Tuesday 31st December 2019 - Overall HMHB Review for 2019, and 2020 goals

Posted 1:15pm

Overall, HMHB has made a lot of progress in 2019. Ultimately though, we have still not got salaries and that is the aim for 2020 and beyond. If we do not get full time work from this in the near future, it will probably mean that everything will end. Yes, that may sound bleak. But honesty is important. Lazza is currently on Universal Credit, and there is only so much patience they will have before they force him to get a job, which would mean this having to finish. Luke and Dean have both been incredibly patient, but they will also feel like moving on too.  So, we need to demonstrate that our new approach to mental health intervention deserves financing.

We made great strides with our Ajani programme. We have designed it to be fluid and adaptable. We can deliver it over a series of varied sessions - our preferred would be four of five, but can do less or more if desired. The outcomes can also be changed, depending on the service users we work with - for example if we are with the Job centre unemployed, the outcomes are more related to routine, energy and confidence, as well as maintaining good actions. These outcomes would be different from those suffering mental health problems, where we are looking more at changing behaviour and thinking. And again these would change if we were working with over 55s.

We delivered some absolutely wonderful courses with Anchor Hanover in Hackney, using their residential housing for over 55s. I know that we all enjoyed these, and the feedback was overwhelming. It is something we want to continue, if we can get the funding.

We also delivered a fantastic taster in June, and from that we now have the DWP Borough Managers for the Job Centres in Islington, Haringey, Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets all asking us for intervention - but no finances to pay for it.

Lazza has worked tirelessly. Sadly we were turned down for the lottery communities programme fund, but also left with hope. They said we ticked all their boxes, but just needed more evidence (although how we are meant to gather that without funding is hard to fathom).  Fortunately, Lazza won us funding applications with Camden and Islington, and we will be proving intervention courses in those boroughs between 1 Jan and 31 Mar 2020. This can naturally lead on to another lottery application.

We are also delighted to be teaming up with Peabody on the Whitecross Estate in Islington for two day interventions in Jan and Feb 2020. And we are meeting their Community Development Manager in Jan to discuss applying for their fund too.

Our walks and fitness sessions have been a wonderful success, and that is also down to our wonderful partners.  Better Gym have been terrific. We have a studio on a Saturday morning at the Sobell centre, and a studio at Highbury Leisure on a Tuesday morning.  The numbers for both are now growing, and the feedback is tremendous.

2020 can be our breakout year. If we can get the financial backing we can finally go full time and prove ourselves, It's a big ask, but we feel we deserve it.

Thank you everyone who has supported us so far. It's been a hell of a ride - with ups and downs galore. With your continuing support we can make all our dreams happen.