Leading North East charity for the homeless wins three major Regional Awards and short-listed for two National Awards in the year
Thursday 21 December 2006 - Now recognised as one of the country’s leading and most progressive homelessness charities, North East charity, Tyneside Cyrenians, won three major regional awards and was short-listed for two national awards for its innovative approaches to and support of homeless and vulnerable people in 2006.
Tyneside Cyrenians’ enlightened and sustained approach to tackling homelessness and ‘worklessness’ was recognised in October when the Charity was awarded the ‘Pioneering Recruitment Award’ at the Learning & Skills Council’s inaugural regional awards which highlights achievement through training and employment.
Tyneside Cyrenians Chief Executive, Stephen Bell, was awarded the ‘Individual who has made a Difference’ Award at the North-East Equality Awards later that month. These awards are designed to showcase achievement through commitment to developing equal opportunities within the workplace.
In November, Stephen was declared ‘Voluntary Entrepreneur of the Year 2006’ at the prestigious Community Foundation Awards which celebrate achievement in the ‘third sector’ throughout the North East.
On the national stage, the Charity was short-listed for The Guardian’s Public Service Awards 2006 in the categoriy; Diversity and Equality which highlights innovation and excellence in public services and the Community Care Award which highlights participation with and support for local communities.
In the former category; Diversity & Equality, Tyneside Cyrenians was short-listed alongside The Greater London Authority, the eventual winners, and The Crown Prosecution Service.
In the Community Care Award, ‘Trading Places’, a scheme hosted and managed by Tyneside Cyrenians was short-listed alongside North East Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and HMP Ashfield specifically in relation to the work of their Drug and Alcohol teams. ‘Trading Places’ is run entirely by ex service-users who support vulnerable and homeless individuals and provide a peer support service thereby helping to build trust and provide access to housing, treatment and advocacy services.
Throughout 2006 Chief Executive Stephen Bell has overseen and implemented significant change at Tyneside Cyrenians. The organisation has grown significantly and enjoyed some notable successes: annual turnover has more than doubled, the number of employees has increased by 40% and accreditation by Investors in People (IIP) has been achieved. The Charity aims to recruit a previously vulnerable homeless person for a quarter of all of its vacancies; to date, 28 previously homeless individuals have been employed. Commenting on the achievements Stephen Bell said:
‘What a year 2006 has been; we are tremendously proud of our achievements and our Awards. It’s very rewarding to have our work acknowledged in this way and a real buzz has been generated throughout the organisation.
‘We now have real evidence that what we do and the way we do it makes a lasting difference – puts people ‘back on track’ and helps to turn lives around.
‘People are excited and proud to work both with us and for us – what more can you ask?’