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The contractor鈥檚 view: You don鈥檛 realise how many people there are who need help, but who don鈥檛 seem to fit into the formal social services framework

Nick Goff

Three-and-a-half years ago we got a call from CRASH about a community in Dorset that had had problems with a contractor - they had used most of their money and hadn鈥檛 been able to complete all the work they planned. They needed someone to do painting and decorating, so a group from BAM volunteered.

It was originally meant to be one day, painting windows, but we were made so welcome there that we couldn鈥檛 leave the job half done. The people at Pilsdon were so genuine, but so vulnerable to these unscrupulous builders. They just wanted to be treated fairly and properly - with us, they were going to get their building and get a good experience. Their trust in us has increased over time, because we鈥檝e done what we鈥檝e said we鈥檒l do. They鈥檙e like friends now - working at Pilsdont is like doing something for your family.

The project we鈥檙e working on now will create more space for homeless people as well as some some stabling for animals. It started in September, and we鈥檝e rebuilt the frame and envelope of the building. It鈥檚 scheduled to finish this March. We priced it like a normal project, but tried to get materials with charitable offers for them - CRASH has helped with that - and although times are hard in the building industry, we got some generous discounts from subcontractors. One subcontractor offered to do all the floor coverings for free.

During the voluntary work, everybody mixes with each other; we have morning tea together, and lunch. There are people who need time to settle, to get back into a working way of life. You meet people with difficult circumstances. Some like to talk, and you hear all about their problems. And it鈥檚 a busy place - you don鈥檛 realise how many people there are who need help, but who don鈥檛 seem to fit into the formal social services framework.

All the guests at Pilsdon have tasks to do, but some came and helped with the painting in the stables as well. When you get people to pull together, it鈥檚 amazing what you can achieve.

We have a full-time project manager at Pilsdon, and other people from the company participate as well. Just recently, we put out a call for painting volunteers. As soon as you start talking about the project, people want to get involved. Working on this project has helped my colleagues gel as a team, they just want to do their absolute best for that community. I couldn鈥檛 have asked for more from them.

The important thing is the personal satisfaction - you feel like you鈥檝e really helped. You can see the benefit. It鈥檚 totally different from the day job, but you go down there and paint 20 windows and you feel good about that. The project manager, Tony Syddall, has been involved with some iconic buildings, but he says that Pilsdon is the best project he鈥檚 ever worked on.

Nick Goff is construction director at BAM

The community鈥檚 view: Working with CRASH and its patrons has been a matter of rebuilding trust with the building profession

Michael Deegan

Homelessness is something we have always worked with. Pilsdon was set up 55 years ago as 鈥榓 place of rest along the journey鈥� - its ethos is hospitality, work and worship. In our community of about 28 people, some stay here for one, two or more years, and some are what we call 鈥渨ayfarers鈥�, homeless people who visit for a night or two at a time. We don鈥檛 know when they鈥檙e going to turn up, they just come - if we don鈥檛 have space, then we put mattresses on the floor. They come from all over - some local to Dorset and some from much further afield.

Being homeless is a very high-risk proposition. You don鈥檛 know if you鈥檒l be attacked or robbed, you鈥檙e very vulnerable. Here they get some respite and a feeling of safety. They can catch up on sleep, and laundry, and do some light work in the garden, the kitchen or with the animals we have on our sustainable farm.

A lot of our guests have had a level of chaos in their lives, and we provide a place of safety and a healthy pattern of day-to-day living. They are often in recovery from crisis: bereavement, divorce, addiction. They don鈥檛 need a hospital, but they need something that has more support than just living in a flat somewhere.

When we worked with a contractor before, it was a bad experience. The work was badly done - parts of it had to re-done and we鈥檙e still repairing as we go. It took up a lot of our time and budget.

Working with CRASH and its patrons has been a matter of rebuilding trust with the building profession. CRASH came in offering more than we could have hoped for. They put us in touch with firms such as BAM and EC Harris, and helped us do some development in fundraising. They did everything they could to make sure that the project was well supported. It鈥檚 an ongoing relationship.

This building project has been running over the past three or four years. We鈥檙e taking down the old animal stables, and reconstructing them. We鈥檙e converting the loose boxes to be an auxiliary kitchen space, for preparing the communal meals that we eat, and a large space to be used as a general meeting room, and flexible spaces for crafts such as woodwork and upholstering that the guests do.

The rest of the building will be winter quarters for our cattle. The project is also allowing us to provide eight more spaces for wayfarers {homeless people) to sleep in, which means we can take in more people.

Between our guests, and the people who have been working on this project, everyone knows everybody by name.

The construction folks that are working here have been that easy to work with, they鈥檝e become part of the community.
It鈥檚 been wonderful.

Michael Deegan is the warden of thePilsdon community