What We Do
Listen - The first step in helping someone to move their life forward is to hear their story, listen behind the words to the emotions and hurt. Many people just want someone to listen to them in confidence and empathise. We offer support by developing friendship and confidence through relationship. Our ‘Open House’ sessions are the primary vehicle for starting this process.
Befriend - Confidence and trust are built up through time. Those who engage fully with the Isaiah Project are allocated a befriender to come alongside them to be an encouragement, offer support and friendship. This will look different for each individual and involves spending time together each week with opportunity to chat as well as helping with practicalities such as hospital appointments and shopping etc.
Life and Social Skills - One of the Project’s aims is to help people gain the life and social skills necessary to obtain and maintain independence in the community. Befriending plays a key part, and to supplement this we also run a number of training courses focusing on various life issues. These include budgeting, parenting children and teenagers, and nutrition.
Benefits - The benefits system in the UK can be difficult to navigate and those who are in most need of its help sometimes find the whole process daunting. At the Isaiah Project we help people to claim the relevant benefits and find the best utility tariffs. This works alongside our befriending as part of the process of helping people move their lives forward.
Housing - The crisis that brings many to the Isaiah Project is homelessness or imminent eviction. Sometimes we can provide housing alongside our befriending programme. Over the years we have developed good working relationships with a number of landlords and Southend Borough Council to make this possible. It is not the total answer but a home is often the place of security, a starting point to move forward. Currently we house around 50 adults and over 40 children in 48 properties.
Volunteering - The Isaiah Project would become very difficult if it were not for the commitment of our volunteers. Our volunteers help in the shops, on our van and as befrienders. We could not survive without them! For many it has also been a part of the process of enabling them to gain the work experience and social skills necessary to begin to obtain and maintain independence in the community.