Annual Report
Chair's Report
Year 2006/2007 has been another successful year for DASH.
We have been providing accommodation for the single homeless in Durham for 35 years, originally as Durham Cyrenians and later as Durham Action on Single Housing. In this time we have evolved from providing a night shelter run by volunteers to an organisation with 22 bed spaces, the majority of which are for single occupation. The support ranges from 24 hour cover in the emergency accommodation to move on accommodation in our 4 houses and includes a busy floating support programme.
The development of Churchill Square Emergency Accommodation, in partnership with the City of Durham Council has now been running for over a year and we are in the process of doing a full review. The project which takes referrals from the council seems to have been a great success with 96% occupancy.
The referrals for our other 16 bed spaces were 153. We have achieved a 99% occupancy rate, bringing the total for all accommodation to 98%.
The staff has again worked incredibly hard and efficiently throughout the year. Their drive and enthusiasm is what makes DASH so successful.
I would like to offer grateful thanks to Supporting People, Three Rivers Housing Group, D.A.A.T. Sitra, and the City of Durham Council for their help and continued guidance.
I would also like to thank the management committee for their hard work and commitment to DASH. It is their blend of enthusiasm and common sense that helps DASH to thrive.
Managers Report
As we celebrate 35 years since the formation of Durham Cyrenians and 20 years since the Cyrenians became DASH, we continue to evolve and change is never far around the corner.
Before getting into that, however, I would like to thank and pay tribute to our Management Committee, all of whom have been extremely dedicated to the project and some of whom joined the Committee when we were the Cyrenians. I would also like to welcome new members who are joining the Committee at this AGM.
One year and four months on since the Churchill Square Emergency Accommodation project (CSEA) opened, we are in the process of internally reviewing it. We need to consider whether we are achieving the objectives which we and our funders, Supporting People and the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Action Team, and our partners, City of Durham Council, set at the outset. While I don’t wish to pre-empt the review report, I do feel able to say that we have been very pleased with the achievements of the project in providing a safe and supportive environment for people in need of emergency supported accommodation. The partnership with the Council is working extremely well, which is advantageous to both organisations and more importantly, to the people who have been and will be accommodated at the scheme. The staff at CSEA have been excellent and I am pleased to say that it has proved to be a good training ground for some of the workers who have moved on to other employment. Janet Boyle has provided a clear direction and line management for CSEA staff and has monitored the project in regular review meetings with Joanne Rouse of City of Durham. We also hold quarterly Stakeholder meetings to consider the strategic performance of the project.
Following the CSEA Review, we will be reviewing our other projects, at Harry Mears House, our long term supported houses and our Floating Support. Again, I don’t think I am pre-empting the outcome by saying that our services continue to be of a high standard in terms of the accommodation provided and the support given by George Coglan and the staff at Harry Mears House. As well as his responsibility as Health and Safety Officer, George has taken on line management of the staff at Harry Mears House and responsibility for the projects mentioned above. He is also in the process of drafting a Volunteer Strategy, with the intention of giving our services the additional dimension which volunteers can provide. George, Janet, Susan (Finance and Resource Officer) and myself constitute the DASH management team.
Earlier this year, we were successful in a bid to the Supporting People Innovation Fund, to pay us to research and develop ways of working with private landlords in order to expand services for homeless and vulnerable people. A major factor in considering this source, as well as it’s availability, is the continuing shortage of social housing (Local Authority and Housing Association). We have already had meetings with two local landlords, who until now have concentrated on the student market, and have recently appointed an additional Support Worker at Harry Mears House to allow us to take this work forward.
We are also in negotiations as a partner in a bid for a Holistic Floating Support service, which Supporting People are putting out to tender. Tendering is something which we will have to get accustomed to as all new services will now be allocated this way and, as contracts come to an end, existing Supporting People services will be put out to tender too. Other changes to come which will affect DASH include the increased role that Local Area Agreements will play in service provision, including allocation of Supporting People funding, and the creation of a single unitary authority for the whole of County Durham.
With the potential uncertainties created by such developments, our best preparation has to be to continue to provide high quality services and accommodation. We need also to maintain strong partnerships with other voluntary organisations, City of Durham Council and Three Rivers and Riverside NE Housing Associations, while developing new ones with other housing providers, including private landlords. In doing so, we will be seeking new opportunities in terms of service provision, particularly ones which will help us to generate more diverse sources of funding.
Treasurer's Report - Year Ended March 2007
The Income and Expenditure shows a surplus for the year of £41,557 compared to £32,767 in the previous year.
There are now 11 full time and 2 part time staff employed by DASH, some of who are involved in part of the financial management in addition to their other roles. The increase in staff is due to the expansion of the project’s housing accommodation and support services and the provision of emergency accommodation under a contract with the City of Durham Council.
Income and Expenditure Account
Income
The total income for the year was £378,259 compared to £262,821 in the previous year, this was due to increased rents and funding for Supporting People and a £39,168 grant from DAAT to fund Churchill Square Emergency Accommodation.
Expenditure
The expenditure for the year was £336,802 compared to £230,054 in the previous year reflecting the increased activity of the project with additional wages and other costs.
Balance Sheet
Fixed Assets
The freehold properties, £190,750 are shown in their original costs as their current value are not considered to be greatly in excess of this figure. Other Fixed Assets reduced by £6,803 to £81,840 after depreciation, reflecting increased depreciation and reduced expenditure in the year.
Current Assets
The net current assets are £177,329 compared to £128,969 at the end of the previous year, due to increased Cash at Bank reflecting the surplus for the year.
The Total Assets less Current Liabilities are £449,919 compared to £408,362 at the end of the previous year.
Overall the project continues to grow in its activities and resources and remains in a strong financial position.