Sunderland charity worker receives prestigious fellowship to investigate new scheme to tackle homelessness

A dedicated charity worker and veteran will cross the Atlantic to investigate a new scheme to combat homelessness.
Graham Ord, of Changes Lives,  has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship grant to go to America to look at homeless strategyGraham Ord, of Changes Lives,  has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship grant to go to America to look at homeless strategy
Graham Ord, of Changes Lives, has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship grant to go to America to look at homeless strategy

Graham Ord, of Whitburn, will travel to Central Florida to explore how joint commission can help when issuing services to tackle homelessness.

The 50-year-old veteran, who has worked for charity Changing Lives for the past two years, received funding as part of the Churchill Fellowship to carry out the research.

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He’ll embark on a four-week trip on May 23 to look into how the area, which includes three counties and three big cities, uses joint commissioning to tackle homelessness.

On his return, Graham, who lives in Whitburn, hopes to lobby councils and non-profit organisations to take a joined-up approach to reducing homelessness in the Tyne and Wear and the rest of the UK.

The idea of joint commissioning will see all six areas join together to commission and provide services.

“People say why should a Newcastle rate payer pay for a homeless person in Gateshead,” said Graham.

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“But in Central Florida this is something they’ve got over. Homeless people move around and they turn up in different places.

“If everyone had the same service by the same provider there would be no cross over.

“It’s about looking at who’s best at providing a certain service and get them to do it area wide.

“I think it could change the way we do things.

“At a time of cuts we need to make sure we provide a strong service.

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“This is the time to do it before we have a major problem. It’s the time to change people’s lives.

“Having a home is essential and everyone should have the right to it.

“I’m really grateful for getting the opportunity and I’m really excited at what might come from it.”

Graham is one of six fellows that will receive grants totalling over £38,000.

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They are among 150 people from the UK who were selected this year from almost 1,800 applicants to win a Churchill Fellowship.

Julia Weston, chief executive of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust said: “Churchill Fellows are inspiring individuals who scour the world for fresh approaches to today’s crucial issues.

“It’s a unique chance to make change happen, and every UK citizen over the age of 18 can apply. The next round of applications will open on 16 May 2019.”

The next chance to apply for a Churchill Fellowship opens on 16 May 2019 and includes new categories on ‘Palliative and end of life care’ and ‘Physical activity: making moves for healthier lives’. Application details are online at wcmt.org.uk.