DRUGS - BREAKDOWN, HOMELESSNESS - OFFENDING - ALIENATION

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF OFFENDING

Prisons have been described as an expensive way of making bad people worse, and sadly once in the system it is easy to become trapped in a revolving door of re-offending. Adullam creates options for those who are seeking to survive in society without being drawn back into crime.

Ex-offenders have a particularly difficult problem when they leave prison, and perhaps no problem is greater than trying to find a home. When they leave prison many fear that, because of their past, they will be greeted with yet another closed door. But at Adullam the reality is different.

"My life without Adullam would have been terrible."

"The staff at Adullam have been great to me; if I've had any trouble, they have always been there to help."

"To be turned out the prison gates with no home and no prospects is very daunting. Fortunately Adullam came along and picked up the pieces."

It is small wonder that professionals confidently encourage clients to use Adullam's many services.

"Adullam has always stood out as being one of the best resources available in terms of accommodation for ex-offenders or people with special needs. The level of care that's offered and the quality of the properties certainly seems to be higher than the standard that some are able to offer. But I think the most important feature of Adullam is the opportunity for people to live in a more normal, natural setting and not an institutionalised environment that one would get from a big hostel."

"Adullam has a very strong ethos about how it works with people. It demonstrates a level of commitment and caring that is of a very high standard. Adullam offers respect and dignity to people and does not shy away from people's problems. The shared housing scheme is the closest to real Life that can be offered to many people." (Phil Albutt, Probation Officer, West Midlands)

Accommodation, care and the future

Referral meetings are held between Adullam and Probation staff to decide on the most effective help that can be offered to an applicant. In Adullam's South region for example there is a Fastrac system for those who are in urgent need. A person can be identified on the street, interviewed and provided with accommodation within hours.

Adullam strives to offer a responsive and individual service to those who come to us with the main point of contact in the form of a project worker.

Housing is vitally important, but there is the future to consider. Adullam provides people with the opportunity to study for qualifications by advising them on appropriate local colleges.

"I've been to college and completed an NVQ levels I & 2 in Information Technology. I am also intending to go back to college to complete another course."

Adullam does not always succeed, but it is achieving a great deal in the provision of housing and also the wider aspects of life. Adullam gives hope to those involved in the criminal justice system as they seek to create new options for the future.

"In the past my life consisted of going out, fighting, drinking and doing drugs. But now I'm able to live without those things, I can live independently."

"My family, now that I have changed, seem much happier with me, and are closer. I don't want to spoil all that. I am also much happier with myself."