Kairos: fresh growth after lockdown

Linden Grove Abstinence Support Hostel. In consultation with Public Health Southwark, the coronavirus pandemic ‘isolation on admission’ policy/procedure has now ended. A Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test is carried out before admission. The hostel continues to set aside rooms for isolation purposes in the event of any case/outbreak in the hostel.

All residents were vaccinated on Thursday 1 April. Our thanks to Serina Aboim, nurse and Kairos Trustee for organising the vaccinations.

Bethwin Road residential rehab. Weekly coronavirus PCR tests for staff continue, as well as twice weekly LFD tests. All residents (nine) have a weekly LFD test. The team is now operating with a full complement of staff.

Garden Day Programme. Since returning to face-to-face work at The Green Community Centre, all has gone well. And with flooring being laid next week at 66 Nunhead Lane, it won’t be long before the Day Programme will be ‘back home’ – something to look forward to indeed.

Aftercare Programme. The team has decided to continue to work morning/afternoon split group sessions, which is much more manageable in the current climate. It also reports a high standard of therapeutic engagement in the smaller groups.

Move-on supported housing. Most houses are full. The Move-on team is carrying out four or five (sometimes more) assessments each week. A waiting list for room placements is operating.

In the next couple of weeks, the team will have six beautifully refurbished rooms upstairs at Nunhead Lane. Last week, a new Move-on house was opened in Streatham.

A team training day is planned for Tuesday 11 May at our north London hub in Burnt Oak. It will be an opportunity for everyone to experience the very special atmosphere of this ‘three in a row house’ community and also view the great work which has been done by and large by the residents. It will also give an idea of the work with ex-offenders being done there by Frank McDonald and the strong core of peer support.