£10m partnership for Bristol's vulnerable citizens
Golden Key, a £10 million citywide partnership aiming to open doors to the hundreds of people in Bristol who are locked into a cycle of deprivation and dependency, has been launched today (Friday 14 November 2014). It has been estimated that there are at least 700 people in Bristol who currently experience a mix of homelessness, long-term mental health problems, dependency on drugs and/or alcohol and offending behaviour*. The Golden Key partnership recognises that services need to be more coordinated and system blocks and barriers need to be identified and removed. The partnership aims to unlock the system in Bristol and change it to give people the chance to turn their lives around.
An event was held today (Friday 14 November, 12-2pm) at The Station in Bristol to mark the programme’s launch. The Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson, a Golden Key Ambassador, will explain why this ground-breaking programme is so important to Bristol. The audience will also hear from members of IF, the advisory group of people with lived experience, who are at the heart of the Golden Key, about their hopes for how the programme can create new futures for people like them. An art installation created by IF, with the support of Creativity Works (www.creativityworks.org.uk), to track the group’s journey will make its debut appearance at the event.
Lisa, a member of the IF group, talks about what the launch of the Golden Key means to her:
“The launch of the Golden Key means hope to me. All I have known is being stuck in cycles of destruction, bouncing from one service to another, labels, locked wards, restrictions, contradictions, countless attempts and more failures. I had almost given up all hope not so long ago. I thought that I had crossed a line which I may never return from. I certainly never expected to now be part of a strong dynamic advisory group who are helping bring this project to life. The IF group’s vision is to continue to pool together all our years of front line experience, and in turn continue to grow in strength individually.”
Led by local mental health charity, Second Step, Golden Key is an eight-year partnership, which is funded with £9,949,500 from the Big Lottery Fund as part of its Fulfilling Lives - Supporting People with Multiple Needs Programme. The citywide partnership includes service providers, commissioners, city leaders and people with experience of prison, homelessness, mental health problems and drug/alcohol dependency.
Over its eight years the Golden Key will work with 300 clients, 150 at any one time, and help improve the lives of some 1,500 other people, who will benefit indirectly from the programme’s work. Clients will be provided with the support of a lead co-ordinator to help them access the services they need, while a peer mentor will offer guidance and hope. They will be empowered to take control of their lives by deciding what key services they need, whether it be housing, training to get a job or counselling to overcome a trauma.
Aileen Edwards, Chief Executive of Second Step, the lead partner in the Partnership Board running the Golden Key Programme, said:
“Our vision for the Golden Key is a city where people who are currently struggling and feel locked out of services are able to find powerful new ways to get the help they need. We promise to work together as partners and services to find new and sometimes unconventional ways to open doors. As we revolutionise the way the system works across the city, Bristol will become a beacon of change, which we hope will reverberate across the country.”
The Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, who is an Ambassador for the programme, said:
“Bristol is a city of contrasts, a great and diverse city that makes us more interesting - more vibrant. However in our midst there are too many citizens with problems considered too entrenched or too complex, who are lost and seemingly have no–one to turn to. The Golden Key offers a valuable opportunity to find solutions for these people.”
For more information on the Golden Key please visit www.goldenkeybristol.org.uk (will go live from Friday 14 November) Follow us on Twitter at @GoldKeyBristol
Background information:
*To asses the local need Second Step consulted the Golden Key Partnership Board, including IF and sought reports based on national and local research, data on needs and demographics. This research found that:
57% of Bristol’s homeless population have serious mental health problems1
Bristol has one of the highest rates of opiate and crack use in the UK2
There are 200 street drinkers in Bristol3
The reoffending rate for prisoners serving less than 12 months is 57%4
18% of prisoners in Bristol had been homeless in the year prior to being in prison
60% of prisoners say not having housing on release is a key factor in their reoffending6
At present there are gaps in services, which mean people are unable to access housing and the support they need. Sometimes this is simply due to the way existing services and systems are structured and delivered.
Sources:
1 Bristol’s Homeless Prevention Commissioning Plan 2012
2 Bristol’s Substance Misuse Needs assessment 2011
3 Streetwise & Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police July 2013
4/5/6 HMP Bristol Reducing Reoffending Plan 2012/2013
Notes to editors:
For more information, to arrange interviews or photos please call Communications Officer Zoe Mason on 0117 909 6630 or email zoe.mason@second-step.co.uk
The Partnership Board, which oversees the delivery and running of the Golden Key Programme consists of: Second Step (the lead partner), Addiction Recovery Agency, Avon and Somerset Police, Avon and Somerset Probation, Avon and Wiltshire NHS Partnership Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group, Bristol Drugs Project, Business in the Community, Missing Link, Nilaari, One25, SARI, Self Help, St Mungo’s Broadway, 1625 Independent People and the programme’s advisory group – the IF Group.
IF stands for Investing in Futures. The IF Group have all experienced some if not all of the following: homelessness, drug and alcohol dependency, prison and/or probation and serious mental health problems. To find out more go to www.ifgroup.org.uk
Second Step is a leading mental health charity in the west of England. We work with more than 600 people in Bristol and many more in North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
We provide support and housing for people with mental health problems and forge strong partnerships with other organisations to ensure we reach everyone who needs us.
We also offer psychological therapies and specialist courses in Bristol and South Gloucestershire and through our Positive Step service, based in Weston.
The people who use our services are at the heart of everything we do. They help us shape our services and sometimes become part of our pioneering volunteer and paid peer worker team. To find out more go to www.second-step.co.uk
The Big Lottery Fund:
The Big Lottery Funds £112 million Fulfilling Lives: Supporting People with Multiple Needs Programme to help 60,000 adults in 12 cities across England, will be targeted specifically for people who are homeless, in and out of probation and prison, dependent on drugs and alcohol and have serious mental health problems.
The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery.
The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was awarded to projects. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £32 billion has been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded.