The Wellbeing Service is currently being provided at the New Street Centre and will continue to be based there until later in the year. Over next six months the service will link in closely with the Compass Centre in Jamaica Street, Kingsdown, where St Mungo's already manages health and skills and employment opportunities for homeless people, in partnership with Second Step, a leading provider of mental health support and housing services in the south west. The aim is for the Service to be operating from the Compass Centre in early 2011.
The Wellbeing Service will provide mental health support at a primary care level. Staff will include a clinical manager, a full-time psychologist, and two engagement and assessment workers. The hope is to also attract volunteers from among those who've experienced homelessness and can offer first-hand support, as well as student psychologists and others keen to support people with mental health problems affecting their home situation.
Liz Harper, St Mungo's manager, said: "The service will be for people who are affected, for example, by depression, anxiety and phobias, anger issues, eating problems or post traumatic stress disorder. The aim is to help people stabilise their lives, secure their housing and prepare them, if appropriate, to take steps into longer term psychological support. It won't be a service for people who require urgent mental health interventions, or people receiving other counselling services but we would link in with other mainstream services as work starts with clients.
"What we want the service to offer is a full range of help, from one to one help to group support, for those who've had problems and that we offer good advice and encouragement."
Aileen Edwards, Chief Executive of Second Step said: "We're expecting people to be referred to the service through other local homeless and health services as well as people being able to drop in. We're looking to organise outreach sessions from different locations so that we reach the whole homeless community. The service approach is recovery focused. That means we're looking to really improve people's mental wellbeing for the long term so they can enjoy much more fulfilling, active lives in secure homes."
The Wellbeing Service is open in New Street, Monday to Friday, with a new range of timetabled activities to be published shortly. To contact the service call 0117 989 2450.
Second Step is a provider of recovery-orientated support services and good quality housing to more than 550 people between 16 and 65 with mental health and other related support needs across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES).