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Raven Housing Trust – Pathway to Employment Project

A young east Surrey woman who has overcome a range of barriers to find a full time job and permanent home has praised the innovative project which helped her.

Roisin Monahan (19), joined the East Surrey Pathway to Employment project, a partnership scheme run by Raven Housing Trust, based in Redhill, last August.

This programme of support assists unemployed people living in unsecured or temporary housing, such as a hostel, to find a job and operates across East Surrey, Epsom and Ewell and Crawley.

It provides intensive, targeted services to people with significant difficulties or issues move closer to the job market or into work.

“I came to the project with very low motivation and self-esteem and suffered from acute anxiety which controlled my everyday life,” said Roisin, who was living at the East Surrey YMCA. The hostel referred her to the scheme to help her overcome her anxiety and find a job.

Since being on the Pathway to Employment project, Roisin has received personal support and guidance from her advisor to help her decide on a career.

She enrolled on a Level 2 course in counselling at East Surrey College because she wanted to help others who felt as she did and could see this as a potential career choice.

The pathway project lent Roisin a laptop so that she could complete the course and paid her travel expenses. She also attended a jobs fair at Gatwick, speaking to lots of employers, and received help from her advisor to update her CV.

“The Pathway to Employment project also held a confidence workshop which made me feel better and more motivated to get into work.

“I successfully applied for an apprenticeship in service delivery and started this month – I feel positive about my future and am very grateful to Raven’s project as it really helped me and is continuing to provide me with support and counselling,” commented Rosie, who is now living in a YMCA move-on house with a two-year assured short hold tenancy.

Julie Jacobs-Obodai, Employability & Skills Manager at Raven Housing Trust, which manages over 7,000 homes in Surrey and Sussex and runs a range of community investment initiatives, said: “It has been great to see the steps that Roisin has made and we are looking forward to seeing her progress even further. She is another real success story for the Pathway to Employment project.”

East Surrey Pathway to Employment is a partnership funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery, through the Big Lottery Fund. Amongst its range of services it also provides online support and training, assistance with childcare, advice on financial management, physical well-being courses, access to job clubs and in-work support.

Roisin Monahan in the Raven HA offices.

Roisin Monahan with support worker Nicole Tootill.