SIFA Fireside works alongside those who are socially excluded or disadvantaged, addressing alcohol issues and homelessness and empowering and supporting people to meet their short and long term goals.
Due to increased pressure on our services combined with a reduction in funding and (as a consequence) staffing we have made the decision to restructure our Monday to Friday ‘drop in’ sessions. From Tuesday May 8th we will provide one ‘drop in’ session from 9 to 11 a.m with breakfast available between 9.30 and 10.30 a.m. All our existing core facilities will be available between these times and provision at Allcock St by our partners, for example nursing and podiatry surgeries and Crisis Skylight activities, will be unaffected. Our weekend provision will also remain unchanged so we will continue to provide a seven day a week open access service.
SIFA Fireside team up with Open Cinema
Adult Learners' Week at SIFA Fireside
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Our partner social enterprise
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Check out our NEW social enterprise Forgotten Vintage! Birminghams first retro charity shop! |
The scale of homelessness
Statutory Homelessness: October - December Quarter 2011, England
The latest National Statistics on Statutory Homelessness for October to December 2011, England, were released on 8 March 2012, under arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority. The key points from the latest release are:
- 12,830 applicants were accepted as owed a main homelessness duty between 1 October and 31 December 2011, 18 per cent higher than during the same quarter of 2010.
- On a seasonally-adjusted basis, there were 13,160 acceptances, an increase of 9 per cent from 12,060 in the previous quarter.
There were 48,510 acceptances in the 2011 calendar year, up 14 per cent from 42,390 acceptances in 2010.
These figures don’t include the increasing numbers of single homeless people who aren’t owed a statutory duty by Local Authorities and are at risk of ending up on the streets or in squats without the intervention of charities like SIFA Fireside
How we can help
We offer a free and confidential service to anyone affected by alcohol problems or homelessness. We empower people
to meet their short and long term goals improving their physical, social and mental wellbeing. We do this through practical support,
including daily drop-ins, a specialist alcohol support service which
includes a designated outreach team and a complementary therapist,
mental health support, a housing advice and resettlement service,
well being and activity
groups and an employment and training programme.
Please visit our 'Services' page for more information.
Accessing our services
The first point of access to our services is often through our daily 'drop in' sessions in Birmingham City Centre where people can self refer for immediate practical help, but we also take referrals by phone from individuals. Third party professionals must fill in and fax or email back a referral form.
Advice and training
We provide advice for professionals, carers and family members, run Alcohol Education training days for other organisations, and offer placements to trainee police officers and social workers. We also hire out our training room to other organisations.
Promoting health and inclusion
SIFA Fireside works in partnership with other providers, such as the Homeless Nurses Team, the Homeless Mental Health Team, City College and Birmingham Voluntary Services Council, to tackle health inequalities and to ensure opportunities for volunteering, training and employment.
We need your support!
Your financial help enables us to support even more people into settled accommodation, work and training. We also welcome donations of food and clothing. Give your time as a volunteer with SIFA Fireside and make a difference to a huge number of lives, including your own.
