Photo: Hormoz Ahmadzadeh, Paul Dennett, Alsion Burnett, Jane Cordell

We reported last month about two significant planned meetings which have now taken place. These were with individuals whose values strongly match ours. It was therefore no surprise that we had two excellent meeting experiences.

The first one was with Mike Wright who is the Strategic Lead for Homelessness for Manchester City Council, reporting directly to Andy Burnham. There has been much talk about Andy’s commitment to fighting homelessness and no better proof of that than by the fact that he gives 15% of his salary to a Mayor’s Fund. This fund was created to support projects which solely help meet the ambitious targets which have been set to reduce homelessness in Greater Manchester.

The discussion was open and flowing with a real appreciation of what an offering like coaching can bring to particular individuals who are ready to reconnect back into society. The conversation led on to identifying particular groups Result CIC might work with to support people in danger of becoming homeless. One was The Boaz Trust who work with refugees, with whom we had previously had a meeting. We talked about a partnership approach with them to help with refugees’ paths towards employment and personal fulfilment in their new land. As a result we will be applying for funding for this project from The Mayor's Fund.

With Mike we also considered the bigger picture of how to create a circle of support with other suppliers so that individuals receive the best combination of services to achieve their personal goals and wishes.

Mike also commented on the good work that Paul Dennett, Salford Mayor and Portfolio holder for Housing and Homelessness (amongst his other responsibilities) does.

This leads nicely to the next meeting.

The second meeting was with the Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett, who is half way through his term, and the highly experienced Alison Burnett, Head of Skills and Work Integrated Commissioning Unit.

They were both keen to find out more about the work we have done so far. We talked about personal stories from so many people and how to encapsulate them so that they are heard! Watch this space...

Paul offered to kindly make introductions for us to some Salford based businesses and Alison offered introductions into local networks of businesses who focus on opportunities within Salford.

There was also further discussion to include the Equalities team within the council and at University of Salford.

Both meetings felt like the beginnings of much more to follow and we would like to thank all 3 for the warmth and insight showed during the meetings.