Cake, Coffee and Careers Advice

Temporary Housing for the Homeless offers practical support for residents

Lawrence Lodge, a temporary accommodation unit in Camberely, invited trainers, course providers and career advisors to a cake and coffee morning on Monday 1 June to give residents help and guidance on a variety of issues. The event was organised by housing association Accent Peerless Ltd, who owns and operates the 32 unit lodge which provides temporary housing to homeless people, including families with young children. Residents were invited to socialise and discuss issues with fellow residents and Accent Peerless staff, as well as get advice on career opportunities, get help with CV writing and learn about local training courses, some of which can be accessed free of charge. Karen Barkham, Supported Housing Officer at Accent Peerless commented: “As well as providing advice to people at a vulnerable time in their lives, this event has also encouraged resident to actively ‘get involved’, which helps us to help them. It is likely that these residents will eventually move into permanent housing, also provided by Accent Peerless. Establishing good relationships with them now, will make it easier for them to stay involved, so that they can continue to use the services provided by Accent Peerless to help enrich their lives.” She added: “The event was hugely successful because we offered a non-intimidating environment for residents. They were able to share experiences with other residents who are in similar situations and they now realise that help is on hand from a variety of sources. We will definitely be planning more event of this kind in future.” -ENDS- Words: 268 Jpeg: Careers advisor Lesley Gaudin (left) gives advise to Chloe (pictured here with her daughter) who is now doing an IT course