2024 Shortlist | 999 Club
999 Club
Shortlist – Improving Impact: Charities with 4-30 paid staff
About the Charity
The 999 Club is a homeless charity in Southeast London, dedicated to supporting local people in crisis. Anchored in a welcoming environment, the charity fosters collaboration among staff, volunteers, partners, and service users. It focuses on facilitating individuals to secure and maintain a home as well as engaging in and maintaining meaningful activities, be it work or volunteering. The 999 Club empowers its members, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to escape homelessness for good. Members receive holistic support through activities such as housing assistance, employment guidance, benefit claims, and mental health support. In collaboration with partners, referral agencies, and sustainment partners, the charity supports members in their navigation of difficult bureaucratic systems to effect lasting change.
Charity number: 1091077 | 999Club.org
Social Services | England – London | 11-25 paid staff
What the Board Achieved
The 999 Club embarked on a transformative odyssey, redefining its approach to homelessness support and exponentially increasing its impact.
Over three years, the 999 Club underwent a profound metamorphosis, transitioning from a night shelter model to a welcoming day centre. This transformation led to a fivefold increase in individuals benefiting from its services, and expanding its reach among people from marginalised groups, women, and those with no recourse to public funds. By prioritising inclusivity and proactive support, the day centre has become a beacon of hope for those experiencing homelessness in its community.
The Government’s emergency response to the pandemic and the challenges that lockdown and social distancing imposed on night shelters and other support services was a catalyst for change at the 999 Club. The night shelter closed, and the board seized the opportunity to re-evaluate the charity’s strategy and approach to homelessness. The board conducted a skills audit, identifying critical gaps in expertise across the organisation that would prevent the charity from pursuing its evolutionary plans. This led to a targeted trustee recruitment process, bringing on board trustees with extensive knowledge in housing, homelessness, and social care. The board then recruited a new CEO, mandated with facilitating a process of change. Together, the CEO and trustees undertook participative and inclusive discussions with key stakeholders – such as volunteers and service users – to help inform the development of its new mission, vision and strategy. Combining this feedback with an independent review of local services and best practices in the sector, the board identified gaps in accessibility and trust in its existing services. This shaped the blueprint for the 999 Club’s new ambition to become a more accessible, welcoming day centre, trusted by community partners and its beneficiaries. Demonstrating their commitment, the board invested in creating new roles vital for implementing this model, holding the management team accountable for progress toward its realisation.
Quantitative data underscores the organisation’s remarkable impact. Over three years, the charity was able to support 935% more people into permanent housing, protect 1,015% more people from eviction, and assist 203% more people into employment, education, training or volunteering. A poignant anecdote exemplifies the personalised care provided by the 999 Club, highlighting its holistic approach to addressing complex needs. One service user initially approached the charity to access its shower facilities. Building rapport and creating a connection with him, the team were able to identify his struggle with mental health and referred him for specialist support, assist him with financial planning, and help him negotiate with his landlord to settle arrears and agree a sustainable payment plan. He avoided eviction and began to work with specialists to improve his mental health.
An external assessment by Goldsmiths University provides further evidence of the organisation’s improved impact and critical role in providing essential support during crises and expediting access to housing.The board has continued to monitor impact through quarterly reports, including data from surveys and the case work database. A client committee of individuals with lived experiences also meets quarterly to communicate feedback and make recommendations to the board. An annual away day for all trustees, staff, volunteers and members of the client committee facilitates collaborative problem solving, goal setting and strategic planning.
The board played a pivotal role in orchestrating the organisation’s transformation, leveraging expertise and strategic governance to drive change. Through targeted trustee recruitment and participative discussions with stakeholders, the board laid the groundwork for a new vision centered on inclusivity and community trust. Investment in staff training and collaboration with specialist agencies further enhanced the organisation’s capacity to deliver effective, sustainable services.
Through trustee recruitment, induction plans, and investment in staff well-being and training, the organisation fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Client participation in governance ensures that the organisation remains responsive to evolving needs, while regular reviews and feedback mechanisms enable agile decision-making and enhancement of services.
What the Board Achieved
The 999 Club’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of strategic vision, collaborative governance, and a commitment to learning and adaptation. The Judges were able to recognise the impressive pivot that the charity made in transforming the organisation from the inside out. They were impressed with the board’s ability to think strategically, setting ambitious goals whilst implementing carefully designed and well-researched plans for achieving their aims. The entry effectively demonstrated the board’s role in providing leadership and oversight to the process, clearly evidenced impact through impressive data points and illustrative anecdotes, and explained how trustees used data to inform their decision-making and how the board was continuing to monitor and benchmark progress to support ongoing improvement.
