Posted 2:15pm
The biggest issue HMHB is facing now is money - seed funding. In fact if we have not established it by the end of September I feel the whole project will have to end. This is because our project manager, Lazza, is currently receiving Universal Credit. If the Job Centre does not see a chance of salary in the next six weeks they will start to force him to apply for jobs and get off UC. That would naturally mean he could not work on HMHB, attend meetings, do interventions. The project finishes.
We have five London Boroughs wanting to use us. Feedback has been extraordinary. But we just cannot find money to pay salaries.
Our big hope was the Communities Fund with the National Lottery. Sadly, they have turned us down. We sort of understand the reasons behind it. We were asking for a six figure sum as there were three full time salaries, a part time salary, and overheads/running costs. It adds up. We were seen to be too much of a risk.
However, we continue to fight. We are going back with a lower proposal - for one full time salary for Lazza, and lower costs for all else. We have contacted the local lottery representative and asked if we can resubmit this. I hope they will see we are trying to work with the lottery to negate risk, but also give us an opportunity to prove our worth.
Needing people to know about us, we have emailed out to local radio and media to see if we can get featured. With mental health such a topical subject at the moment, we hope someone will give us an opportunity to find some funding by telling our story.
August is once again proving to be a month of ups and downs.
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