Charity Tuesday - A Shout Out to Some of our Favourites...

Saturday 5^th September marked the UN International Day of Charity. Ashley Community Housing started as a charity in 2008 and has since progressed into a fast-growing social enterprise.

Although we are no longer registered as a charity, we are still led by the same core values we started with. We can empathise with the work charities do as we recognise the consistent effort and passion it takes to operate a successful charity.

In light of the UN International Day of Charity, we thought it would be good to highlight some of the charities who tackle unemployment and homelessness in the communities where we work.

Refugee Action

For thirty years, Refugee Action has been standing up for people who have fled persecution, violence and harassment. They work extensively to increase asylum justice and prevent asylum homelessness, running projects across the UK to provide advice and support to asylum seekers.

We particularly like the way that Refugee Action operates as a platform for asylum seekers to have their voices heard, and the vital awareness-raising that they do around refugee/human rights’ matters.

We often get referrals from Refugee Action for our training services, in particular our English My Way course and Employability Skills qualification.

Our Bristol support worker Rachel successfully completed the Bristol Half marathon to raise money for Refugee Action last weekend. Well done Rachel, you’ve done us proud!

Bristol Hospitality Network

Bristol Hospitality Network extends solidarity to people seeking asylum and experiencing destitution through accommodation and creative community involvement.

They hold a weekly drop-in service that provides the asylum seekers with food, English lessons and advice.

BHN has been influential in helping to raise Bristol’s voice declaring that “Refugees are Welcome here” by helping to organise the solidarity march as part of the National Day of Action last weekend.

British Red Cross

The Red Cross is well known for its emergency response work during natural disasters and war zones. Its work is fundamental to the lives of tens of thousands of people each year.

Perhaps less well known is the work the Red Cross does in the UK supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

With the Red Cross’s services overlapping with some of the services we offer at ACH, such as our family reunion programme and their family reunion and resettlement programme, we collaborate wherever necessary to support our tenants and their service users the best we can. It helps that their Bristol office is situated across the hallway from ours!

Shelter

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness by giving practical housing advice and support online, in person and by phone. Importantly, Shelter plays a vital role in campaigning to prevent bad housing and homelessness in the first place.

They also advise and train people working in the housing sector on everything from giving advice to housing law. At ACH, we often seek advice from shelter when families come to us in need of accommodation. As we only provide supported accommodation for adults we are unable to house them ourselves. Shelter provides key advice about the options families have when looking for accommodation.

Crisis

Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people, working across housing, employment, education and health and wellbeing. We partnered with Crisis in Birmingham to provide an NOCN accredited I.T. course for our tenants to increase digital inclusion and literacy amongst marginalised people.

Crisis understood our ethos in providing culturally specific services by providing us with an Arabic speaking teaching assistant, who was able to explain specific IT terminology to people on the course.

As well as running services in the community, Crisis carry out significant research into homelessness which can influence policy on a national level.

Bristol Refugee Rights

We loved seeing BristolRefugee Rights (BRR) recently on Points West with the work they are doing for refugees in Bristol. Many of our tenants use the services at BRR’s Welcome Centre, such as free hot meals and donated clothes. The centre is an important space for many to socialise, ask advice and feel safe in a familiar environment.

We like that BRR is user-led and aims to empower people who use its services.

Thanks to all of these charities for the great work you do. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the charities we endorse or work with, especially as we work across many different sectors.We would encourage anyone to spend just a few minutes researching  the causes they are most passionate about and investigate who is doing what in your local area; you may be surprised at what you find!

#charitytuesday #refugeeswelcome #UN

Meet the team! Ismail

This week we're meeting a member of the Birmingham team, Ismail, our finance guru.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi, my name's Ismail Abdi, I’m member of the ACH Birmingham management team. I’m a graduate in Bsc computing and mathematics.

Tell us about your job?

Finance: Ensuring effective and efficient management of the organisation’s financial records and resources.

Deputy: Assist the ACH Birmingham Manager in the effective management of the service in relation to both Service Users, and staff with the objective of providing a comprehensive service.

Manage: caretakers and the security officer to provide a high quality service and to make sure all our tenants feel safe.

What do you like about ACH and why?

I enjoy working at ACH because it’s a great working environment, and the team is amazing. ACH provides its staff with great opportunities for development and growth.

If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?

My current age, because am not too young so hopefully won’t be making any foolish mistakes, but young enough to enjoy life and take part in new experiences and explore.

     If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be? 

     Haj and FIFA World’s Cup 2018.

Thank you for sharing this with us Abdi! As a football fan maybe you'll enjoy following the Homeless World Cup being held in Amsterdam this week.

Thanks for reading and check-in to our blog next week to see who we will be interviewing for our next 'Meet the Team'.

Job Opportunities

We are a growing, dynamic organisation and as such it is not uncommon for job opportunities to arise both in our Birmingham and Bristol branches.

Since we began we have created 50 long-term jobs as well as several volunteer opportunities and placements which have enabled people to go onto employment elsewhere.

We currently have an exciting full-time job vacancy in our office in the West Midlands, as well as two internship opportunities in our Bristol office. If you fancy working for a successful business committed to social change, then apply today.

Please read below for job descriptions and details of how to apply.

Support & Training Worker, West Midlands

We are looking for an experienced individual to join our successful and expanding team in Birmingham. 

The role will involve lone working, although you will be guided by the Support Worker Team Leader. 

You will support vulnerable individuals who are striving to live independently through training and one-to-one support and advice. 

Experience of working in this area and a good understanding of the level of service expected is required. You will have strong verbal and written communication skills, the ability to empower service users, an understanding of the welfare benefits system and the ability to support people to remain in stable and secure accommodation. You will help people to gain the skills they need in order to move into employment and towards independence. 

For the full job description please go to our website. 

If you believe that you have the skills and the drive to be successful in this role then please email your CV and covering letter to joe.fitt@ashleyhousing.com 

Deadline 25/09

Corporate Communications and Events Intern (3 months), Bristol

We are recruiting a full-time Corporate Communications and Events intern to oversee communications across all key partnerships, in order to build upon existing partnerships and develop new opportunities. This will help to further the impact of our work and develop our reputation as a leading provider of specialist housing and training services. 

For further information and to apply, please go to our website. 

Deadline 21/09

Social Media & Digital Marketing Intern (3 months), Bristol

We are looking for a full-time Social Media & Digital Marketing intern to deliver our communications strategy, raise the company’s profile in Bristol and Birmingham and create a social media presence that positions ACH as an influencer in Housing and refugee resettlement issues. 

For further information and to apply, please go to our website.

Deadline 21/09

Volunteer Positions

We also have a range of volunteer opportunities available. In particular we are in need of an Activity Coordinator who can speak Arabic and/or Somali. Our main volunteer opportunities are on our website here.

We are open to hearing from you if you have an idea for how you could volunteer to support our organisation which is not up on our website!

If you have any queries about the above opportunities or require further information, please call Nazim in Bristol on 0117 941 5351 or Ismail in Birmingham on 0121 565 3384. Alternatively you can email info@ashleyhousing.com

Chutney in the City

Many people believe that chutney is an English invention, but it most likely has its origins in Northern India: "the word 'chutney' itself is a corruption of the Indian 'chatni'. It's derived from the word chatna which literally means 'to lick' and represents the lip-smacking sound made on eating something tasty (such as chutney is meant to be)."

Anyway, following on from our Beans, Peas and Plums project, our pilot tenant gardening project, some of our tenants had a multitude of tomatoes that had been harvested and needed using up. To save them from going to waste, someone came up with the idea of making something a little different to the ordinary and something which stores well. Two of our support workers went round to one of the ACH houses to join tenants in making chutney.

Having never made chutney myself (even though it's supposedly "typically English"), I was curious to find out how it's done.

Many chutneys use balsamic vinegar, but our tenants substituted this for malt vinegar to make it alcohol-free. For the recipe which was used, see below:

Ingredients

1kg tomatoes

500g red onion

4 cloves garlic

150ml malt vinegar

Chunk of ginger

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 red chilli

6 seeds Cardamom 

250g sugar

Method

• Peel and chop all the vegetables, making sure to remove seeds from the chilli.
• Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour.
• Pour into jars whilst hot and seal.

       

It's as simple as that!

We hope you enjoy! We will be sharing more recipes in the coming months: from tenants' home-cooked delights to tips on how to cook on a budget. We like to exchange ideas and elements of different cultures, especially as we have tenants of 20 different nationalities! Let us know if you have any comments,recipes or ideas you would like to share.

We are excited to say that we are in the process of developing a new social enterprise, alongside tenants, which will sell East African Injera & Spice, so keep your ear to the ground for updates on this exciting venture.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Beneden Grants for the grant we were given for our new tenant gardening project in Birmingham. We're really looking forward to developing the project alongside tenants, which we hope will enable people to learn new skills, improve wellbeing and ease the integration of members of newly arrived communities into UK life.

Check out some of our existing partners and organisations we like related to food, wellbeing and sustainability:

Easton Energy Group
Incredible Edible
The Asylum Seekers Allotment Project
91 Ways To Build a Global City

Follow our blog and sign up to our newsletter to keep up-to-date with how this project progresses.

Meet the Team: Marketing and Communications Intern

This week's 'Meet the Team' landed upon Aletia, a member of the ACH Bristol office.

Aletia (right) with fellow intern Matilda (left) hard at work

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I'm from Bristol... a recent graduate in Global Development & Sustainability. I am interested in a range of topics, from International Development, to climate change awareness, to homelessness in the UK.

Tell us about your job?

I am doing a three month internship in Marketing & Communications. My main tasks include social media, writing for the website, PR and internal communications.

What do you like about ACH and why?

I like the diversity of the company. Putting together a group of people with different working styles, ideas, skills and backgrounds creates an exciting workforce where change and innovation is constant. Things do not become stagnant and the focus always seems to remain on positivity and solutions.

What do you like doing on a rainy day?

In Bristol we’re used to the rain: life carries on as usual!

What was the best thing that happened to you this past week?

I’ve just come back from a training weekend, as in October I’m heading to El Salvador for 3 months. Meeting my fellow volunteers got me really excited for going away.

What’s your favourite thing to do outside of work?

Seeing friends, seeing live music and relaxing.

Does your name have a special meaning and or were you named after someone special?

My name means ‘truth’ and my parents were inspired by a good friend of theirs called Alethia.

Sadly, Aletia will be leaving us soon to volunteer overseas. We are currently recruiting for somebody to fill her position, as well as recruiting for a Corporate Communications and Events Intern. 
If you are interested in either of these roles, please click here to find out more and to apply.

Thanks for reading! Next week we will be back in Birmingham to meet another member of the ACH team. Follow our blog to avoid missing out on news and updates.

A Happy Tenant...

On Thursday last week, a very happy tenant came into our Bristol office. Adam, a previously unemployed refugee from Sudan, started showing the support workers photos of his new workplace, with a beaming smile on his face.

We were really happy to hear about Adam’s success in finding a job and wanted to share it with you via a short interview shown below.

Could you tell us a bit about your background – where were you living before Ashley Community Housing (ACH) & why did you come to ACH?

I was in Liverpool two years ago – I have friends there. I came to Bristol to find a job. I heard about ACH from a friend.

What support did you receive at ACH and how has this helped you?

Big things – anything and everything. I got a GP, help with the Job Centre and finally, found work.

How has the support and training you received helped you now?

I had no job and I was coming for support with my job search every week. The support team helped me improve my CV and apply for jobs.

What have you been doing since leaving ACH/moving on?

I am so happy because I am working which is my dream. I have a good job, I am so happy with my job.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you for your help. 

Adam’s story is an example of how somebody can turn their life around quickly with the right support and personal dedication. Since being at ACH, Adam has engaged well with the services we offer, coming regularly to our weekly Job Club and making the most of his support worker.

The majority of people worldwide want to work and provide for themselves and their families. Many refugees have been through traumatic experiences and yet still have the determination to support themselves and to settle in a new and often scary environment.

Adam asked not to be photographed, but we wanted to say congrats to Adam and good luck in your job!

#RethinkingRefugee #RefugeesWelcome #WeCan

Meet the Team: Training Manager Suad

This week’s meet the team focusses on our Bristol Training Manager, Suad! Thanks for completing Suad, we found it a very interesting read.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I am a Training Manager, mother and a community leader; I enjoy working with and supporting marginalised communities.

What does your job involve?

I analyze local training needs and identify resources and opportunities to further better communities in need. I set up courses for local people who are unemployed, disabled and have low levels of English.

What do you like about ACH and why?

I like the fact that we support homeless refugees and others with their housing and provide training for them at the same time.

What’s your favourite thing to do outside of work?

I enjoy eating out and meeting friends, usually to chat about current affairs.

I organise various events discussing topics such as gender equality and economic inclusion.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Camel hump and camel meat.

What was the best thing that happened to you last week?

Attending and participating in a harassment-free Bristol discussion which also looked at women safety.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

Brazil because it is the most diverse country in the world. I would love to learn about the different cultures and beliefs/identities.