MAKING A DIFFERENCE

A common catalyst for the visit by a resident to the Oasis Centre is their need to address a crisis situation. We therefore offer support to address the prevalent crises, as means of encouraging contact with the centre. This currently consists of:

• Emergency Provision - we have both a process for self-referral and a system of referrals from other agencies such as Job Centre Plus, local G.P.s, housing providers, churches and schools. These clients are often in desperate need of food and clothing, so we provide nutritious emergency food packs and good quality clothing packs.
• Cafe - The Oasis Centre is open three days each week, and it includes a free cafe providing hot nutritious, well-balanced breakfasts and lunches to individuals and families.
• Charity Shop - We provide clients with the opportunity to access affordable clothing and other items, through our 'pop-up' charity shop in the centre.

It is always our aim to respond to the fundamental, root causes of these critical situations, and experience has shown us that this is far more likely to be possible once trust has been established through our initial response to the crisis.

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This currently consists of:

• CRISIS Support Team - clients are given access to support and advice from the crisis support team and they are also directed to other relevant agencies and services who can help address the root causes of their 'emergency' needs, e.g. issues with debt, housing, benefits, addiction, mental health and physical health. Many of our clients display multi-stranded problems and require extensive support to identify and address their long term needs.  

For many people in difficult situations, loneliness can be a reality of life. Through our re-engage program, we help everybody to feel like part of the community. The ways we do this include:

• WELL-BEING SUPPORT - clients are given access to opportunities which promote the value of physical, emotional and mental well-being, e.g. trips, parties and other social days plus open access Health and Well-being.events where local and relevant well-being services promote their services to our clientele.
• LEISURE ACTIVITIES - We offer pool, table-tennis, board games and quizzes at each of our sessions as a means of addressing the boredom needs of a more diverse group of potential clients.
• COMMUNITY SUPPORT TEAM - with interventions as described above (in RE-BUILD).
• GROUP ACTIVITIES - short-term programs, such as craft workshops, gardening and a choir. 
• Our Cafe

Many of our clients find that in order to move forwards, they need to develop certain new skills. Through our RE-SKILL program, we provide a relaxed and encouraging setting to learn and practice.

• BASIC ADULT LIFE-SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM ('FREEDOM ED') - clients are given the opportunity to develop the pre-requisite skills necessary for a functional lifestyle and successful employment. We introduce them to literacy, numeracy, home economics and art in a creative and non-threatening way. This one year program includes: Urban Art; Cookery Workshop; English For Everyone; Maths Made Easy and Science workshops. 
• ONE-TO-ONE PHONICS & READING PROGRAMS - We offer individual support in learning the basics of reading, writing and phonics.
• MOVING FORWARD SCHEME - A tailor-made program which helps clients to reach their full potential through educational trips, training, team building, self-esteem workshops, job club and voluntary employment opportunities. It aims to promote self-worth, develop motivation and aspirations and encourage independence, all of which are important factors in obtaining employment.

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As much as we love spending time with our clients, we realise that the goal isn't to stay with Oasis forever, but to find work. Our RE-START program helps with this in the following ways:

• ONE-TO-ONE Basic I.T. training - clients are introduced to the basics of I.T. and the internet in 'bite-size' learning packages, which are tailored to meet the specific needs and timelines of the individual.
• WORK CLUB - we offer a work club service with free access to I.T./internet facilities, and to accredited courses in I.T. literacy and work skills, including searching effectively for jobs, creating and maintaining a personalised C.V., extracting key information from job advertisements and websites, completing job applications effectively, preparing for interviews and answering common interview questions. This personalised and tailored scheme supports clients in increased I.T. skills, increased skills for work, securing further training, volunteer placements or paid employment, increased confidence and increased well-being.
• in-house volunteer placement scheme - clients are given the opportunity to volunteer at The Oasis Centre, as a means of developing their skills and work experience and improving their chances of long-term employment.

We have demonstrated that these interventions are effective in meeting the needs of 'hard to reach' and 'complex family' clients to engage in learning and giving them confidence to access basic education and training, bettering their chances of full-time employment and challenging their chaotic and unhealthy lifestyle choices. This gives them a new beginning and an end to dependency. Many need considerable support at a very basic level in order to develop what could be called 'pre-requisites' for engaging with 'higher level' support agencies.

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