Kent & Medway Community of Practice: From Gate to Front Door…Supporting people on Release from Prison

Homeless Link Communities of Practice are designed to bring together people working in homelessness and related fields within local areas. The aim is to create a safe and informal space in which attendees can share knowledge and good practice, discuss local issues and explore how best to collaboratively overcome them.

For this session we will focus on how we support people as they exit the prison system. This will be an opportunity to share information on:

• What resources and support is available in Kent & Medway
• What has worked for you and your team
• What the gaps in local provision are
• Identify ways we can collaborate to create better outcomes for the people we support.  

To assist us with this we will have Kelly Napier from Campaign Kent CIC talking about the launch of their new service Break The Cycle. In 2016 Kelly started a campaign to address the issue of prison release to street homelessness. Campaign Kent CIC was formed in 2018. 

   ‘After a five year campaign #BreakTheCycle will soon be taking in prison leavers and accommodating in a house donated by the Diocese of Canterbury. The project is being developed using a person centred approach and a community embracing model to build self-worth and confidence prior to the guests moving on to long term accommodation. ‘

Kelly and her team are keen to connect widely with the sector and create opportunities for lasting recovery for the people they support.

We will also have a speaker from the National Probation Service talking about the new Strategy and Partnerships  which is shaping up and promises to transform the available support for people upon release from prison.