The Genesis staff team has changed recently. We’d like to introduce our newest team members, Sean Sutton and Nathan Gale. Their stories are significant as both have journeyed through being supported by Genesis in various ways to becoming staff members.
We are actually welcoming Sean back to our Genesis Life Projects team. He is now ‘Lifeline and Life Connect Manager’ replacing our beloved Paul Solly. In 2013 Sean did a student placement with us as part of his degree and was eventually employed in 2014 as ‘Deputy Lifeline Manager’. He worked for Genesis until autumn 2021, when he moved to the Salvation Army as their ‘Community Manager’. In November 2024 we were delighted to welcome him back to our staff team.
Sean said, “When I first came to Genesis on student placement, I was personally going through some of life’s toughest challenges. The love, support and kindness which was shown to me by the team helped to keep me placing one foot in front of the other. When my days were tough, sometimes depressing, wondering what might be ahead. Genesis acted as a beacon of light in a dark place and today I have that opportunity to give back, to show people that tomorrow can be a brighter day.”
Sean’s role involves promoting a vibrant culture at both our Lifeline drop-in centre and our Life Connect meals. He seeks to do this by facilitating a team of compassionately dedicated staff and volunteers to engage and encourage all our clients.
Sean says, “We create this culture through providing our clients with something to eat, some clothing, a shower, or maybe more intense support. My heart is that through connecting with our team, those who find themselves burdened by the challenges of life, will once again see hope for their futures.”
Sean’s ultimate goal is to encourage our clients to engage in one-to-one support through Life Thrive (part of Genesis Life Projects). This is where Sean and the team give focused support based on each individual’s needs. We do not use a one-size-fits-all approach when supporting clients.
In January we welcomed Nathan Gale to the Genesis Life Projects team in the role of ‘Engagement and Support Worker’. Nathan is able to identify with our clients in a personal way as he too has been on his own recovery journey. He said, ‘I went through many issues with drugs and crime and this got me to a point of homelessness.’
One support stream he relied on was Genesis’ Lifeline. ‘My partner and myself received such love and grace from the Genesis staff and volunteers. The team were instrumental in getting us housed and on the road to recovery.’
Since Nathan’s recovery, he worked as the outreach lead at Rose Cottage, the community hub in Twerton. We are delighted to have welcomed him into the Genesis Life Projects team, where he is able to support people with their own recoveries.
Nathan’s role is split into two parts. For three days per week he works in our Lifeline drop-in centre, offering practical support and helping with a range of issues such as budgeting, managing utilities, addiction support, and supporting homeless people into housing. He and the team do this by identifying the client’s needs and developing action plans to address them.
The other two days Nathan assists with our Life Skills courses. Many times the action plan above involves referring clients to relevant courses we run as well as support from other local agencies like DHI (Developing Health & Independence), Curo, Grow For Life, Julian House and others.
He said, ‘I never attended any type of group work when I was in recovery, but now sitting in Genesis’ Smart Recovery course has really opened my eyes to the power of group work and how this can help a person make significant strides in their recovery. I have had such a positive experience from all the courses Genesis runs, but for me, the standout is Smart Recovery.’
Both Sean and Nathan’s stories are powerful examples of how your support of Genesis Trust is having an impact. Over the years both Sean and Nathan came to Genesis for support and are now part of our team to help others in need. Thank you for enabling Sean and Nathan to support homeless and vulnerable people in our community.
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