Belfast Homeless Services

Public benefits

The direct benefits which flow form our purpose include; improved health, wellbeing, nutrition of vulnerable people and the alleviation of food poverty. The direct benefit is the relieve of hardship and distress for those who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness. Members of the public who are homeless receive food, shelter, emotional

support, addiction support, medical support, clothing and advise at least twice weekly through Homeless Drop In services in Belfast. Another direct benefit is that Individuals who are homeless become more aware of additional services available to them, and aware of how they can access these services. There will be a healthier population among vulnerable people and reduced costs of treating preventable conditions in the NHS Another direct benefit is increased knowledge, skills and competencies in volunteers and service users. Opportunities for volunteers to develop essential and transferrable employment skills, enabling them to move back into employment leading to independence. More people qualified to deliver First Aid training leading to fewer deaths and less admissions to A&E. BHS will demonstrate these through monitoring returns to funders. We carry out a survey with Service Users and all stakeholders on regular basis. Independent evaluations will also be carried out as required by funders and any other stakeholders. We will calculate social return on investment. Training is evaluated by participants and a follow up survey is carried out after 6 months to assess the impact on their work. Our work can also be measured by the number of service users who have gained support. We also host ongoing focus groups with service users and volunteers which provide invaluable feedback. No The charity’s beneficiaries include homeless people, those in danger of becoming homeless and organisations working with them, and indirectly benefits their families and friends. Those who also benefit from our services include people with addictions, mental health issues and young vulnerable people, Health services, PSNI and the general public. A private benefit might be a private company coming in to deliver an educational workshop where they may charge for their work- i.e mental health organisations, DIY workshops etc

What your organisation does

Run Homeless Services through a drop in centre Raise funds, receive grants and donations Apply for funds to carry out the work of the charity Co-Operate with and support other charities with similar charitable purposes Do anything which is lawful and necessary to achieve the charities purposes