease our food preparations and costs.

Our future plans
As an organisation we anticipate a future of challenge and change. We have recently constituted the project as a voluntary organisation with the short to medium term goal of registering as an independent charity and limited company.

We have set an agenda to sustain and develop our services for the future and this will involve generating funding from other sources.

We still see a continued role for the Irish Government to support the project. There are a significant number of volunteers from the local Irish community and they represent the link between the older and younger Irish emigrants and their contribution is invaluable in continuing the Irish dimension to our services. The scale of problems in the current Irish economy may again necessitate young people coming over from Ireland with no visible means of support.

Up until now all our work with guests have been unconditional with few demands made of them to provide us with data about themselves. However the likelihood is that potential new funders will expect more comprehensive profiles of our guests and for us to evidence the value of our interventions; this may necessitate us proactively collecting and storing data about our guests and their circumstances.

We will encourage guests who are ready and capable of greater independence from the project to take advantage of resettlement, leisure and employment opportunities in the local community.

SanKTus will remain at the heart of Our Lady Help of Christian's parish who provide the majority of the volunteering workforce for the project.

Volunteer opportunities at SanKTus Welfare Project
Please download the explanation notes of the services we provide at SanKTus and how you might be able to help us. It is very much about building relationships with our guests so they feel comfortable enough to ask for our help to move forward with their lives.

The project is very volunteer dependant and we would be pleased to hear from you if you think you have some time to support homeless and vulnerable people. At the moment we very much need volunteers for our Sunday services.

We advise you to visit the project to see us in operation and to get a better idea of how best your skills and talents could assist us.

Please call Mona Carr, the Welfare Coordinator on the numbers above to arrange an informal visit to the project. After this meeting and if you feel you can afford some time to help us, you will need to complete the application form, which is attached for your information at this stage.

We will store your details in confidence.

SanKTus is a very welcoming place to work and you will meet a great number of like-minded people all working towards the same goal.

If you are looking for work experience it offers pathways to support and community work also hospitality and catering jobs. We also welcome people who have worked in similar settings or have been involved in caring or bringing up a family.

We have procedures in place to ensure you feel safe while you are with us and we are currently rolling out CRB checks for our volunteers.