Choice Housing, one of Northern Ireland’s largest housing associations has announced vital funding to a local Antrim and Crumlin counselling service, which aims to promote health and wellbeing via several community hubs that are both accessible and a safe space for all.
As part of their ongoing good relations plan in the Antrim area, Choice has committed £10K towards grass roots community organisation - A Safe Space to be Me whose focus is providing accessible support in relation to mental health and emotional wellbeing in the Antrim and Crumlin areas.
The initiative is supported by the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme. The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society. A potential investment of £2.1m will be invested in the shared housing development - Fountain Hill and its associated five-year Good Relations Plan.
Siobhan Murphy from A Safe Space to be Me, discusses the importance of this partnership with Choice,
“This funding will allow us to extend the scope of our current support, particularly in relation to our counselling service which is one of our most in demand services in the area. A Safe Space to be Me has grown significantly since it was established in 2016 when a clear gap in service provision was identified in the Crumlin area.
“We are now operating our service out of two main bases and a further five satellite offices and without support from organisations like Choice we would not be able to continue to deliver this important service.”
To date, A Safe Space to be Me has delivered close to 13,000 counselling sessions to over 1,000 clients. The organisation also provides trainee placements for students in Ulster University and delivers their own counsellor training, developing the skills and experience of future counsellors.
Mark Kent, Choice Good Relations Officer said,
“A key element of our good relations plans in areas such as Antrim, is the commitment to providing much needed support for initiatives that the community needs and wants. These plans are not a one size fits all approach – we work with the local community to understand what services they value most, and we aim to support in whatever way we can.
“A Safe Space to be Me was born out of a clear need in the area for counselling and associated mental health support services. This funding will not only allow this support to continue but facilitates growing the scope of the support to adapt and meet the growing needs of the local community.”
Choice plays a key role in the delivery of the ‘Housing for All programme’ – creating communities through diversity and inclusivity. With seven shared housing schemes across Northern Ireland, Choice has demonstrated the impact these schemes can have for the benefits of the local communities.
For more information on A Safe Space to be Me, visit https://www.asafespacetobeme.co.uk/
