Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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CSTM 2.0

May 22 2009
Sue: It's all lovely Sue: It's all lovely
It‘s undergone a major refurbishment, but what‘s it like at the new St Martin‘s? ...Perhaps there is more work yet to be done in the way of painting and decorating? The showers offer water in a very suitable manner, the initial scalding temperatures having been corrected, while the chrome furnishings and shower doors seem designed for a private home, rather than the heavy use this long-term facility seems destined to fulfill - they are already breaking down! Has The Pavement visited the new facility yet? Please offer us an inside report! The doors to the entirely regenerated the Connection at St Martins (CSTM) have opened a few months behind schedule, but staff, volunteers and the majority of users seem impressed with the end result. There have, of course, been some "teething problems" as highlighted in the letter received by The Pavement (above) - fluctuating water temperature which users have described as "scalding", broken shower doors and blocked toilets. There is also a sense that the job could still be slightly unfinished. After 18 months of being rebuilt, and one month into the official re-opening, the Connection doesn't yet feel complete. "There have been various snagging problems," acknowledges deputy day manager Toby Holliday. "But it's like any new building. We see 150 people at least a day, so, yes, the toilets have been blocked, but we are addressing that issue, and the others, like the showers." The builders are still on site to fix the "snaggles", like the broken shower doors and the water temperature. There is also a maintenance worker and building manager to deal with ongoing problems like blocked toilets. And despite these minor annoyances, Holliday says the general response is one of approval. "There's much more space," he says. "It's generally speaking the same service, only much better." CSTM is open every day, with a subsidised volunteer-staffed canteen serving roughly 240 meals a day across two shifts, with a large dining room decorated with art works. As well as an improved laundry service - three heavy-duty washing machines and three dryers - a medical team is expected to be on-hand five days a week from September, once their rooms are ready. According to CSTM, the refurbishment project, which took place as part of the ¬¨¬£36m St Martin's-in-the-Field renewal project, was funded by "a combination of government grants and support from trusts, foundations, companies, community groups and individuals". The Department of Communities and Local Government donated some ¬¨¬£3m through its Hostels Capital Improvement Programme, which aims to promote engagement and change. "It's the best," says Sue, who has been coming to CSTM for a number of years, although she is now no longer street homeless. "So much better than the old place. The services, the people, the furniture - it's all lovely. You can have a laugh with the staff and you can't do that everywhere." CSTM's chief executive Colin Glover is also highly optimistic about the new building's potential. "We are really proud that we have been able to continue running our services for homeless people whilst our organisation has itself, effectively, been homeless," he says. "We can now deliver first-class services from an inspiring building that is a place of change, providing safety and opportunity for some of London's most vulnerable homeless people." The new space, he adds, will allow the charity to help rebuild people's "confidence and self-esteem, and really help them to develop the skills and attitude to live independently." To that end, CSTM has invested heavily in providing classes that offer a confidence boost as well as practical tips. The six computers in the activities room you first enter the building are a supplement to the dedicated IT room where people can take courses to build towards the computer qualification CLAiT (Computer Literacy And Information Technology), learn how to write a top-notch CV, or just surf the web. There is also careers advice, regular AA meetings, English language classes and the competition- winning chess team (see The Pavement issue 30). But the most popular class is art - the centre runs six courses a week, and they are usually over-subscribed. As well art works adorning the walls around the centre, a judging panel selects 30-40 pieces for an exhibition in association with the Serpentine Gallery. Teething problems are an inevitable part of a project as ambitious as this one. Let's just hope the builders stay around long enough to resolve them. As Maff Potts from the CLG says: "The new building is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about transforming homeless people's lives and raising their expectations." But if you raise those expectations, someone has to meet them.
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April – May 2024 : Compassion

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