- Area:
- South East England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 30 1 2007
A new Southampton outreach service will break the cycle of poverty caused by mental illness thanks to a £471,371 award announced today from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.
Charities Solent Mind and Southampton CAB will work together to deliver the service that is being funded with Lottery good causes proceeds for four years.
The charities have been granted money from BIG’s Reaching Communities programme, which funds schemes that offer people better chances in life, build strong communities, improve urban and rural environments and promote healthy activities.
Big Lottery Fund Head of South East England Alison Rowe said: “This terrific new service will help improve the lives of isolated and vulnerable people in Southampton who are most in need of assistance. It typifies how the Reaching Communities programme is giving disadvantaged people greater opportunities in life.”
John Chambers, Head of Services, Solent Mind, said: "We were thrilled to receive the fantastic news that the Big Lottery Fund was awarding this grant. We know it will make a tremendous difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our community in Southampton.
“We will help some of the most isolated members of our community who have severe mental health problems by offering a service which comes to them rather than expect them to come to us. Our goal is to see improved mental health, and linked with that better physical health.”
The outreach service will target people with mental health problems whose conditions are worsened because of the stress of financial difficulties and who receive little help to manage money and improve their wellbeing.
Conditions like schizophrenia, personality disorders, agoraphobia, depression and bi-polar disorders often marginalise people from society and render many unable to leave their homes or keep commitments to attend appointments.
To reach these people, specialist service workers will provide intensive help delivered in the community and in homes. The workers will help people arrange finances to maximise income, provide advice about dealing with debt and lift confidence and skills for dealing with money matters. The help will allow people to concentrate on recovery and access more health programmes.
Mr Chambers said: “With our combined experience and skills we will provide a trusted and expert service to people who currently can't access existing services. We look forward to providing a unique and innovative service and thank the Big Lottery Fund for providing the opportunity.”
The Southampton outreach project is among five schemes in the South East receiving a share of more than £1.1 million from the Reaching Communities programme.
The City of Brighton and Hove Credit Union Limited has received £76,152 over four years for its Money Matters project that will provide one-stop financial help for thousands of households on low incomes. In Crawley, training in basic IT and communication skills will create opportunities for work and social integration for the ethnic community in a project by the Khaleefah Society Ltd granted £156,001. The Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project has received £149,803 over five years for its HealthWorks scheme to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of people excluded from the community because of poverty or mental health issues. In the Isle of Wight a host of activities for young people around East Cowes will be guaranteed for the next five years thanks to a £255,907 award to the Pavilion East Cowes, Community Interest Company.
Further information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Notes to Editors
- The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
- On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.
- Reaching Communities is part of the Big Lottery Fund’s portfolio of new programmes. Following an intense and comprehensive process of consultation with stakeholders and the general public over the last year, the Fund has undertaken to distribute 60-70% of its funding to the third sector. At least one-third of BIG funding will be demand-led and lightly prescribed. In England, this will amount to at least £600 million over the period 2005-2009. This commitment will be met from a variety of funding streams, including, Reaching Communities, Awards for All, part of the Young People’s Fund, Community Buildings, Advice Services and the People’s Millions.
- UK-wide, the Big Lottery Fund will distribute through its new programmes and allocations funding worth over £2.6bn between now and April 2009. Regularly updated information on the Big Lottery Fund’s new programmes is available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/publications.htm
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