Marah is proud to have made a difference in the lives of marginalised people. Our experience and knowledge gives us the confidence and drive to extend our support to more people in the community who are in need.
Provision of care and compassion
Marah’s success in our current service provision is driven by the commitment of all involved to improve and enrich the lives of all those who access our services. Volunteers, trustees and paid staff work together to ensure an effective delivery of service partnered with a non-judgemental approach. Their dedication is informed by Marah’s Christian ethos of care, compassion and acceptance of everyone who comes to us for assistance whatever their circumstances.
Provision of open access
The Drop-in service is an ‘open door’ which means that people can come and go as they please during opening times and there is no need for an appointment to join us for a meal or to ask for advice and support.
Assistance of broad group of guests
Alongside the ‘open-door’ policy is our willingness and ability to work with people with a wide range of support needs. Marah does not have any specific criteria for people to access our services and as a result we tailor our support accordingly, which means some guests will receive intensive long-term advice and support while others will dip in, as and when they need help. The broad range of issues that people present with has been detailed above.
Volunteer-led services
Volunteers are key to Marah Trust and the services we provide. Our volunteers have a variety of skills and experience and each one makes a unique contribution. By giving their time, skills and energy for free, they help foster a welcoming feeling of family and community that most of our clients do not have in their daily lives.
Advocacy support
Marah provides access to advocacy services at our weekday dropins provided by our partner P3. Marah provides our own additional advocacy support when needed e.g. a volunteer may accompany a guest to appointments and help them access other services. Our volunteer will also maintain regular contact with advocacy guests who are struggling to cope, which gives them the reassurance and confidence needed for them to resolve the issue.
Homelessness Prevention
For those with some form of accommodation, whether this is a private tenancy, bed and breakfast or council/housing association tenancy, access to our advocacy support assists in the maintenance of that accommodation. We have helped to resolve welfare benefits problems, such as housing benefit and rent arrears issues, including weekly top-up payments. This work is key to ensuring that people do not become homeless. It must also be noted that the relationships we build with our guests are instrumental in ensuring that people do not fall into a crisis situation that may result in them losing their home. They know they can talk to us regarding any concern and we can support them to resolve the issue.