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NightwatchCaring for homeless people in Croydon since 1976

Annual Report 2013

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ContentsNightwatch – Legal Information 2

Nightwatch Philosophy 3

Chair’s Annual Report 4

Voluntary Group of the Year 4

Donations 5

Resettlements 2012 6

External Liason Report 8

Volunteer Co-ordinator’s report 10

Premises Co-ordinator’s Report 11

Treasurer’s Report 12

Income 12

Expenditure 12

Funds and assets 13

Accounts 14

Information for Volunteers 17

Nightwatch Annual Report 2013

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Nightwatch - Legal Information

This Annual Report of the Trustees of Nightwatch is compiled according to Charity Commission guidelines issued as the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities 2005.

The name of the charity is Nightwatch, it is sometimes known as Croydon Nightwatch after the site of its activities. The charity number is 274925 and the mailing address is PO Box 2576, London, SE23 3ZH. The trustees over the period for which this report was compiled, the calendar year of 2012, were Jad Adams, Roger Davies and Adam Powell. The secretary was Bob Sleight. Adam Powell was treasurer but at the 2012 AGM indicated his intention to stand down in a year. Brigid Lovat has indicated her willingness to take the post and has been trained for it.

Nightwatch is governed by a constitution which was adopted in 1976 when the charity was founded and updated in 2003 and (for minor changes requested by a funder) 2005. Its objectives are the care and treatment of persons in need who are homeless, rootless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity or who by reason of adverse circumstances or being a discharged offender, are in need of help in acquiring a settled way of life. We are further dedicated to the education of those persons so as to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities that they may develop full maturity as responsible individuals and members of society, that their conditions of life may be improved.

The main activities taken in relation to these objectives are the maintenance of a meeting point in the Queen’s Gardens in central Croydon every night of the year at which we meet homeless and other needy people. This reporting year we supplied food, clothing and

other personal items and provided a constant, caring presence in what were often chaotic lifestyles. We gave advice and guidance. We also provided furniture and essential household items to resettle formerly homeless people into new accommodation; and assisted with household goods those who are accommodated but could not afford such items. We assisted with the provision of working clothes and other items to help people into work or education. A breakdown of these activities is in this report, as is an account of the charity’s deployment of its more than 150 volunteers.

Trustees are elected at an Annual General Meeting from volunteers from among the active membership. Nightwatch is run by a voluntary Executive Committee elected by the Annual General Meeting. The Committee meets four times a year to review the activities of the charity including fund raising, the approval of the annual report and accounts prior to their submission to the AGM. The Committee also oversees such issues as insurance, health and safety, assessment of risk, and compliance with legal requirements. It also reviews our contacts with Croydon Borough Council, with funding bodies and with outside agencies doing complementary work.

The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each year. The financial position of Nightwatch is set out in the accompanying annual accounts. The trustees agree that an audit is not required for the financial year, but according to the provisions of the Charities Act 1993 an independent examination is required. Our accountant is Carol Thomson Bsc ACA (ICAEW) of 55 Lincoln Road, SE25 4HG. The Nightwatch practice on reserves is to maintain in a COIF account a sum at least equivalent to three months’ unrestricted expenditure.

Caring for homeless people in Croydon since 1976

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The Nightwatch Philosophy

Nightwatch is a charity founded by members of the community in Croydon who were concerned about homelessness. We believe in local solutions for local problems.

Still entirely voluntary, we have been running for more than thirty years, adapting to new conditions and applying ourselves to the challenges of homelessness in today’s Britain. Our core activity is a meeting point that is staffed every evening where we give basic help with food and clothing and address more profound needs.

We help people who are street homeless, in squats and other inadequate accommodation, in hostels, in bed and breakfast accommodation, and those who are housed but still need support to help prevent them from again becoming homeless.

Our philosophy is that we treat homelessness as a fluid rather than a steady state – people in need are constantly moving through the system: getting out at the top (becoming housed and needing no further help) or falling off the bottom (becoming street homeless). Our objective is to try to keep people’s motion upwards, so our intervention is tailored to individual needs and aspirations. We assist some people out of street homelessness, others out of hostels and so on. We address people’s own wishes, working with them to encourage independent living and refurnish new accommodation.

For former homeless people who wish to keep in touch with us, we can help with expensive items such as cookers and fridges, which are beyond their means but without which life is squalid and unpleasant. By maintaining such contact, we help to prevent future homelessness.

Where appropriate, we supply materials to help in re-entering education such as books or travel cards; and we supply appropriate clothing (such as working boots) for people looking for work.

The clients we see have a variety of backgrounds but often have institutional life in common – they have been in children’s homes, psychiatric care or the armed forces, and a number are ex-offenders. Significant problems frequently seen are mental health, drugs, alcohol and marital break-up. It is an important part of our work that we treat all people as individuals and tailor our advice and assistance to their needs. People cannot receive advanced levels of help unless they are willing to address their problems, but everyone gets some help appropriate to their level, with the promise of more as they progress towards independent living.

This work is time consuming and labour intensive, we are the largest volunteer organisation in our borough and we are at work every day of the year.

Nightwatch Helping ex-offenders to stay ex-offenders


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Chair’s Report

The last year has been one of superlatives: the most food we have ever had, the most generous donations and most volunteer requests. But unfortunately we have also seen the largest number of homeless and vulnerable people ever. In last year’s annual report I was writing of 60, in 2011, being the highest number of people we had seen. The report was still being distributed when the figures climbed up to 80; and on Sunday 29 July 2012 there were 87 people. This is not a record we want to see matched in future, but the trend is upwards. Just as concerning as high numbers on a Sunday (when people often come only to collect groceries); 2013 has seen 50-60 on a weekday, which is unusual if not previously unheard of.

The causes are twofold: the large number of east Europeans, who now make up a half of our client group; and a general impoverishment of society. The east Europeans may be sleeping in garages and other unsanitary accommodation. More still are living in overcrowded conditions; one woman said she was cooking for twelve men. To be honest, we have had difficulties with this client group. We have felt too

often not only that no one in government cares, but that we small homelessness organisations are being expected to deal alone with the problems of a poorly thought-out EU expansion policy. There had been a bit of a scrum when food bags were distributed, but now (after many failed attempts) we get the clients to queue, and life is more peaceful, if busy.

As to the general impoverishment of society: I don’t think we are seeing more new people who have hit rock bottom, so much as seeing more of the people who were already coming. People who had knowledge of us or had used our services infrequently are coming more than they used to. It also seems to be the case that we are seeing more women, perhaps collecting food for families.

The only positive aspect of all this is the increase in support we are receiving from the public and from the business community. We are sometimes almost overwhelmed with offers of assistance and have to organise staged responses to people who want to come and see us, to volunteer or to donate.

Voluntary Group of the Year

We were delighted to receive the Voluntary Group of the Year Award from Croydon Council in the annual civic awards, for ‘a local group leading the way in volunteering.’ The citation reported our work and noted we had ‘helped thousands of homeless people who have no-one else to turn to. They provide a vital service which is unlike any other.’ Four of us attended the award ceremony.

We very much value our relationship with the council, particularly considering the poor relations some voluntary organisations have with their local authorities. This Christmas, council officers at Taberner House had a competition to see which of the eighteen floors of the building could make the biggest contribution to charities working with the Croydon Food Network of which we are a part. We were very grateful to collect food from the council

offices and distribute it as part of our regular Sunday grocery hand-out. Croydon’s Chief Executive Jon Rouse awarded the prizes to the winning teams from the council competition at a ceremony where we were represented. We are sorry to see Jon go but glad to wish him on his way to his new job at the Department of Health.

Thank you to members of the committee over this difficult year. We will be saying goodbye to Adam as treasurer who will be standing down after four years in the post. We thank Adam very much for his diligence and also for coming out regularly with us. He has also helped clients with their reading, by bringing books to distribute. He has also helped one client at the start of a university course - we always feel it is a great triumph when one of our clients gets to university.


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Tony Sewell has been representing us on the planning group setting up the Croydon Food Network which will be able to supply food to needy people across the borough (not just our clients). Amanda Shortland has fielded calls from an increasing number of would-be volunteers, sometimes at the cost of family tranquillity. Bob Sleight as secretary has kept the charity in good order; and Roger Davies has kept the kitchen and store rooms as tidy as incessant donations will permit. Nana Acquah organised the Christmas presents, bringing members of her family in to help. Fatima and others from the Food Network and Croydon Voluntary Action organised a lunch for our clients on Christmas Day, it was very much appreciated. Anita Panchmatia who set up and ran our website is leaving us to start a new life in the USA, we thank her for her past work and wish her the very best of luck. Now we are looking for a volunteer website designer to take over. Many thanks to Alana McCarthy who runs our facebook page. : Nightwatch – Homeless Charity.

Sally Bruce as always has been working with clothes for our clients, and also acts as liaison with the floating shelter and works with our client group at the Salvation Army drop-in on Mondays. Thank you to her and all our volunteers.

Tony Sewell, Nana Acquah, Amanda Shortland and Jad Adams accepting the Voluntary Group of the Year Award from Croydon council cabinet member for corporate and voluntary services Cllr Sara Bashford

Donations

We have had generous donations of money from the Macquarie Foundation Group; Intrareason; the Dispossessed Fund; and Croydon Striders (who hosted the Croydon Half-Marathon, sponsored by our long-term supporters Streets Ahead.) Greggs again gave us money to buy Christmas presents, we distributed 80 this time. Simply Lunch and Prêt à Manger continued to supply us with food; Lexis Nexis printed these reports and supplied us with printed stationery as well as donating more than 100 Easter eggs. Liverpool Victoria have given donations and made us the beneficiaries of many in-office fundraising events, as well as nominating us for the Pennies From Heaven scheme where odd sums in pence from everyone’s salary in the company are given to charity. Gavin

Barwell MP did a sponsored walk along with a number of young people and we were one of the four charities chosen to be beneficiaries - thank you to all involved.

The shadow of the 2011 riots was still cast over this year, we were invited to meet Baroness Wilcox, a minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, who was on a ‘Community Pride Visit’ in February, and in September Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited to see what progress had been made since the riots. I spoke to both of them about the work of Nightwatch.

Jad Adams


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Resettlements 2012

As is the case with other charities, we have seen reductions in financial support from all sources, statutory and otherwise. The resettlement programme continues but as we are no longer receiving funding from the National Lottery or big funding organisations, we have no obligation to keep the sort of records that were required to satisfy them. We used to ask questions about the age, ethnicity and reasons for becoming homeless of our clients. We now simply ask what they need and take their name and address.

Other changes have also affected the way we operate. The squeeze on rented housing for people in social need has resulted in far fewer people being rehoused. Therefore clients have not needed a complete set of bedroom, living room and kitchen furniture as had often been the case in the past. A typical client now comes to us because their fridge or cooker has broken down and they cannot afford to replace it.

Another change is that the members of the public who used to donate items to be recycled as they bought new ones are also suffering from the effects of the recession. Simply put, people are hanging on to their washing machines, beds, wardrobes and so on, where a few

years ago they would have been given them to charities to recycle for poorer folk. Readers of this report can help us in this by passing good, unwanted furniture on to the charities we work with. Emmaus (0208 761 4276) and Home Again (0208 667 0067) collect suitable furniture, store it, recondition it and deliver it to our clients at reasonable prices (that Nightwatch pays). We are grateful for the work of the teams at Emmaus and Home Again for their work with our clients.

There are many requests for televisions and microwaves for hostel rooms. We want to help our regular clients but don’t want to end up supplying all the hostel rooms in Croydon. We also have problems with supply of microwaves in particular as people now tend to throw them away rather than donate them to us.

There were 42 resettlements this year involving 45 people (there were three couples). Six children were mentioned as living with resettled people; there may have been more but we do not deal directly with children so unless they are mentioned, we assume the client is single.

As an example, here is some information about the seven people we helped in the week commencing 12 February 2012

Four men were helped with resettlement into new accommodation:

• M, a 27 year old white Briton who gave as his reason for needing help that he had gone ‘off the rails’ and had been sleeping rough;

• M, a 46 year old Somali man with mental health problems; • R, a 43 year old black British man who was formerly street homeless and had drug issues, • P who was referred to us from the Salvation Army, he was a 54 year old white man who was

previously sofa surfing and sleeping on buses.

In that week we also helped three people with individual items of furniture:

• D a 50 year old white British man with a washing machine; • K a 42 year old woman who wanted a sofa; and • G a black British former drug user of 62 who was given a sofa.

This week was only unusual in that in a typical week resettlement clients would normally be a third female.


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The 42 resettlements in 2012 compare with 49 in nine months of the scheme operating in 2011; 78 in 2010; 69 in 2009; 54 in 2008 and 55 in 2007. Fourteen were woman (31%) which is the same as last year and in line with our experience of women accounting for a third of our resettlement figures though they are usually 10% or less of the client group as a whole. We have been seeing a slightly higher number of women in the gardens recently.

Nineteen people identified themselves as black British, Afro-Caribbean or African (42%) which is in line with figures in recent years. These categories are of decreasing value, however, as the fastest growing ethnic group nationally is ‘mixed’ (and this is reflected in our client group) but the largest ethnic group we see are white eastern Europeans (mainly Polish). They very rarely ask for help with furniture. The ethnic categories of white British, black British etc were a well meaning attempt to monitor discrimination at a time when the UK was ethnically very different from what it is now. These categories do not represent present-day society.

In addition to ‘major‘ resettlements, 56 people were supplied with single items or a small number of pieces of furniture, helping them to remain in accommodation where they are settled. Typically, a person comes because a fridge has broken down and we are able to supply a reconditioned one. There has been an increased demand for washing machines as laundromats have closed down, nine were supplied as single items (as well as many supplied as part of the principal resettlements). Twelve fridges were supplied and five cookers.

We have also continued a programme of helping people in work and education with basic equipment to help them to get started. We supplied 50 pairs of boots and a number of overalls and hi-vis jackets for people working in the construction industry, in demolition, warehouse work and gardening. We gave a set of 12 chef’s knives to a man who was formerly street homeless and is now working as a chef; and a guitar for a busker whose instrument was broken.

Committee Members

Chair Jad Adams 020 8699 6718

Secretary Bob Sleight 020 8668 6593

Treasurer Adam Powell 020 8393 5550

Volunteer Co-ordinator Amanda Shortland 020 8660 5902

Premises Liaison Roger Davies 01883 342986

External Liaison Tony Sewell 020 8654 0214

Committee member Nana Acquah 020 8405 8712


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External Liaison Report

1. Rough Sleepers Core Group Meeting

Nightwatch attends the Rough Sleeper Core Group Meetings to look at a coordinated approach to tackle Rough Sleeping in the borough. We work in partnership with other agencies include Thames Reach, The Well (Monday drop-in service at the Salvation Army- by Church Street Croydon), Salvation Army, Croydon Housing Strategy, SNAP teams and Croydon Adult services Nil Recourse Teams.

Reconnection programmes are offered to those people who are rough sleeping and destitute in the borough and have Nil Recourse to Public Funds. There has been little uptake by entrenched rough sleepers from the A2 National countries and other European countries such as Poland. When the homeless agencies have examined why there is little uptake they have found that there are a number of factors that prevent this cohort from returning, such as self-esteem, they have left their families and communities with high expectation of having a lot of work and cannot tell them they are on the streets in the UK, various challenges they do not want to face and some will return to prison on their return to their country. Bulgaria and Romania are the last of the A2 countries and will be expected to exercise their treaty rights from 1st January 2014.

I have recently asked a question at the Core group meeting why so few of the Polish and other European migrants who are street homeless in Croydon are not exercising their treaty rights to stay in the country and actively seek work registering for a National Insurance number and claiming Jobseekers Allowance where necessary, and appoint a specialist Welfare Rights worker to assist people where necessary. The Core group will look into this as one of their action points.

In the most recent core group meeting in April 2013, I have put forward the idea that there should be a supported housing project or programme set up similar to the model of Emmaus to support the European migrant homeless people that are here and have a trade or skills to register as self- employed and look at work based initiatives. This will overcome a lot of the current problems this cohort faces of failing the DWP Habitual Residency Tests and being declined for Job Seekers Allowance, therefore having no access to housing through housing benefit. The Core Group will look into this idea with a view to seeing how this can be developed.

2. Croydon Food Network

Nightwatch has signed up to the memorandum of understanding for the Croydon Food Network and I have been accepted to the position of Vice Chair.

The Croydon Food Network aims to be an effective resource to collect food to help meet the demand of those suffering from Food Poverty in the borough of Croydon. The CFN aims to direct the food resources to the client group who reside in a particular area of Croydon without unnecessary duplication and drain on food supplies. The CFN comprises the main food providers in the borough working together in cooperation and mutual agreement so that food can be

distributed to those who are destitute without unnecessary duplication of resources. The work of the Network is a more recent development and will look to raise awareness of food donations by food business to the Network so that distribution can be made to the appropriate agencies.

Bid Funding is being sought from a People’s Millions grant at the time of this report being written to obtain warehouse premises for food storage, a Croydon Food Network database system and other facilities that help with this process.


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3. Welfare Reform

The Welfare Reform Act 2012 received Royal assent on the 6th March 2012 and is a major shake up of the benefits system in the UK. The Welfare Reform Act aims to streamline the benefits system to replace most benefits with Universal Credit. Benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support Employment Support Allowance, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit will be replaced by Universal Credit. Universal Credit has two main elements; a living element and a housing element. Universal Credit will be rolled out across the UK during a four year period, starting from October 2013.

The Welfare Reform Bill will have impact on clients in a number of ways:-

1. The Total Benefit Cap- £500pw per family household or £350pw for a single person. An example of this is if a couple with four children live in a private rented house and currently receive housing benefit, they will have to contribute about £196.70pw from their benefits towards their rent. Two main exemptions from the Total Benefit Cap is for a single parent family to work 16hrs per week or a two parent family to work 24hrs per week and claim Working Tax Credit and be exempt from the total benefit cap or a parent or a dependent child receive Disability Living Allowance and be exempt.

2. The Under-Occupancy Charge (Bedroom Tax)This charge is set at 14% reduction in Housing Benefit if a household under-occupies by 1 bedroom or 25% reduction on Housing Benefit if a family under occupies by 2 or more bedrooms.

3. Council Tax Benefit replaced by Council Tax Support AllowanceThere will no longer be 100% council tax benefit for out of work families on qualifying benefits such as Income Support, Income Related Job Seekers Allowance or Income Related Employment

Support Allowance. Instead out of work families and individuals will have to contribute 15% toward the annual council tax bill, the Council Tax Support Allowance will pay the remainder (85%).

4. Community Care Grants & Crisis Loans These DWP social fund payments were replaced by the Local Authority’s Croydon Discretionary Support Scheme (CDS Scheme) in April 2013. Applications for financial support from this scheme have to be made directly to the local authority.

5. Personal Independence Payments New claims from 10th June 2013, renewal claims starting from 7th October 2013. All adult Disability Living Allowance Claimants will be reassessed for PIP by 2017. There will be an expected 30% drop off rate from DLA to PIP In the light of all these changes there are at least 900 families in Croydon who will be adversely affected by the benefit cap, 553 families will be at very high risk of homelessness, and about 15,000 residents in the borough which will be affected by the Welfare Reform changes by one form or another.

The concern from Nightwatch is that the Welfare reform changes will have a detrimental impact on the most vulnerable and destitute in our community with a rise in homelessness and also a rise in food poverty.

Nightwatch will be closely monitoring the impact of the Welfare Reform Bill being implemented and reporting concerns on to relevant stakeholders in the community.

Tony Sewell


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Volunteer Co-ordinator’s Report

This year we have seen our client numbers grow to unprecedented levels. It is not unusual to see more than fifty people on a week night and eighty plus on a Sunday. The worldwide economic downturn has undoubtedly played its part and we are waiting to see what happens once the changes in welfare have started to take effect. Whilst we continue to have good sized teams of committed volunteers available to meet demand, our need now is for greater food supplies. We are often asked if we can take excess stock from local food outlets and of course we would love to accept them but it is not always easy to find volunteers who are available at the right time to collect and deliver the food to our Kitchen. We do receive food from the Simply Lunch depot in South Croydon and we are so grateful for this. Most of our food is prepared by volunteers at home then delivered to the kitchen which works well and we now need to swell this provision.

Charities often look to engage young local people in their work and in September we were pleased to link up with the Challenge Network, a national charity whose mission is to connect and inspire young people to strengthen their communities and build a stronger society. After hearing about Nightwatch they wanted to contribute by fundraising for us and also coming along to the kitchen one Saturday to prepare sandwiches and baked goods for our team to take out later that day. We really enjoyed the experience and hope that we may see some come along to volunteer at a later date!

Just before Christmas we issued our updated Volunteer Handbook and a huge thank you to Estate Agents Streets Ahead for printing this for us. Do make sure you take a copy!

Thank you all for the time and commitment you give to Nightwatch.

Amanda Shortland

Young people from the Challenge Network shopping for Nightwatch

Challenge youngsters working in the Nightwatch kitchen

Nightwatch volunteers going out


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Premises Co-ordinator’s Report

The Harvest Festival appeal and delivery was a great success again. I am so grateful to all the volunteers that came and helped on the four Sundays in October. I cannot underline that we need as many volunteers as possible to receive, sort and store in excess of 10,000 tins!! This is hopefully, enough for soup, sandwich fillings and food bags that we need for the rest of the year.

This year there were two differences from previous years since more donations were actually collected from the schools and/or churches. This causes some difficulty in the logistics of storage. The kitchen became particularity congested when donations had to be stored pending sorting and final storage on the Sunday when the main hall is open and lots of volunteers are available. It might well an advantage to offer to collect donations (especially from schools) but in order to make things easier, it is preferable that the volunteer collector retains the tins and takes them to the Hall on Sunday.

It was also noticeable that tin donations continued to be delivered beyond the conventional time for harvest and into 2013. Its not obvious why this might be so, but its something that is always encouraged and welcomed.

Although, other types of donations (clothing etc) are not usually suitable. Unsuitable donations just occupy valuable space, they should be directed at charity shops rather than Nightwatch.

Its time that the kitchen floor was re-surfaced. When the floor was selected it was suggested that a non-slip surface was used because of its use in a kitchen. At that stage the architect indicated that it would be difficult to clean. Perhaps the better phrase would have been “impossible to clean”. It has become engrained and now needs replacement. If anyone has any requirements or suggestions then pleas contact me.

Roger Davies

Pupils from the Coloma Convent Girls’ School helping to pack Christmas presents for clients along with Nightwatch volunteers


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Treasurer’s ReportAccounts 1st Jan to 31st December 2012

Income

Nightwatch’s income decreased to £45,486 in 2012 from £68,008 in 2011, a decrease of 33.1%. This reflects the fact that in the comparison year we were in receipt of a one-off grant for the resettlement of riot victims; and a significant decrease in the funding for resettlement projects. Public donations increased from £9,971 in 2011 to £25,263 in 2012, an increase of 153.4%, reflecting a number of generous donations from individuals who did not specify how the money was to be spent.

Unrestricted funds increased from £21,539 to £43,511 (an increase of 102%) but restricted funds decreased from £46,486 to £1,975 (a fall of 95.8%). I am also disappointed to report that we have not received any grants from Croydon Council or from the Department of Communities and Local Government reflecting the severe cuts in public spending by the Government. I am also well aware that other donors such as the Wates Foundation are struggling to make donations due to the decrease in interest rates.

Our own interest earned increased from £68 to £248 (a 3.65 fold increase) reflecting higher bank balances rather than higher interest rates. Most of this interest was earned because of the lack of settlement projects causing us to have unusually high bank balances for much of the year.

Gift Aid of £167 is being claimed from the Inland Revenue compared with £348 in 2011, a fall of 52.0 per cent, reflecting a loss of interest in Gift Aiding and fewer donations from existing Gift Aid donors. Even though private donations have fallen there has been a slightly increased interest in Gift Aiding.

Nightwatch thanks all of its donors (large and small) for their support. Of particular value are the donations from the local individuals, schools, churches and societies. Nightwatch also wishes to acknowledge the specific support provided by the Croydon Unitarian Church.

Expenditure

Expenditure decreased in 2011 from £52,020 to £31,685 (39.1%) reflecting a decrease in the number of resettlement projects.

£1,975 was from restricted funds. Of the £43,511 unrestricted funds, £29,710 has been spent, meaning that £13,801 of unrestricted funds have been carried forward to 2013.

Our decreased expenditure has been in part due to our disappointing income, particularly with respect to Resettlement.

Our administration costs have decreased from £11,825 to £10,699 in 2012 (a decrease of 22.8%). It is with disappointment that I report that administration costs have risen from 22.7 % of expenditure to 33.8%. I am pleased to note that our insurance costs and

professional fees continue to reflect good value for money but it is inevitable that when spending on welfare falls the fixed costs remain and therefore become a larger proportion of overall expenditure.

Costs of food decreased from £2,114 to £1,757 (16.9%) reflecting generous donations. Expenditure on clothing increased from £2,486 to £3,320 (33.5%) reflecting the increased number of clients and expenditure on toiletries fell from £86 to £19 (77.9%) reflecting a surplus of toiletries from 2011. Expenditure on client training increased to £1,094 from £838 (30.5%) reflecting a considerable amount of help given to an undergraduate student living in poverty. I am satisfied that the Committee are conscientious about providing value for money. It should be noted that we have no paid fundraisers.


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Funds and Assets at beginning and end of 2012

During the year funds rose from £30,300 to £44,101 reflecting a surplus of £13,801, all of which is unrestricted funds. This is good news in view of our increased dependence on public donations rather than on grants. The Committee has earmarked £7,000 of unrestricted funds for resettlement expenditure for each quarter of 2013 and I am satisfied that they

are demonstrating adequate fiscal discipline. The Treasurer has worked closely with the Committee on this matter and will continue to do so.

Other assets remained at nil. All assets below a cost of £500 will be recorded as nil.

Adam Powell


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Accounts

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Unrestricted Funds

Restricted Funds

31st Dec 2012 Totals

31st Dec 2011 totals

Cash Funds

Cash at Bank 32,243 11,858 30,300 30,300

Total Cash Funds 32,243 11,858 44,101 30,300

Other monetary Assets

Income Tax Recoverable 0 0 0 348

Assets for Charity’s own use

Computer Equipment at cost 2,637 345 2,982 2,982

Less: Accumulated Depreciation (2,637) (345) (2,982) (2,982)

0 0 0 0

Office Equipment at cost 700 0 700 700

Less: Accumulated Depreciation (700) 0 (700) (700)

Fixtures and Fittings 129 43,893 44,022

Less: Accumulated Depreciation (129) (43,893) (44,022) (44.022)

0 0 0 0

Total Assets for Charity’s use 0 0

Liabilities (PAYE) 0 0 0

Note: It is Nightwatch’s policy to capitalise assets with an historic cost of over £500


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Report to the Trustees of Nightwatch on accounts for the year ended 31st December 2012

Respective responsibilities of the trustees and examinerAs the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts, you consider that the audit requirement of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43(7) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s reportMy examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statementIn connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respects the requirements - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act: and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting

requirements of the Act have not been met; or(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts

to be reached. Carol Thomson BSc (Hons) ACA Chartered Accountant ICAEW 55 Lincoln Road, London, SE25 4HGDate: 13th May 2013


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Accounting Statement (Receipts and Payments Basis)Unrestricted

FundsRestricted

Funds31st Dec 2012

Totals31st Dec 2011

TotalsReceipts 25,263 25,263 9,971Donations and GrantsGrants Received Croydon Relief in Need 8,000 1000 9,000 9,000J Paul Getty 5,000 5,000 0Croydon Voluntary Action 5,000 5,000 0Big Lottery 0 27,000John Laing Society 0 2,500Wates Foundation 5,000Greggs Trust 975 975 900Liverpool Friendly Society 0 3,300Borough of Croydon 0Borough of Croydon for Riot Help 9,306Public Donations for:Riot Help 1,296Interest Received 248 248 68Total Receipts 43,511 1,975 45,486 68,008

ExpenditureBenefits and Welfare Riot Help

1000

1,000

7,808

Food 782 975 1,757 2,144Clothing 3,320 3,320 2,486Client Training 1,094 838Special Needs, i.e. Toiletries 19 86Gifts 0 0 780

5,215 1,975 7,190 14,112Resettlement Relocation Costs

13,796

13,796

25,700

Resettlement Admin 0 0 38313,796 13,796 26,083

Management Costs General Administration

4,890

4,890 7,155

Use of Kitchen and Meeting rooms 3,755 3,755 2,578Insurance 1,339 1,339 1,417Audit Fee 715 715 675

10,699 10,699 11,825Total Expenditure 29,710 1,975 31,685 52,020

Net of Receipts 13,801 0 13,801 15,985Cash funds b’fwd 18,442 11,858 30,300 14,315Cash Funds C’fwd 32,243 11,858 44,101 30,300


17

NIGHTWATCH

Information for Volunteers

Nightly TeamsVolunteers go out in teams every evening. You should have a list of all volunteers. If you don’t have a list, contact volunteer co-ordinator Amanda Shortland. Volunteers decide themselves how they handle the work. Some go out and also make sandwiches to take; others collect sandwiches from volunteer sandwich makers; others collect from shops that give us unsold food. Some teams take out more elaborate food than soup and sandwiches. Whatever you wish to do, claim the cost from our treasurer unless we have supplies in the hall (e.g. sandwich fillings).

If anything prevents your usual routine (very bad weather, for example, stranding some volunteers in the south of the borough) buy ready made-up food from whatever shop is available: a garage, supermarket or fast-food outlet. Get a receipt and claim the cost. Maintenance of supply is more important than cost. There should always be at least one man in a group. There should be a person designated as group leader (normally the most experienced person) to whom members should speak if they are unable to go out on a night. The group leader should try to find a replacement if necessary.

A volunteer should also talk to the group leader if they wish to stop volunteering for Nightwatch. The group leader will tell Amanda. It is important that the volunteer co-ordinator always has a picture of the way each night is working. We do not want to be in the situation where a couple of people leave from one night and the first the volunteer co-ordinator hears about it is when there is a crisis and the night is completely uncovered.

Our volunteers have to be over 18, confident and level-headed. The age limit is to prevent teenagers from being exposed to experiences for which they are not yet emotionally equipped.

It is advised that all who come into contact with people who fit our client group profile should have Hepatitis B inoculation. You can get this from your GP who should not charge as you are ‘at risk’ but if you are charged, claim from Nightwatch. The injection is not one of the most unpleasant ones but it does have to be boosted twice in the first year to give full protection.We have public liability insurance.

In the KitchenRemember we are running a catering operation and the highest standards of food hygiene must be maintained. Please keep the kitchen clean and respect the needs of other users. Drain unused soup in a strainer and throw it in a bin (solids block the sink or toilet). When rubbish bags are full, throw them out in the big green rubbish bin outside. Recycle tins in the separate bin.

For any problems, call Roger Davies who looks after premises liaison. If we need things such as dishcloths or bags, just buy them, keep a receipt and claim the cost. In general, you can always buy things you need for our work such as torches. If you are in any doubt as to the appropriateness of anything you want to get, speak to our treasurer.

Anything placed in the fridges must be labelled with the date. Treat unlabelled food as out of date and throw it away. Remember that our clients sometimes take away food to eat for breakfast so the food you give them must have sufficient shelf-life to stay unrefrigerated until the next day.

When the hatch is up to access the stairs to the storage area below the kitchen, the yellow barrier (stored downstairs) must be up to stop people falling down the hole.


18

Nightwatch The community caring for homeless people

ReportsNote on the daily log which volunteers were out and which clients we have seen (where you know the names). Note anything unusual which will help following evening: tension, arguments between clients, unexpected behaviour. Note the total number of people and where possible gender and race.

You may take clothing requests but do not under any circumstances assure people that the things they ask for will be provided by the team on the following Sunday. Any requests you make will not be seen by Sally and the clothing team until Sunday, then won’t be bought till the following week and won’t be supplied until, at the soonest, the next Sunday.

Where people are sleeping out and obviously in dire need, by all means supply them with sleeping bags or blankets from the store but note that you have done so.

Parking PermitsWe have three parking permits which allow us to park in Fell Road (and nowhere else). If you want to take one, please return it when you return to the hall. We have had difficulties with people taking permits away and not returning them, to the considerable inconvenience of other volunteers.

In the GardensAlways stay within sight of other volunteers. You may need to speak confidentially to a client but do not go far from the main body of volunteers.

The council’s security camera operators know we are there and observe activity at the top of the gardens. Tree cover means they do not see what is happening further down. If you have any doubts about safety, meet clients at the top of the path by Fell Road.

Ideally, one person at least should have a mobile phone with them and a Nightwatch panic alarm should always be carried by the team. Threats against volunteers are very rare, but if made should result in withdrawal to the top of the path and then evacuation of the site if you feel unsafe. Such incidents should be reported to the police immediately. The council security team can contact the police for immediate response if they are phoned on 0208 686 4433. Volunteers should not carry any cash with them when in the Gardens and if clients ask, they should be made aware of this policy.

More common is argument between clients in which volunteers are not involved, but the same principle applies: neither we nor the clients should have to be in a violent situation. Other clients will often try to calm a situation down if there is an argument. Stand aside and let them do it, they are probably more experienced at this than you. Do not get involved and try to settle a dispute rationally – it probably isn’t about anything accessible to reason.

If there is trouble down in the gardens, make it clear you cannot work in these conditions and you will have to withdraw. If trouble persists, go to the top of the path at Fell Road. If there is no improvement, leave.

In general: always leave the gardens together. Never leave one person talking with a client while the body of volunteers goes back to the hall. Do not be alone with clients unless in a controlled environment. This is partly because of the fear of unpredictable behaviour, but also because many of our clients could reasonably be described as ‘vulnerable adults’ and public authorities insist that we should take steps to ensure the clients cannot come into danger from volunteers.


19

ResettlementResettlement volunteers see clients in their own homes to help them settle in, to ensure a successful placement and prevent a return to homelessness. They organise furniture deliveries from the Appliance Re-use Centre, second hand and new shops; and organise more complex things such as carpet and curtain installation.

Home visits do take place but you must be careful: whenever you are visiting a client at home make sure you write down the address and leave it with someone you know. Visits should be brief. Women volunteers should not be alone with male clients in their flats, and everyone should act with caution.

ChildrenVolunteers must not deal with children directly. There are public policies of screening volunteers and protecting the safety of children with which we do not comply. As we almost never see children alone, it has not proved necessary for us to adopt the cumbersome procedures necessary for organisations which do. The needs of our clients’ children should be addressed via their parents.

Obviously this rule must be interpreted in terms of common sense and charitable behaviour: occasionally we see child runaways in the gardens who should be spoken to with appropriate concern.

Equality Statement Nightwatch is committed to serving the homeless community of Croydon. Our services are available to all regardless of gender, racial origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or mental state. The sole qualification to be in receipt of help from Nightwatch is to be present at the Queen’s Gardens at 9.30pm expressing need.

Our volunteers are drawn from the community of Croydon and are accepted on the basis of their willingness and ability to make a long term commitment to the needs of the homeless. No other consideration is taken into account.

The CommitteeThe committee oversees resources and the interpretation of policy which is set by the Annual General Meeting that takes place in summer. It consists of a chair, secretary, treasurer, volunteer co-ordinator, and external liaison officer (who attends meetings with other bodies and reports back). Committee members are happy to help, so feel free to contact them but everyone is a volunteer so time is limited. If you have problems which you can sort out yourself, please do so. For example, if volunteers expect to be short on a particular night, try to sort the problem out before asking the volunteer co-ordinator’s help. Current voluntary organisation practice urges us to have a grievance procedure. Anyone with a complaint should take it up with their team leader. If resolution is not easily possible (or the team leader is the person complained of) we have designated the secretary as the committee members responsible for investigating and resolving grievances.

Registered Charity No 274925. Trustees: Jad Adams MA FRHistS; Roger Davies MSc; Adam Powell BSc MA MA. Secretary: Bob Sleight Bsc PhD

PO Box 9576, London, SE23 3ZH 0208 699 6718

Useful NumbersEmmaus (for furniture donations) 9 Knights Hill SE27 0HY

8761 4276

Home again (for furniture donations) 44 St George’s Walk CRO 1YJ

8667 0067

Street Rescue (street homeless people) 0300 500 0914

Palmer House (Hostel) 105-107 Lansdowne Road CR0 2BN

0207 870 8850

Croydon Council SNAP team 8760 5498

London Reconnection Project (East Europeans) 0870 383 3322

Mainliners Helpline 0870 2422467

Croydon Turnaround (14-21 year olds) 51/55 South End CRO 1BF

8760 5530

MIND 8668 2210

Thornton Heath CAB 8684 2236

Addington CAB 01689 846890

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