100 Derby Road Foyer in Long Eaton is part of Tuntum Housing Association, which also own and manage Karibu Foyer in Nottingham.
100 Derby Road caters for nine young people at a time and has modern facilities, which include furnished bedrooms, 24 hour staff cover and CCTV, IT suite, free internet access, and self-catering facilities. The Foyer also offers training facilities and the Learning Power Award, an in-house skills programme developed by the Foyer Federation resulting in a City and Guilds qualification. The Foyer aims to foster progress in training, education and employment rather that focusing mainly on service users' short-term accommodation needs.
The Foyer's approach is holistic, and they carry out a comprehensive needs assessment at the outset and put together a support plan for each young person. This is reviewed regularly to ensure it is still appropriate and that progress is being made.
On 15 November, 100 Derby Road Foyer will launch its new social enterprise at Nottingham Castle in conjunction with the Foyer Federation and Beyond Boyle, a catering company. The aim is to establish a 'Transitions Centre,' which will develop and support the Foyer as a transformational service that supports the life transitions of disadvantaged young people. The purpose of partnering with Beyond Boyle is to ensure that the Centre becomes financially viable at the same time as offering work and training opportunities for young people in the Foyer and surrounding area. Fully equipped kitchen facilities have been installed in the Foyer, where local businesses can request a meeting space with catering included.
The Foyer Federation recently received funding from Futurebuilders to develop a Transitions approach, improving statutory and voluntary sector services for vulnerable young people and stretching the Foyer model beyond bricks and mortar toward becoming community hubs. With the launch of the first Transitions Centre at 100 Derby Road Foyer, the Foyer Federation will continue to expand its services for young people and be at the forefront of innovation.
Foyer in Focus is contributed by the Foyer Federation. For further information contact Louise Meincke, Policy and Communications Officer: louise@foyer.net; tel. 020 7430 2212.
For more information about Beyond Boyle please go to beyondboyle.com.