Category: Reducing reoffending

The image shows a group of people facing the camera and smiling. In the centre of the group is Surrey's Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, a blonde woman who wears a blue denim shirt and white trousers.

Clean clothes, a place to sleep and 27,000 hot meals: Inside Camberley’s Hope Hub

Posted on | by Alex Winter

OVER the past six years, staff and volunteers at a Camberley charity have helped ex-offenders get back into work, provided a safe home for rough sleepers – and cooked up an astonishing 27,000 hot meals. 

The Hope Hub is part-funded by Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, who recently approved a grant from her Reducing Reoffending Fund to support the service until 2028. The total award is £84,000 over three years, or £28,000 for this financial year.

The Hub, part of Surrey County Council’s Changing Futures programme, aims to prevent and end homelessness in Surrey Heath and the surrounding areas.

Service’s impact

Between April 2024 and March 2025 alone, the Hub has: 

  • Supported 269 people, 198 of whom struggle with their mental health 
  • Housed 98 of the 102 rough sleepers it has supported in that timeframe 
  • Provided more than 5,000 meals 
  • Delivered 776 food parcels to Surrey Heath residents in need of support 
  • Helped 222 people with debt management 
  • Secured employment for 14 people 

The charity also manages a seven-bedroom home in Camberley where rough sleepers are provided with short-term accommodation of between six and eight weeks. 

Support for those in need

Staff offer both practical and pastoral support, including the use of washing machines, dryers and warm showers, as well as training courses and classes in cooking, money management and how to pay for utilities. 

One pensioner found sleeping in a van was helped to open a bank account, get ID, access his pension, and secure safe accommodation. 

In addition, each Christmas the charity dedicates funding to ensuring everyone in need has accommodation for the festive period, as well as a Christmas dinner and useful, practical gifts. 

When a client needs medical care, staff also visit hospitals with them.  

Commissioner’s pride

The Commissioner said: “It is difficult to overstate how proud I am to support organisations like The Hope Hub. 

“Without fanfare, staff and volunteers are changing the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents for the better. 

“This tireless work means that, even when a person has complex needs or a challenging background, they don’t fall through the gaps between services. 

“Almost 50 per cent of the Hub’s clients are ex-offenders who need support to re-enter the workforce. These are people who, with help, can stay out of the criminal justice system for good. 

“Goosebumps”

“During my visit, I met with a member of the team who helps clients train for employment. She told me that her work developing skills and building confidence gives her ‘goosebumps’ – a feeling I experienced as I listened to her speak. 

“Reducing reoffending is a key priority for me, and it matters to every single Surrey resident. 

“I am delighted to be able to contribute to The Hope Hub’s ongoing successful work.” 

For more information, visit thehopehub.org.uk 

The graphic has a blue background and features the logo of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey. It reads: "In 2024/25, Independent Custody Visitors volunteered more than 700 hours to check conditions in custody and had conversations with 445 detainees." The words are accompanied by graphics of a person standing beside a clock, and an emoji of a person.

700 hours, 445 conversations and 176 visits – inside Surrey’s custody volunteering scheme

Posted on | by Alex Winter

SURREY’S Police and Crime Commissioner is celebrating the work of volunteers who visit custody suites to check on detainees. 

Lisa Townsend thanked those who dedicate their time to the Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) scheme as she marked national Volunteers’ Week. 

In just 12 months, the volunteers – all specially-trained members of the public – dedicated 700 hours to ensuring the rights, wellbeing and dignity of detainees are respected in custody. 

ICVs make unannounced visits to Surrey Police’s three custody suites in Guildford, Salford and Staines. During the visits, they assess conditions and speak with both detainees and custody officers. 

Over the past year, volunteers conducted 176 visits, spending 323 hours in custody and directly checking on the welfare of almost 1,000 detainees. They had just under 445 conversations with those in custody. 

Commissioner’s thanks

The Platinum-status scheme, which is managed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, is open year-round to applicants who want to help improve the service provided by Surrey Police. 

The Commissioner said: “Independent Custody Visitors provide essential scrutiny of an area of policing that is hidden from public view. 

“By giving their time, they ensure that detainees are being treated respectfully and aren’t going without essentials like food, blankets and feminine hygiene products. 

“Volunteers also provide support to custody officers, who are often working in challenging, pressurised conditions with some of Surrey’s most vulnerable people. 

Volunteers welcome

“The combined efforts of ICVs and custody staff ensure that every person arrested in the county receives the appropriate, fair treatment and care. 

“I’d encourage anyone with an interest to volunteer with the scheme. It’s an immensely rewarding and unique way to give your time to policing.” 

ICVs must be over 18, live or work in Surrey, and able to carry out one custody visit per month. They cannot be serving police officers or involved in the criminal justice process. 

Full training and expenses are provided. 

For more information, or to apply, visit our Independent Custody Volunteers page. 

Staff of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey taking part in the Amber Hike the Hill event

Commissioner’s team ‘Hike the Hill’ to raise money for key service supporting young homeless people

Posted on | by Nathan Rees

A team from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office has taken part in charity hike to the highest point in Surrey to raise money for a key service supporting homeless young people.

A number of PCC staff, including the Deputy Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson, joined organisers and young people from the Amber Foundation in completing the 10km route last weekend at Leith Hill near Dorking.

Amber are a fantastic organisation who transform the lives of young people by providing them with temporary accomodation and a programme of support to help them get their lives back on track.

They support young people aged from 17 to 30 by providing a shared home with a community of around 30 others. Staff there deliver a programme of training and activities based around accommodation, employment and health and wellbeing.

The Commissioner’s office provides funding for three beds at their centre near Ockley through its dedicated Reducing Reoffending Fund and the aim of the hike was to raise money to help towards paying for another bed space.

It’s not too late to donate – you can support Amber here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hikethehill23

A back injury meant the Commissioner Lisa Townsend had to sit out the hike but she was there to cheer on everyone who completed the hike at the finishing line.

She had previously paid a visit to the Amber centre a few weeks ago to meet some of the fantastic team and hear about some of the young people they support.

Lisa said: “Sadly, many young people who have experienced childhood trauma or escaped domestic violence or a difficult situation at home can find themselves with nowhere to live.

“Sleeping on sofas or in hostels can often mean they struggle to find work or maintain education which can have a devastating effect on their self-confidence and mental health.

“This sadly all too often results in them drifting into substance or alcohol abuse and crime and it can be a vicious spiral that is hard to break.

“Reducing reoffending is a really important focus for my office and I strongly believe if the right services are offered to young people whose lives may have gone off track – we can steer them away from criminality meaning the communities in which they live will also benefit.

“Nearly three quarters of those who move on from Amber have managed to go to independent, safe housing with a job or back into education which is an amazing statistic

“That is why I am delighted to support this brilliant event which I hope can help Amber go even further in having such a positive impact on young people’s lives.”