'I was let down by charity which promised to help me find job'

Mark Woodley said he was left waiting for two years for training and guidance from Hove-based charity Friends First.

The 37-year-old loved his former job at Halfords as a bike mechanic but struggled to cope with his condition, which worsened when he became homeless.

He sought help from friend Kevin Hartney, who he met through a nature reserve project in Southwick. He gave him a place to stay until they were recommended Friends First, which helps homeless people to live more independently by providing housing benefit-funded temporary accommodation, as well as training and the chance to get back into work.

But Mr Woodley said he ended up living in a window-less bedsit in Boundary Road, Hove and working for free. He said he felt like he had no prospect of finding work and moving on with life.

He said: "I was left to clean a basement where sawdust from a workshop irritated my asthma. I wasn't given any food or hygiene training but asked to work long hours in a kitchen preparing food when the charity was paid to cater for functions like school proms.

"My doctor signed me off on long term sick leave but I still worked anyway. They promised I could focus on more training as a bike mechanic to get back into work but this never happened. In two years I was given no formal training and did not have any job interviews.

"I felt depressed and trapped. I complained when other residents smoked cannabis in their rooms which also irritated my asthma but nothing changed."

He was then evicted, which he claims was unfair.

He has since found temporary accommodation in Brighton where he is happier and looking for work.

He added: "I feel like I can begin to get on with my life."

When contacted by The Argus the charity said it could not comment on individual cases but that eviction was "always a last resort". Bosses still declined to respond even when Mr Woodley gave them written permission to discuss his experience. Instead they said they remained "committed to the privacy and confidentiality" of those in their care. Operations manager Tim Earey said staff still had a good relationship with Mr Woodley - something he disputes.

The charity started receiving funding from Brighton and Hove City Council in 2003. But the contract was cancelled in March last year due to budget cuts and because the service did not meet the needs of its users, a council spokeswoman said.

But council officers have no concerns about how vulnerable people are being treated by the charity, the spokeswoman added.

She said: "We had to make some difficult decisions about making budget savings. The service had a work and employment focus and many of our clients at that time needed a different type of support."

The charity was handed nearly £380,000 in council funding between 2011 and 2015, which paid for three support workers and half a manager's salary.

Its income was £408,176 at the end of the 2014 financial year - the majority of which was council funding - but it spent £430,320, according to latest accounts submitted to the charity commission.

Background

BRIGHTON and Hove City Council has worked with charity Friends First since 2003 but cancelled its contract last year.

Initially the council refused to release financial details of its past contracts with the charity, claiming this was confidential information. This was challenged by The Argus and the information was later released. Friends First was given £379,996 in council funding between 2011 and 2015, £92,499 of which was paid in the final year.

EVICTING A TENANT IS ALWAYS A LAST RESORT, SAYS CHARITY

CHARITY Friends First would not comment on individual cases but said it had more than 25 years’ experience supporting “the disadvantaged in the community”.

The charity, officially founded in 2002, provides back-to-work training and accommodation for out-of-work people who live in the area. 

A statement said: “Friends First works with people who are motivated to secure paid employment but who face barriers to employment and are in need of both time and understanding to achieve their aspirations.

“Friends First is a non-profit organisation, receiving no financial remuneration for supporting people back into work.

“All of our trainees are supported with both their growing aptitude for paid employment and with any personal barriers to employment.

“All of our work-focused tenants have a tenancy agreement. If any of our tenants are in breach of their tenancy agreement and do not respond to offers of support and any written warnings, then eviction can be an outcome, although this is highly unusual. 

“Eviction of a tenant is always a last resort. The security and safety of the other members of the household is also a consideration in this decision.”