It is never easy for ex-offenders to gain a foothold in society and become members of the community, but one multi-agency scheme in Middlesbrough is trying to put them on the right road by teaching them basic life skills. Natalie Valios looks at the 12-week supported housing programme.

Offenders on probation can sometimes end up back in prison not because they have deliberately breached their probation conditions, but because they haven't been able to read the letter telling them what to do.

The purpose of a multi-agency scheme in Middlesbrough is to teach ex-offenders all the basic life skills - including reading and writing if required - that they need to become socially included in the community.

The Building a Better Future scheme is run by Project 404 for men over the age of 18 who have a history of offending, addictive behaviour and/or a housing need.

It was devised several years ago to address the problem of ex-offenders accessing mainstream housing in the area. The intention was to offer a service to people who wanted to change and make a difference in their lives, but whose background gave them little scope to do so, says Project 404 manager Jackie Stockley.

Ex-offenders are never going to be top of a housing provider's list of ideal tenants, and with their background a mainstream tenancy would not normally be available. The Building a Better Future scheme is about giving ex-offenders the chance to prove they deserve the opportunity to be included in the community again.

The 16-bed supported housing scheme provides clients with a 12-week residential programme to support them in changing their way of life and help them address any financial or addiction problems.

Referrals come mainly from the probation or prison service, although individuals can also self-refer. An admissions panel studies each client's details before any decision is made to accept them. If they aren't accepted there are other supported housing projects and services in the locality that they can turn to. If it is felt that the scheme is not working out for an individual once they have started on it, staff support them to move onto the books of one of the other housing providers in the area.

Schedule 1 offenders and anyone with a drug-dealing conviction are automatically excluded from the programme.

It is imperative that clients have made a positive decision to alter their lifestyle, says Stockley. "They have to address issues surrounding any addictive behaviour. If they are an offender they are required not to reoffend while on the scheme. If they have any former arrears with previous tenancies we expect them to sort that out as well. This is because the scheme is about the future, so they have to lay their past to rest."

If a resident does reoffend while undergoing the 12-week programme, they are asked to leave. It may sound harsh, but there is good reason for this stringency: once a client has successfully completed the programme they are offered a mainstream tenancy. As one of the scheme's aims is to promote community safety it does not want to place within that community someone who has failed to change their offending behaviour.

"We are trying to create good citizens by helping them with their own personal development and giving them basic key skills. Paramount to everything we do is community safety," Stockley emphasises.

The programme revolves around a structured environment, concentrating on the individual. Most of the work is done with the support of a link worker on a one-to-one basis, although group work also plays a fundamental part.

Treatment programmes, particularly for drugs, are vital. Many of the residents have offended only to fund their drug habit.

A drugs worker from the Addictive Behaviour Service and two tenancy/ training support workers support the scheme, and residents with a drug problem can also register with a local GP whose practice provides services for drug users only.

A relapse prevention group is also run, and random drug tests are carried out to ensure residents are sticking to their agreement. Those with an alcohol or gambling problem join suitable treatment programmes.

"The regime is designed for those who will work with it. It is a supported housing project and more, because they have to show commitment before they come in. They have to show that they want to change," says Stockley.

Tenancy support workers also run a group once a week. And there is a weekly residential meeting to ensure that residents feel involved within the project during their time there. Anyone on probation or community service orders has to fulfil the conditions and attend relevant meetings.

The Working Links organisation helps residents with education, training and employment, advising them of ways to get back into work, accessing training courses and preparing CVs. Basic skills including literacy and numeracy, and social skills such as budgeting, cooking and cleaning, are also taught.

"It's about positive reinforcement of their lives, how they can get something good from some of the bad experiences in their lives," says Stockley.

The life and social skills education helps to give residents the know-how needed to maintain a tenancy. But if a resident is unable to read or write, then teaching him or her anything else can be fairly useless, says Stockley.

"We don't assume anything about their level of ability when they come to the project," she adds.

The average age of offenders accepted by the scheme is 29. Out of the 16 residential places available, there is generally a significant number who cannot read or write. At the moment, this stands at one in three residents.

There is an array of reasons for their lack of education, from abusive or difficult backgrounds, lack of parental encouragement to go to school, to exclusion or lack of concentration.

"Being unable to read is not something that they shout from the rooftops. It's kept a secret because it doesn't do their street cred any good," explains Stockley.

Residents can either attend a local college to learn how to read and write, or they can ask for assistance from the scheme's staff if they don't want other residents to know.

At about eight weeks into the programme a review panel meets with the partner agencies to discuss whether the scheme is working for an individual. Here independent reports are presented from the addictions nurse, link worker, tenancy support worker, Working Links, and the individual residents themselves. If all areas are being met, the client is approved for a tenancy.

The support doesn't stop once the 12 weeks is over, though. Staff continue to visit former clients for a further six months to help them settle into their own homes.

"It's about setting them on the right track," says Stockley.

Project profile

Project: Project 404.

History: The project is part of Stonham Housing Association, a specialist provider of care, support and enabling services in the Home Group, which is a provider of housing and community services. Stonham works in partnership with 160 local authorities, 50 probation services and many health authorities to provide support to vulnerable and socially excluded people in the community, including those with mental health problems and care leavers. Its support ranges from registered care homes to floating support. Project 404 is managed by Stonham Teesside and has been running for about 20 years. In 1999 it decided to set up the Building a Better Future scheme within the project, targeted specifically at promoting social inclusion in the local area. Working in partnership with Teesside Probation Service, the Addictive Behaviour Service, Middlesbrough Council and Stockton Council, the scheme's aim is to address the back-to-basic skills needed by ex-offenders, often with addictive behaviour and/or housing needs, to help them become socially included.

Funding: The single regeneration budget until October 2002 as well as part-funding from Teesside Probation Service.

Staff: Manager Jackie Stockley, four project workers, two tenancy training support workers, and an addictions nurse.

Clients: Men aged 18+ with a history of offending behaviour, substance misuse, and housing needs. They must have a connection with the areas of Middlesbrough or Stockton, and want to be housed in these localities.

Contact: Jackie Stockley, manager, Project 404, 404 Marton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 2PB. Tel: 01642 292004.