bthechange CIC

bthechange CIC Our team are vastly experienced in working with people with complex needs and from a range of diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Multi-award winning Community Interest Company spanning the Southwest of England and South Wales, dedicated to empowering first-time entrants, racially minoritised individuals, and women that are facing challenges within the criminal justice system. bthechange CIC is an award-winning Community Interest Company that operates across The Southwest of England and South & Mid Wales providing a range of life changing initiatives to directly support over a thousand individuals a year with moving forward with their lives that are either at risk of entering or who are in the criminal justice system. bthechange not only provides structured programmes for client support, but we also play an active role in system change, working with those ‘intermediaries’ whose policies, rules, processes, cultures, and attitudes affect people with convictions. We have specialists in our team that covers: Substance misuse (psychosocial motivational interventions relapse prevention – managing/recognising triggers), Finance Benefit and Debt, Welfare support including Housing, universal credit, bank account & I.D applications, Employment support – CV writing, job applications & Neurodivergent inclusive programmes. We are extremely committed and proud of being an equal opportunities and diverse organisation, of which is demonstrated by our team who come from a multitude of backgrounds, with varied cultures, beliefs, and sexual orientations. We truly are a company that represents society.

16/10/2025

CITY RECORDS SHARP RISE IN HOMELESS DEATHS
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A nationwide campaign group has identified a sharp rise in the number of homeless people who died in Exeter last year.
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The Museum of Homelessness recorded 21 deaths in the city during 2024, an increase on the eight recorded in each of the previous two years.

A separate report by homelessness charity St Petrock's found 26% of its clients in the city last year were women but this had already risen to 59% so far this year.

Marina Asvachin, Exeter City Council's lead on housing, said: "Any death on our streets in Exeter is a tragedy and we work tirelessly across the city with our partners to prevent this from happening and will continue to do so."
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9rld5d1ezo

16/10/2025

A local authority that has made high profile comments about the need for low-cost accommodation for local people and the homeless is now selling off almost half of the modular homes it bought just four years ago.

Some of the properties have never been used.

Cornwall Council claims they are now deemed too expensive to site – around £9m if the authority paid a market rent for locations.

In 2021 the council bought the SoloHaus units to provide the homeless with a stepping stone for people towards more traditional rented accommodation.

The SoloHaus units equire planning permission and building regulations, as well as heating, drainage and utility connections before they can be occupied. Now 37 of the 79 units are to be sold off.

A spokesperson for the council has told the Cornwall Live news service: “For these schemes to be successful we have to build larger-scale developments in urban areas within or close to towns and public transport, where there is also the right support. The cost associated with building a new site – including design and construction, utilities and access – is, on average, almost £244,000 per SoloHaus unit. This would increase if we had to purchase land. This is not a cost we can sustain.
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https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2025/10/council-selling-off-homes-it-purchased-for-the-homeless/
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15/10/2025

PRISON TRAINING CRISIS DEEPENS AS CUTS THREATEN REHABILITATION EFFORTS.

Major funding cuts are set to devastate already inadequate education and training provision across prisons in England and Wales, according to a damning new report by the chief inspector of prisons that paints a grim picture of a system failing both prisoners and the public.
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Over the past three years, 94 of 104 closed prisons inspected were rated ‘poor’ or ‘not sufficiently good’ in education and skills provision. The Inspectorate found that many prisoners spend their days locked in overcrowded cells, with limited access to purposeful activity or training that might help them find work upon release. Attendance at available classes averaged at just 67%, often disrupted by staff shortages, lockdowns, and indifference about unlocking prisoners.
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https://www.thejusticegap.com/prison-training-crisis-deepens-as-cuts-threaten-rehabilitation-efforts/

15/10/2025

As part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we stand together with our communities to remind everyone that we have zero tolerance to hate crime.

Devon and Cornwall Police also record crimes motivated by hostility towards a person’s s*x or gender, although this is not legally a category of hate crime.

We acknowledge that this is a very difficult time for many diverse communities, and we want to provide some reassurance that we are here to provide support where hate crimes may be happening.

We have teams dedicated to supporting victims of hate crime. If you have been the victim of abuse or targeted because of your s*x or gender, we want you to know that we are there for you. Please report it to us so we can investigate offences fully and signpost you to support. An increase in reporting helps us understand what is happening in our communities and how best to tackle it.

Don’t suffer in silence. Report it.

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Having a safe place to call home is integral to rebuilding your life free from abuse – and the fact that so many survivo...
14/10/2025

Having a safe place to call home is integral to rebuilding your life free from abuse – and the fact that so many survivors are being denied this at what might be the most vulnerable time in their lives is devastating.

Although legislation states that women who have experienced domestic abuse should be given priority in housing allocation, in practice this is not happening. It is in this gap between law and implementation that survivors are being failed, over and over again.

https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/hidden-homelessness-domestic-abuse-refuge/

14/10/2025

At Refuge, we know domestic abuse impacts one in four women. For many, abuse can push them into housing insecurity and even homelessness. With failing statutory systems and specialist refuge funding at a cliff-edge, women without financial means to find safe housing face the prospect of destitution.
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A 2023 report by homelessness charity St Mungo’s found almost half of their female clients had experienced domestic abuse, yet this hidden crisis of homelessness has long been overlooked. Having worked in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector for decades, I can say that it’s now harder than ever for survivors of domestic abuse to find safe accommodation.
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https://www.bigissue.com/.../hidden-homelessness.../
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At Refuge, we know domestic abuse impacts one in four women. For many, abuse can push them into housing insecurity and e...
14/10/2025

At Refuge, we know domestic abuse impacts one in four women. For many, abuse can push them into housing insecurity and even homelessness. With failing statutory systems and specialist refuge funding at a cliff-edge, women without financial means to find safe housing face the prospect of destitution.

A 2023 report by homelessness charity St Mungo’s found almost half of their female clients had experienced domestic abuse, yet this hidden crisis of homelessness has long been overlooked. Having worked in the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector for decades, I can say that it’s now harder than ever for survivors of domestic abuse to find safe accommodation.

https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/hidden-homelessness-domestic-abuse-refuge/

14/10/2025

Prison Inspectorate finds major cuts threaten to derail already poor work and training in prisons.

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