Supporting mental health in vulnerable individuals in

Northamptonshire

Nationwide Building Society believe that  ‘Everyone should have a place fit to call home’ and through it’s Nationwide Community Grants programme is finding new ways to tackle the housing crisis, including a grant to Amicus Trust to support homeless adults with their mental health issues.

The grant will provide funding for a mental health project supporting homeless adults in Northamptonshire with their mental issues so they are able to overcome homelessness and move on to their own home.

Janet Prince, CEO of Amicus Trust, said “Mental health underpins all aspects of life, it is also the leading cause of homelessness and with out support in this area many individuals remain unable to sustain their own home. The grant from the wonderful people at Nationwide will mean individuals will have the opportunity to learn to manage their mental health so it doesn’t negatively impact on their daily life, enabling them to  permanently escape the cycle of homelessness “

Homeless people often fall between the gaps of mainstream support services, yet with between 70 – 80% of homeless people reporting mental health issues (60% with clinical mental illness) their need is significantly higher than the general population.

 Amicus Trust Mental Health Lead, Adrian Henson explained why this kind of focused mental health support was needed  “ For a variety of reasons, including exclusions around drug and alcohol misuse, confidence & trust or difficulty with attendance, many mental health service are not suited to the needs and complex lifestyles of the homeless community. This means people can get excluded or lost in the system and left with mental health issues deteriorating beyond sustainable engagement.”

Nationwide Building Society helped Amicus Trust launch the initial pilot  in 2019 and the project was a great success with  60 homeless individuals engaging with  mental health support in the first 10 months. Of these 66% reported improved mental health, 34% were signposted for a first time clinical mental health diagnosis , 15% engaged with substance misuse support, 33% overcame barriers to work and education and 56% moved onto their own home during this time.

The project takes mental health support directly to the homeless client, visiting them in their accommodation, working on a one-to-one basis and being flexible and understanding and never turning its back on someone if they don’t attend or have drug and alcohol issues.  

This additional grant from Nationwide Building Society ensures  that these vulnerable individuals continue to have access to vital mental health support, and because of the pandemic is a service that is more important now than ever in terms of both recovery and progressing from homelessness.

Rachel Smith, Social Investment Senior Manager at Nationwide Building Society,  said: “Helping local communities is at the heart of what it means to be a building society for Nationwide.  Thanks to our Community Grants Programme, we are thrilled to be able to award a Community Grant to the Amicus Trust, knowing this will make such a difference to the fantastic charity and make such a positive difference to so many individuals in our local community. Many charities are struggling, so we’re pleased that we’re able to help this very worthy cause.”