EOEF Visits High Down Prison
Date: 31/08/2011
Last month, the EOEF team visited the St Giles’ Trust Housing team working at HMP High Down. We had the opportunity to learn more about the prison-based services that they offer and about the work of this organisation in general.
St Giles’ Trust was founded in 1962 as The Camberwell Samaritans, for the “purpose of assisting persons suffering in soul, mind and body”. Today, close to their 50th anniversary, St Giles’ Trust works in prisons and in the community with ex offenders and disadvantaged people. They offer support around housing, training and employment for ex-offenders, helping them to turn their lives around after prison. St Giles’ Trust leads by example; almost 33% of their paid staff and 73% of their volunteer staff are ex offenders.
St Giles’ Trust runs a peer-advice project that was set up to train prisoners to work as advisers providing both generic and specialised advice to their fellow prisoners, mainly on resettlement issues such as housing, benefits etc. The St Giles Trust team also deliver a housing service providing advice to prisoners on how to maintain their accommodation while in prison and helping to secure accommodation on release for those who lose theirs. Homelessness is one of the most pressing issues for ex-prisoners, along with unemployment and lack of education and skills. The Citizens Advice Bureau and Jobcentre Plus share an office with the St Giles team and also provide peer advice services on legal issues and employment.
We were moved by the personal stories of the staff and peer advisers who brought to life just how difficult it is to find prisoners a home. Persistent re-offending among some prisoners means that having helped someone find suitable accommodation, the team often have to deal with people returning and having to start the whole process again. The preconceptions of the outside world and the, sometimes unrealistic, expectations of the prisoners are everyday challenges for the team.
The St. Giles’ team also explained that there is a call centre funded by The Sir Charles Dunstone Trust at HMP Send, a women’s prison near Woking and it provides advice to women in other prisons including HMPS Downview and Holloway. Serving prisoners will be trained to offer over-the-phone advice about housing and finance to other female prisoners around the country. This will not only provide valuable support to other prisoners but will greatly enhance the skill set of the call centre advisers.
No visit to HMP High Down would be complete without visiting the first commercial restaurant built inside a prison – The Clink. The restaurant was officially opened in 2009 and provides high end food prepared and served by prisoners. The tables and chairs have all been designed and made by prisoners and their poetry is displayed on the glass windows around the restaurant. It was a unique experience, the food and service were great, and it was encouraging to see how this registered charity was equipping prisoners with the skills they need to find work after release.
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