Northampton men want to end homelessness for prison leavers
After being involved in a London terror attack in 2019 the pair have been inspired to set up Own Merit
Last updated 22nd May 2024
A Northampton man says he wants people to use his idea to end former prisoner homelessness.
Darryn Frost and Steve Gallant set up Own Merit following their actions during the Fishmonger's Hall London attack in 2019.
Darryn fought off an attacker with a Narwhal Tusk and Steve tackled him to the ground. For their actions they received the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 2023.
The attack saw Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, killed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan at a Learning Together event at Fishmongers' Hall in London in 2019.
The housing scheme's name 'Own Merit' is a nod to Jack Merrit who died in the attack and was passionate about prisoner rehabilitation.
Own Merit has been running for a year, housing 12 men who have left HMP Five Wells in a 6 bed in Northampton. One of those reoffended.
Darryn, who has worked in prisons across prisons and probation since 2007, tells us homelessness is often the leading factor in if people reoffend, more than drug and alcohol issues.
"Not matter what you do with someone who has offended, whether that's drug and alcohol services, trying to help them get into employment, nothing is as effective as just housing them. If you house a person you reduce their likelihood of reoffending by 50%"
An inspection in April found that at Northamptonshire's HMP Five Wells most prisoners had had an address to on the day of release, during the previous 12 months.
But HMP Peterborough often releases men into Northampton. An inspection of that prison in January found 333 men had been released with no where to live in the last 12 months.
Own Merit think if their scheme was rolled out more widely, the issue of prison leavers ending up on the streets could end within 5 years.
Darryn says they're not precious about ownership of the idea, they just want to share what they know with others to role it out.
"We just want to end this practice of releasing people into homelessness."
Currently they're mainly self funding, mainly through Universal Credit as the residents get rent allowance.
"We really wanted to show that we could do a model that was affordable and could be done on the the Universal Credit rate."
Steve and Darryn also have plans to Working in collaboration with the University of Northampton on a training college where they train, provide skills in bricklaying and plastering, potentially in a 30 bed unit run in a therapeutic manner, much like the Northampton community based house.