Spotlight on...our Community Leader

I recently sat down with Jess to ask her some questions about her role as Changing Lives Charity's Community Leader. Here's what we chatted about...

To begin with, could you briefly summarize your role as Community Leader?
I manage Andrew House and lead the associated community of residents, staff and volunteers. I co-ordinate support programs for the residents, as well as providing emotional support, practical advice and spiritual guidance. I also build links and promote what we do with the local community.

What attracted you to this role initially?
I’ve lived in Clevedon for over 20 years and have always had a link with Andrew House. It is an important place for me as it is where my husband recovered from his addiction and where he developed his faith so when I saw the job advertised I really felt that God was calling me to apply for the position.

What does a typical day for you look like?
I start each day with prayer for the house and ask God to give me the strength to support the residents to the best of my ability.

Then at 9am we do a ‘check-in’ which is an opportunity for the residents to share how they are feeling and what their plans are for the day. This is an important activity as it informs me and the other guys how each of them is feeling, whilst helping to build and reinforce the ‘community spirit’ of the house. If some people are open and willing to share what’s on their mind, it encourages others to open up and helps them to not feel isolated or alone.

After check in, it’s group or 1-2-1 support work. Group work might focus on broader recovery topics, such as addiction-related issues or mental health and these activities might include creative writing, art therapy, cookery workshops or fitness training.

In the afternoons I will often continue to hold individual meetings with the guys, focusing on the goals that were set as part of their personalised action plan when they first moved in. Alternatively, our in-house counsellor Keith will often work with individuals giving them a chance to examine their past trauma and develop skills to help them heal.

Besides the 1-2-1’s there are plenty of other ‘administrative tasks’ for me to be getting on with including Health & Safety checks, liaising with volunteers, following up with referral agencies or liaising with Probation, the Job Centre, the local council, CAP (Christians Against Poverty) etc.

What can residents hope to get out of their time at Andrew House?
A safe place to live, support to deal with past traumas and the opportunity to learn new skills. We regard Andrew House as a place for healing and building relationships and trust with other people. We also hope that the guys will forge links with the wider community whilst they are with us, to help foster a sense of belonging and purpose and also to help them build their confidence. Through all of this we also hope that the residents will sense God’s care and love for them all as individuals.

What are the biggest challenges you face in your role?
Getting my head around the fact that there is so much need both within the house and out there in general, and so balancing this and working within the limits of what a small charity such as ours can do with its limited budget, resources and personnel can be challenging at times. The flipside is that there’s lots of opportunities to build links with other people, communities and organisations that can also provide support, but this takes time so there are limits to the progress that can be made.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?
The privilege of getting to be a part of somebody’s journey and witnessing God working in their lives, whether they ‘know’ Him or not. It’s a huge honour for people to put their trust in us and to share their lives and experiences with us.

Why do you feel Andrew House is such a vital service?
We are offering something that isn’t available anywhere else in North Somerset. People can access support for rehab, or are signposted to other services but beyond this support can be limited, so we are trying to plug that gap because we know people need longer to build a strong foundation for recovery and not get stuck in the revolving door of addiction, relapse, prison etc. Additionally, as a resident mentioned in group work the other day, there are places that will support you with your addiction or your mental health but not both at the same time. We do our best to focus on both.