A Knowsley-based housing organisation has partnered with a local community wellbeing provider to offer wellbeing support directly to its customers.
Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) has teamed up with Wellbeing Enterprises CIC (WE) – one of the first health and wellbeing Community Interest Companies in the UK – to offer customers personalised, one-to-one wellbeing support.
Community Wellbeing officers will support customers to address any social issues impacting on physical and mental wellbeing and will co-design personalised wellbeing plans that connect people to wider community support available in Knowsley while working alongside the KHT neighbourhood team.
Customers will also be invited to participate in a wide range of free educational and social prescribing courses, including stress management, emotional awareness and life skills training. Based on cognitive behavioural approaches these will provide customers with tools and techniques to tackle everyday problems, improve mood and boost confidence.
Leann Hearne, Group Chief Executive of Knowsley Housing Trust (part of First Ark Group), said: “We know over 5,000 of our customers receive mental health related benefits*, so we’re keen to support customers in dealing with day-to-day problems, improving confidence and learning new skills to increase motivation.
“We’re offering practical solutions for residents, for example, if a Housing Officer meets a customer and they’re experiencing stress due to budgeting around Universal Credit, then a member of the Wellbeing Enterprises’ team will book them onto one of their stress management courses.”
Mark Swift, Chief Executive of Wellbeing Enterprises, said: “We are delighted to team up with Knowsley Housing Trust to provide wrap-around wellbeing support for customers whose health and wellbeing may be impacted by wider social issues such as debt, unemployment and loneliness.
“We encourage anyone who is looking for support, no matter what the social issue, to get in contact for a confidential one-to-one wellbeing review with a community wellbeing officer. The service is completely free of charge to KHT customers.”
Delivered across Halton, Knowsley, St Helens and Liverpool, Wellbeing Enterprises links people to non-medical sources of support in their communities. It facilitates social prescribing courses and hobby and interest groups such as life skills training, sleep and relaxation courses, ukulele lessons, tango dancing, yoga and creative painting.
Wellbeing Enterprises was established in 2005 and has been recognised internationally for its innovative person and community-centred health and wellbeing approaches.
* Community Insight profile for ‘Knowsley 2018/19’ area, First Ark. Report created 7 January 2019 – HACT, OCSI and Community Insight.
