VISION, MISSION, VALUES & HISTORY
INTRODUCTION (Who we are)
The Waterfall is a Christian charity. Our belief is that the presence of God is central to the restoration of lives. Our ethos and inspiration are Christian, but all women over 18 who are ready to commit fully to our programmes will be welcome, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.
VISION (where we are going and why)
Our vision is to help women, who have addictions and life-controlling issues, to regain their dignity and confidence. The Waterfall will be a key provider of shelter, learning and healing for thousands of women in the UK whose addictions and choices have been destructive to their own lives, their families and communities. We will create a restorative community that makes a significant contribution to the social and mental health of our society.
MISSION (how we are getting there) Our mission is:
● To create a loving and stable environment for women recovering from life-controlling issues, such as drug and alcohol addiction and controlling relationships.
● To provide effective programmes where women can gain the healing and retraining that will enable them to live contented and productive lives.
● To make a significant contribution to the social and mental health of wider society by teaching and modelling love, honesty and wisdom through all parts of The Waterfall family, to be passed on through the families, employment and community engagement of members.
VALUES
Inclusion - Our programmes are open to all women who are willing to engage fully with them. We believe in the power of “We”, people with different backgrounds and personalities, working together, effecting mutual support and benefit.
Empowerment - We focus on the whole person, mind body and spirit, to help women reach their full potential.
Hope – Hope is a powerful driver for change. We believe that no person or situation is hopeless and we work to restore hope to women.
Excellence - We aim to create and run the best programmes we can and encourage the women to give their best in all they do.
Integrity - To be accountable, transparent and honest in all we do.
THE STORY SO FAR ......
Early in 1995, The Waterfall founders visited a house run by the Kings Arms Church in Bedford for homeless people. Love and boundaries worked in harmony to create an environment for learning and building a healthy sense of identity. We saw the value of such a place to help the women we were reaching out to on the streets of Southampton, but we were not yet ready to make it happen.
In 2010 a visit to recovery houses run by Restoration Ministries, near Chicago, confirmed that the time was here to do something similar for women in Southampton. We prayed over a house in the New Forest, but between 2012 and 2014 we felt led to leave this house in God’s hands and begin with a Day Programme, starting one day a week and building up to 5 days a week. Day support helps women to recover while living at home, learning to deal with the realities of home life, and also reduces the need to put children in care.
In March 2014 The Waterfall launched and opened the first day programme, consisting of weekly group work and activities, with fortnightly one to one sessions. We received over 35 referrals and enquiries, although we only had capacity for 6 in the group. The programme ran for 16 months, after which we paused to review, improve and systematize our procedures. A variety of topics and therapeutic approaches were covered in the programme such as: relapse prevention, mindfulness, thankfulness, boundaries, hope, identity and the use of some biblical material. Other activities were incorporated into the programme, such as equine therapy, cooking, pamper days and craft. In line with our Christian ethos, opportunities for worship and for healing through prayer were offered as optional extras.
The Waterfall has seen significant behaviour changes in group members, and expect to see much
more as the programme expands to a larger group, more days of the week. The changes to date include reductions in drug and alcohol use, reductions in suicide attempts and food binges, improved relationships, spiritual and emotional growth and increased confidence in parenting.
The Waterfall’s journey has provided both challenges and unexpected opportunities. We have
sought to learn from what others have done, but are also willing to pioneer where necessary, responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit and working together with others, to help with those needs within our local communities that we are specifically equipped to address.
In July 2015 The Waterfall moved into city centre premises, in Dukes Keep. After 9 months spent reviewing and improving our procedures and building our team, our new programme opened, in March 2016, with one-to-one support increased to weekly; group capacity increased to 10 and group activities rising to at least two days weekly. Our aim is to continue adding to this programme, in terms of time given and women helped, as funding allows, and subsequently also to add enquirer groups, residential support for those who need it, and social enterprise work opportunities, trusting God to bring in the resources needed as we become ready for each stage.
We are enjoying the journey and the sense of gathering momentum!