Why?

Clinic-based approaches alone are not enough to respond to the challenges that we face. Clinical approaches often treat individuals removed from context and can exclude those who are most vulnerable and who face barriers to attending from accessing support. They also assume that individuals can think their way out of distress caused by poverty, joblessness and inadequate housing. 

What? 

We’ll use a trauma-informed approach to community building to create Communities of Hope. We’ll work alongside community members to understand what’s really happening and what’s important to them. We’ll create spaces for people to listen, be heard and build relationships and connections. We’ll draw on approaches developed in community psychology and other disciplines to create interventions that build opportunities for collective hope and healing and peer-to-peer support, as well as for community action. As well as acknowledging what has happened to people, we’ll work with them to develop the skills, knowledge and belief to make changes – on their terms.  

Our activities will include: 

• Three place-based ‘Communities of Hope’ in south Wales (Bettws, Newport), London (Lambeth and Southwark), and Scotland 

• Exploring activities which share information about relational mental health with communities in ways that enable peer-to-peer support, collective healing and social action 

• Deep co-production work with people, services and system leaders to design a blueprint for new service models through the No Wrong Door work in Scotland 

Which community groups are part of the project?

We will be connecting with groups and networks who are visible within the localities to understand how they interact and offer support within their communities.