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EVOLUTION
Get It While You Can was founded in 1994 with a £100 donation and initiated the third arrest referral programme in Great Britain. September 1995 saw the opening of the Information and Advice Centre as a crisis intervention, base contact, for people who were homeless. At this time this was the first centre of its kind in North Wales. During 1996 Holborn House’s was opened as an abstinent supported accommodation. Holborn’s success initiated the opening of Hilden House in 1999. At this stage we were offering 16 people supported accommodation with access to educational courses, volunteer work. In September 2000 Get It While You Can introduced a primary and secondary programme based on the Minnesota 12 Step treatment principals. Without doubt 2001 was a tumultuous year during which demanded extraordinary attention on the part of both Trustees and Staff. The Charity re-launched in 2002 under the name of TOUCHSTONES12. The Charity still placed needy individuals at the heart of its work and continued to create a thoroughly professional organisation throughout 2003.
After a decade of service, in 2004 the Charity’s formal relationship with Conwy County Borough Council under the Supporting People Revenue Grant ensured financial security. During this period it was decided by the Board to appoint a former senior officer of the County Council, as a consultant with a specific remit to advice on future strategy.
Evolutionary factors spawned a new life form in 2005. January 18th the organisation appointed a new Project Director, Mr. Danie Strydom. After much deliberation with the Board of Management, Mr Strydom identified that we needed to include a lot more educational skills; social and life skills and voluntary work for the clients, thus sending them out into their communities with skills and curriculum vitas that they could be proud of. Actions paid off with interest, our first group of clients that left in the early part of the year, formed a Service User Volunteer Group called “Channel”. Channel was mentored at the beginning by Danie and Wulf Livingston from Probation until they had the confidence to stand up and be recognised in their own right; they have now been commissioned by the SMAT and have their own office in the DAWN Centre.
At the beginning of the year the Board contracted a property consultant to locate us a suitable building that would meet our criteria. Currently, we are ready to move to new premises as soon as the leases have been finalized. Financial matters have been alleviated as we have been able to secure substantial donations from major organisations such as TSB Foundation and MBNA. Proactive fundraising from the first quarter of this year has already raised £42,000 so far with further funds in the pipe line.
January 2006 proved to be a major step in the history of Touchstones12, when Danie Strydom (Project Director), and his team formally took responsibility for the Norfolk House Hotel, a substantial property that meets the criteria for accommodating clients’ residential needs.
Occupancy of Norfolk House Hotel raised the profile of the organisation considerably, and consequently provided a professional platform for future work.
Touchstones is now offering a range of affordably accessible facilities, open to access for both residents and members of the general public. Without doubt, Touchstones12 is leading the way in many fields by initiating a number of innovative ideas that are certainly contributing to the regeneration of Colwyn Bay.
Touchstones12 is engaging service users in a range of worthwhile activities, and making a significant difference to the lives of many individuals in our local communities, and beyond. During the early part of 2006, Touchstones12 employed the services of Quality Training Solutions (QTS), who now provide on-site accredited training courses for staff members, fellow professionals and residents living in the local community.
Touchstones12 day centre programme was re-established in February 2006. The day centre programme currently provides a range of life skills and information technology training, professional counselling opportunities, and alternative based workshops.
On a further positive note, the organisation is soon to become established as an accredited Open College Network (OCN) provider. During the next financial year, Touchstones12 will be seeking funds resourcefully, to make its latest aims and objectives a reality.
Rob Smith, Project Manager, said: “Considering we are running on a shoestring, what we are doing here is rocket science. If past achievements are anything to go by, the charity – possibly the smallest in its field – is streets ahead in terms of success and activity, than its better funded cousins. Consider the following, service users have raised main and given their time to refirbish and ship twelve PCs’ to Gamalakhe school in South Africa, with a further £500.00 cheque presented directly to the headmaster of the school; locally service users took part in sponsored walk and raised £1400.00 for a local charity called’ Dan’s Den’ in Colwyn Bay.”
Touchstones12 has supported the incarnation of two new organisations, Conwy Action Community Team (ACT), and Regional Empowering Approach Changing Homelessness (REACH). With much success, REACH provided the research that formed the main body of the 2006 Drugs Intervention Programme (DIP) Board directory of services. Since its conception, Conwy ACT has become a major force in facilities management, providing conference facilities and services for many high profile local and regional organisations.
There can be no doubt that Touchstones12 is currently the hot potato in the field of homelessness and substance misuse. The organisation is not only breaking down barriers, but also leading the way forward.
As we are looking for a period of growth for the future we are investigating the opportunity of opening a much needed new detoxification unit. We have been considering opening a structured homeless shelter that not only provides shelter but also a structured day programme, education and employment opportunities. On a positive note we have opened a ‘bridge to independent living’ house where clients can experience living life in the community, whilst still having the opportunity to access various aspects of support, education and employment.
Confucius states ‘Even a thousand mile journey start with a single step’ and it is with this in mind that we look to the future with certainty.
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