Everyone in for good – update on rough sleepers
November 3, 2020
Our staff team at DASH work hard to make a real difference to the lives of our residents, maintaining a safe and supportive environment and keeping residents at the very heart of what they do.
Staff work closely with residents, really helping them to build on their strengths, overcome problems and barriers and support them to move towards a more independent lifestyle in their own home.
Our Housing & Support Workers help residents with their benefits and wellbeing and ensure their accommodation is safe, clean and fit for purpose. Our staff at the Vulnerable Women’s Project (VWP) help our female residents to stabilise and if possible, move on to a more secure tenancy when they are ready. The residents at the VWP come from difficult backgrounds and have multiple and complex needs and working with them to overcome barriers and improve their lifestyles can be challenging but our staff also find it very rewarding.
DASH Chair of trustees, Gary Eaborn, said; “Our staff team at DASH do a fantastic job under difficult circumstances, often working to a budget with limited resources. On behalf of the trustees of DASH I would like to thank our staff team for their professionalism, commitment and passion”.
Would you be interested in becoming a member of staff at DASH? We always advertise our vacancies on our ‘Work for us‘ page.
See some of our staff profiles below.
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
December 2017
What was your background before joining DASH?
I have worked in accounts, clerical work for the NHS and even the post office.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I have a history of volunteering and fundraising so working for a charity appealed to me.
What does your role include?
I complete admin and finance tasks and any other tasks that are required.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
My job satisfaction, I like routine and my role gives me that.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Calm, helpful and private
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
June 2022
What was your background before joining DASH?
I worked in a secondary school as Head of Year 7 with the responsibility of transition from primary school to secondary school.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I have always enjoyed helping and supporting people. During covid my outlook on a work/life balance changed and I wanted to do something different with my career and the volunteer coordinator enabled me to do that.
What does your role include?
I co ordinate volunteering opportunities with DASH volunteers. I am also running a new project that will create opportunities for DASH residents and other service users across Durham city to benefit from volunteering. I am hoping that this will impact positively on physical and mental health. Durham Impact Project will also enable volunteers to work across projects if they have skills or experience they would like to develop or share with other volunteers.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Seeing the impact that kindness and service has on people and a community.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Organised, resourceful, conscientious
When did you join DASH?
October 3rd, 2022
What was your background before joining DASH?
My background prior to joining DASH has always been in Supporting adults roles, I began my journey supporting female sex workers, giving them a space to relax & feel safe. Providing health advice and referrals.
Supported males and females in alcohol recovery running activity groups and meditation sessions, throughout their recovery program.
Supporting adults in training centre for long term unemployed with confidence building and group work.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
Supporting women and empowering them to live independently,
What does your role include?
Supporting individual needs, whether its referring them onto other agencies that can assist them in improving their quality of life, debt management setting up payment plans, contacting/referring to drugs and alcohol services, as well as fun stuff like arts and crafts, movie days or just a chat and a cuppa.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Getting to know the ladies, watching them grow and start believing in themselves. Every day is different, every lady is different, the job is hard and mentally draining as you work on an emotional level. Sometimes, it can be difficult and challenging, but the journey is rewarding watching an individual start to believe in themselves is the best.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Honest – Wacky – Empathetic
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
June 2015
What was your background before joining DASH?
I was working in Asda.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
My mam was working for DASH and I wanted a total change. I had been a care assistant and I thought I would enjoy it.
What does your role include?
Making sure the building is safe through the night and also making sure the residents are safe and their personal safety needs are met.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
The staff and when the residents make a difference in their own lives and move on to their own places.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Happy, enthusiastic and gorgeous 😊
When did you join DASH?
I Joined DASH in October 22’
What was your background before joining DASH?
Before coming to DASH I was working in a young persons unit as a lifestyle Manager
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I am passionate about preventing homelessness and believe in what DASH is trying to accomplish.
What does your role include?
I support those who do not have a permanent place to call home into sustainable tenancies where residents can feel safe and settled, along the way we build relationships and lasting life skills, so they are prepared for independent living.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
The best thing about working for DASH is the buzz you get when those you support are taking on you say and positively move on to assured tenancies.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Balanced, Calm, Empathetic
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
May 2021
What was your background before joining DASH?
I worked in hospitality.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
The opportunity of helping vulnerable, homeless people change their lives.
What does your role include?
Supporting residents around ‘moving on’ housing and building on their own tenancy. I sign post residence into services if the need help.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Seeing residents move on and gain their own tenancy and knowing I played a part in it.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Bubbly, determined and easy going
When did you join DASH?
I joined DASH in October 2022
What was your background before joining DASH?
Before working for DASH I mostly worked full time as a care assistant in a nursing home and within the community, caring for the elderly and disabled in their own homes.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
After working in care for about four years since leaving college, I decided it was time for a change and started looking for work in a different field. An application for DASH popped up on Indeed and I was immediately interested. I was drawn to the idea of working with a small team in an office based role, helping support people coming from various complex backgrounds to rebuild their lives and reach the point of finding their own home.
What does your role include?
My role is based at DASH’s vulnerable women’s project, a block of six, two bedroom flats in one building. My main responsibilities are to work with residents in a person centred way and help them get to a point of applying for and accepting their own tenancy outside of supported housing.
My role requires me to turn over each flat when residents leave and before they arrive. I help residents to apply for benefits, mainly housing benefit, set up payment plans for those with previous debt, to create applications for housing associations and private tenancies, advise residents on and with cleaning, service charge payments, forms, goals, budgeting, support, planning, reminders and any other steps they want or needs to take in regard to housing.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
The best thing of all is seeing the steps the women take to turn their lives around for the better, seeing them starting to enjoy their lives healthily and eventually move on to a place they can truly call home.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Intuitive, empathetic, honest.
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
August 2015
What was your background before joining DASH?
I trained as a teacher, I then raised my family and I have also worked at McDonalds
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
Trying to make a difference to vulnerable women’s chaotic lives.
What does your role include?
Supporting women with paper work, help them to go to appointments eg, G.P’s, treatment centres, a listening ear, basic cookery, art and crafts
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Every day is different
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Approachable, loveable and fabulous
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
September 2004
What was your background before joining DASH?
Assistant Manager in retail outlet. 2nd fix Joiner at Haslem Homes. Support Worker at Allied Healthcare.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I wanted to be part of the team helping homeless people, as I had been homeless myself.
What does your role include?
Basically, making sure staff have the technology to assist them in their roles. Maintaining the DASH website. Reporting to our funders.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Working with a great team who are very supportive.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Friendly – Sincere – Honest
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
September 2021
What was your background before joining DASH?
I worked in a PRU which helped educate students who couldn’t access mainstream education due to barriers such as behaviour, mental health etc.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I wanted to help people and guide vulnerable people in the right direction.
What does your role include?
Helping residents with paying their rent, helping with benefits such as universal credit, medical appointments, making sure the flats are looked after and help the residents manage their property.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
The staff, we all get on and everyone is friendly.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Bubbly, outgoing and caring
When did you join DASH?
13/06/23
What was your background before joining DASH?
Hospitality and the civil service.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
To empower others to lead fulfilling lives.
What does your role include?
To ensure ladies and the building are safe and accounted for during the night and weekends.
To seek assistance from emergency services, if necessary
To log any pertinent information on Internal computer system (Inform).
To keep communal areas clean and tidy.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
I feel I’m ‘giving back’ to vulnerable members of society, to rebuild their lives.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Honest, hardworking, perceptive.
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
October 2017
What was your background before joining DASH?
I was a lunch time assistant and cleaner at my kids primary school.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
I wanted to do something different, I wanted to help people who had been through a bad time and see people come through the other side.
What does your role include?
Supporting people to live independently, I help them with managing their money. I sign post residents to services that they may need like alcohol, drug and financial services.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
Seeing a positive effect from the work DASH does to support people and personally seeing them move on to being more independent, its great!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Fair, positive and professional
Gareth’s vision quote:
“If I could ask for anything for DASH it would be for our stakeholders, agencies and anyone interested in the charity to ask us questions. Come to us, read into what we do, what we offer, our history and our mission, look to understand who we are and what we are about. We’ve spent a lot of time over the last few years bettering relationships and working on our image to make ourselves wider known and understood. The last thing I want for our charity is for those efforts to be overshadowed by any misconceptions about who DASH is. We are here to have those conversations and always available to answer any questions. Our biggest aim as a collective is to influence and support change in the right direction. We’ve been doing so well over recent years in doing exactly that and I want nothing more than for us to move forward with the same ambition.”
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I’m Gareth the current Health, Safety & Housing Management officer at DASH. I started here as a volunteer over 8 years ago after being out of work for some time. I gained my true appreciation for the charity when I started getting involved with the Vulnerable Women’s Project (VWP) back in 2015. At the time I was placed on a 3-month contract but this was extended and I found myself working at the VWP for just over 3 years. I got to see first-hand the affect these women’s past had had on them, women in critical situations that needed us at DASH for support, and from that I was able to build the skills and experience that was essential for helping reshape their futures.
After my time working at the VWP, the role of Health and Safety Housing Management Officer became available. The level of personal growth I attained during those previous years was something I wanted to take further and so DASH put me through the courses necessary in fulfilling the position and I’ve been here ever since. My current role allows me to help Dash in a variety of ways. Managing our tenancies portfolio, decorating, small repairs, ensuring our buildings meet safety regulations, all the whilst still being able to maintain the relationships and support with the women and other DASH residents we house. I can truly say this gives me such an incredible amount of job satisfaction and happiness in what I do. My time at DASH has always been so rewarding but that’s not to say I haven’t faced any challenges. We’ve had so many accomplishments over the years I’ve been here, we became a registered provider of social housing, we converted our office building from the public house it once was, all those achievements came at the cost of a lot of long hours and days spent chasing and liaising with external agencies. From meetings, addressing concerns from locals to follow ups with utility companies. I’ve been with DASH through it all. It can often feel demanding and fast paced some days, but that’s exactly what keeps me on my toes and is what I enjoy the most.
Our staff are just fantastic, the help of our volunteers, the office environment. DASH is ingrained in my character in so many positive ways and I’m so proud of where the charity is and how far we’ve come over the years.
Staff Questions
When did you join DASH?
September 2014
What was your background before joining DASH?
I worked in hospitality, mainly pub’s and bed and breakfasts.
What appealed to you about working for DASH?
It’s a small and local based charity that has been helping people for 50 years.
What does your role include?
Overseeing all aspects of Health and Safety and property maintenance.
What is the best thing about working for DASH?
The best thing is when someone improves their life and moves on, it gives you a buzz!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Open minded, patient and considerate
