On behalf of Ixion (an arm of the Shaw Trust) we deliver specialist housing advice, debt advice and gambling support services to people in prison or managed on community supervision in probation offices.
The aim of this service is to offer effective support for people with convictions who are hard to reach, difficult to engage and part of the criminal justice system. We help them to reintegrate into the community and learn skills that will help to reduce reoffending.
Partnership
The Services
These services provide the continuity of through the gate support – for people released from prison we are able to continue with them in the community and help them achieve positive outcomes in their lives.
Our specialist debt advice service operates in prisons and probation offices across the West Midlands working in all areas of debt and insolvency. We also tackle issues related to legal aid cover, HMRC fines and appeals, and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCAs) where people with convictions have real difficulty accessing public funding to support debt management. This can become a vicious circle which is hard to break without the kind of specialist support we provide.
Debts Resolved
We have seen great outcomes from our debt service where the majority of clients supported by debt workers are able to get their debts resolved and secure solutions in what can be very complex cases.
We also offer a service for long term sentenced prisoners across the South East, working with this client group from 6 months-2 years. We support them in the process of adjusting to life in the community after long periods of incarceration where they may have become institutionalised. We work to secure housing for prison-leavers on their release, working with local authorities and other housing providers across the country.
Our gambling service focuses on supporting people with convictions to gain greater understanding about their gambling behaviour. Using various therapeutic models we help clients so they can be ready to access mainstream specialist gambling support services on release from prison.
Housing Secured on Release
Results for our long term sentence service shows a high number of people housed on release from prison, and a sizeable number going into long-term tenancies.