YMCA HUMBER

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Background and Context
3 Our Values
4 Vision and Mission
- 5.1 Accommodation
- 5.2 Training and Education
- 5.3 Health and Well-being
- 5.4 Family Work/Youth and Community Work
- 5.5 Support and Advice
6 Future Plans and Developments
- 6.1 Accommodation
- 6.2 Training and Education
- 6.3 Health and Well-being
- 6.4 Family Work/Youth and Community Work
7 Our Support Services

 

Introduction

The YMCA Humber strategic plan 2019-2021 has been produced to reflect the transformational journey that the organisation needs to commence.

During this 3-year period it is essential that we move out of our current Peaks Lane hostel and develop a broader range of accommodation which addresses local need and provides a journey of supported accommodation from leaving care to independent living.

We currently deliver excellent mental health support for young people (18-35) through our At One project but the need for this type of service is great and we need to mainstream this service, making it a core service at the YMCA, rather than a project.  We also need to further develop this service to meet the needs of younger people (16-18).

Unlocking the potential of young people is at the heart if what we do.  We therefore need to expand our current Training & Education provision, building and developing relationships with local employers.  We need to grow our Youth Work and our potential to offer support to families.

The key to developing our enhanced, new vision is our team.  We will therefore develop and deliver a new ‘People Strategy’, showing how we will better support, train and develop our staff to deliver excellent services.  This level of support should also be extended to our network of volunteers.

Furthermore, in order to grow all of our services we will need to develop a new Income Generation Strategy.  This Strategy will demonstrate how we grow our income through fundraising, corporate support and grants.

The YMCA wants to regain its place at the heart of North-East Lincolnshire, and further develop its services across the Humber Region.  Our work will effectively contribute towards creating a place where people can flourish, where young people belong, contribute and thrive.  Our marketing and communication services will be further developed to ensure that the value of our work is better understood.

 

Background and Context

YMCA Humber is a youth charity, currently supporting young people and communities in and around North-East Lincolnshire, with plans to develop our services across the Humber Region.

YMCA Humber is a registered housing provider, providing supported accommodation for over 300 people each year.

Our core services are supported accommodation, supporting young people into education, employment or training.  We provide low level mental health support for young people and a range of youth clubs and community activities.

 

Our Values

The way we act at YMCA Humber is characterised by five strong and distinctive values that flow from our Christian ethos.

• We seek out

We actively look out for opportunities to make a transformative impact on young lives in the communities where we work, and believe every person is of equal value.

• We welcome

We offer people the space they need to feel secure, respected, heard and valued; and we always protect, trust, hope and preserve.

• We Inspire

We strive to inspire each person we meet to nurture their body, mind and spirit, and to realise their full potential in all they do.

• We speak out

We stand up for young people, speak out on issues that affect their lives, and help them to find confidence in their own voice.

• We serve others

We are committed to the wellbeing of the communities we serve and believe in the positive benefit of participation, locally and in the wider world.

 

Vision and Mission

Accommodation: Our vision is to create accommodation where residents feel like they belong and are part of a community.  Once a member of the YMCA Humber family, always a member of the YMCA Humber family.
Training and Education: Our vision is that every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.  Providing training and education in a safe, supportive environment, our tutors will be highly skilled and passionate about supporting young people with the ultimate goal of re-connecting them with mainstream learning, employment or social enterprise opportunities.
Health and Well-being: Our vision is that everyone should enjoy the benefits of good health and well-being. We will support people to improve their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  We will create an environment that allows people to talk about their mental health in the knowledge that they will receive the right support in an environment which suits their needs, allowing them to take positive steps to improve their mental health and well-being.
Family Work/Youth and Community Work: Our vision is that young people and their families should have the support they need to develop and lead more fulfilling lives.  We will create spaces and opportunities for young people to develop trusting relationships and gain the tools that enable them to make informed choices and influence the decisions that impact on their lives.
Support and Advice: Our vision is that everyone who connects with us through any of our services will have someone they can trust.  Our staff will be committed to supporting their individual needs, helping them achieve their goals.  Our advice and support services are fully integrated across our organisation.

 

Accommodation – Vision Statement

Our accommodation will be designed around the needs of our residents and the local area.  Our buildings will be engaging spaces, embracing all our services and creating a positive environment for our customers and community.  Our buildings will aim to embrace the concept of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) wherever possible.

We will know we are successful when:

• Our accommodation reflects our aspirations.
• We provide a broader range of contemporary accommodation which allows our residents to move-on through that range of accommodation depending on their level of need.
• We become the accommodation provider of choice for people aged 16-35 across the Humber Region for whom the family home is no longer a safe or otherwise viable option.
• We further develop an individual’s pathway to achieve sustainable tenancies and reach their potential.
• We expand our property portfolio in response to the need, beyond the areas of Cleethorpes and Grimsby and across the Humber Region.
• We have a better understanding of our void accommodation and we address the issues, wherever possible meeting the aspirations of our residents.

 

 

Training and Education – Vision Statement

Our training and education will focus on meeting the needs of people aged 16-35 not suited to mainstream education but with a view to re-connecting these people with learning or employment.

We will know we are successful when:

• We enable the growth of current programmes to provide a bespoke suite of qualifications to enable learners to be successful.
• We secure a good Ofsted accreditation.
• We work closely with local employers to create opportunities.
• We achieve Matrix accreditation.
• We promote career advice and guidance in line with the Government’s Gatsby benchmarking.
• We provide vocational and non-vocational qualifications to enable learners to move into the local workforce.

 

 

Health and Well-being – Vision Statement

We will provide a holistic approach in the promotion and practical support for people to improve their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  We will actively encourage low level mental health interventions to become integrated into our overall provision.

We will know we are successful when:

• We are delivering quality early intervention mental health support to students in secondary schools aged 16-18.
• We and our partners are clearly working together in supporting people to live healthier lives.
• We have a fit for purpose mental health strategy in place that recognises local and national aspirations.
• Local churches are actively engaged with the work of the YMCA Humber.
• We understand the gap in sports provision for young people in our area and we work with partners to meet the need where financially possible.

 

 

Family Work/Youth and Community Work – Vision Statement

Our youth club provision will continue, and we will create a youth club infrastructure to support voluntary sector youth work provision.  Our youth clubs will provide opportunities for all young people from a variety of backgrounds.

We will know we are successful when:

• We are an ‘enabling partner’ supporting the local voluntary sector to meet the needs for youth activity in our area.
• We will have sustainable projects that provide consistent support.
• We have developed our own workforce to better-support our youth club provision. We have created more opportunities for our workforce and others to volunteer at our youth clubs.
• We have grown our provision, creating open-access youth provision and youth provision in rural communities.
• Our projects will be places that promote inclusion so that our activities are attended by a diverse range of young people and young people supported by YMCA Humber feel more included in both their home and school communities.

 

 

Support and Advice – Vision Statement

All our services will provide young people with relevant and impartial information and advice.  We will ensure that we maintain effective partnership relationships with other service providers so we can refer young people to specialist services where we are not best placed to help.  We will promote freedom of choice so that young people make informed decisions about what support is best for them.

We will know we are successful when:

• We can articulate our support offer and everyone is clear about the way we work.
• We have achieved Matrix accreditation.
• We can evidence person-centred planning throughout our services.
• We can evidence that our support is making a positive impact via the successful implementation of our Core Strengths Framework.
• We are seen as a key partner within local provider networks.
• Young people express confidence in the support they receive from YMCA Humber.

 

 

Future Plans and Developments

 

Accommodation 3 year plan

2019	2020	2021
We will agree what our alternative to our Peaks Lane hostel will be and take action to commence the implementation of that model. We will develop accommodation and a support model for Care Leavers in Grimsby and Cleethorpes. We will explore potential need for YMCA accommodation services in either Hull or North Lincolnshire.	We will develop a young women’s accommodation, based on the broad model of our current Community House. We will seek to develop accommodation, based on potential need in either Hull or North Lincolnshire. Our Care Leavers’ accommodation will be up and running. Building work will be well underway on our alternative accommodation to our Peaks Lane hostel.	We will move out of our Peaks Lane hostel into new, purpose-built accommodation. We will re-purpose The Foyer to accommodate those residents whose needs are more complex. We have developed accommodation in either Hull or North Lincolnshire should it have been evidenced in 2019/2020 that the need exists. We will maximise opportunities to further develop our services to support local need when the Housing Related Support (HRS) contract is re-commissioned.

 

 

Training and Education 3 year plan

2019	2020	2021
We continue to develop our environmental & horticulture training opportunities. We deliver our contract of learning in association with the Humber Learning Consortium. We expand the training provision we offer to our residents. We will investigate alternative funding opportunities	We will develop an accreditation for our key working support service. We gain Ofsted  ‘Good’ accreditation. We start to develop relationships with local companies with a view to seeking a partnership and employment opportunities for our customers. We become an external training provider. We develop specific training facilities based around catering and customer service skills.	We seek to develop a wider range of vocational qualifications

 

 

Health and Well-being 3 year plan

(Mind, Body & Spirit)

2019	2020	2021
Mental Health Strategy to be in place for YMCA Humber, showing how we will grow our provision and better integrate this provision within our other services. We develop products to actively market our At One provision. We further develop our relationships with commissioners with a view to increasing their understanding of our services.  We understand and are able to measure our impact. Local churches are approached and provided with promotional materials, asking them to pray for the work of the YMCA in the area. Updates are sent to the key church relationship for circulation among prayer supporters.	Develop a programme of support to expand our work into secondary schools. We actively tender to provide low-level mental health support to young people in our area. We understand the YMCA’s role in providing sport and recreational facilities and activities for the area of North East Lincolnshire. Regular correspondence is continued with the churches.  Key relationships who have demonstrated a good level of communication with the YMCA are approached and asked what more we can do to engage people in their churches with the work of the YMCA, with particular view to gaining invitations to speak to groups or church meetings.  Two events will be held at Peaks Lane/Foyer or elsewhere with a particular view to engaging churches in the work of the YMCA.	Regular correspondence is continued, and key relationships are approached with a view to identifying opportunities for further engagement.  Key relationships who have been identified as particularly warm are approached and asked to become YMCA reps for their church, network or circuit.  More marketing material is produced for them, to encourage not just prayer support but also practical, with a range of opportunities for them to engage, including:(a)  Work parties (b) fundraising and (c) hosting.

 

 

Family Work/Youth & Community Work 3 year plan

2019	2020	2021
Secure funding for our current youth club provision, beyond 2020. Create a youth club infrastructure to support voluntary sector youth work provision. Develop an ambitious vision for our youth and family support work. Develop a ‘youth work brand’ allowing us to fundraise successfully for our youth club provision.	Expand our youth club provision, creating open-access youth work opportunities and provision in rural communities. Take steps to further realise an ambitious vision for our youth and family support work.	Family support service further developed.

 

 

Our Support Services

Key to the successful delivery of this Strategy is our people. We will ensure that all staff have an understanding of this Strategic Plan and what their role is in its delivery.  We will endeavour for every member of our team to own this Plan and the outcomes we need to achieve.  Our People Strategy outlines how we plan to better support, train and develop our staff to deliver excellent services.

Having efficient and Effective support services will be essential to realise the successful delivery of this Strategic Plan.  These services will need to flex and adapt to the changing nature of the work of YMCA Humber.

Essential to the delivery of this Plan will be our effectiveness in securing external funding to deliver our services.  Our Income Generation Strategy for 2019-2021 aims to diversify and develop our income streams.  We will also need to strengthen our ability to secure external grants from a broader range of funders.  We plan to open a retail/café facility during the life of this Strategic Plan to boost our income and give work experience opportunities to our residents.

Understanding the impact we have will furthermore be essential to us improving our offer and our services to reflect the needs of our customers.  Therefore, during the life of this Strategic Plan we will take the time to develop measures to allow us to better understand the impact we have and demonstrate this to our funders and our supporters accordingly.

During the period of this Strategic Plan we will: –

• Review and update our website.
• Review and update all of our communications, both internally and externally with a view to improving our reputation.
• Constantly seek to develop and continue better relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Keep under review and take action where necessary to ensure compliance with General Data Protection Regulations.
• Review our Governance arrangements.