As I’m sitting writing this update, some weak November sunshine is coming through my window but the seasons are definitely changing and winter is upon us. At Space to Breathe HQ we’ve been reflecting on the year past and the one to come and to try and make sense of where we are as an organisation.
A common phrase you hear now amongst small mental health providers like us is “oversubscribed and underfunded” and that does accurately reflect our position and those of many others. The COVID Pandemic has amplified many of the worrying mental health trends we were already seeing in the UK. Children’s Mental Health referrals have doubled. Rates of severe anxiety and depression have increased sometimes by 20%. Instances of severe mental health conditions are rising and yet waiting lists are under more pressure than ever before. This feels like a time when organisations like our own are vitally important.
Yet our position is fragile. There’s always a nervousness on my part to share our needs at Space to Breathe but I am also aware (as many of you encourage me to do) that we are an organisation that relies on our community - that as a Community Interest Company - we are proud to see many individuals rally behind us in many different ways.
As 2021 draws to a close we are reflecting on an immense amount of promise:
Success of our work developing wellbeing and mental health support in Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities
Development of relationships with the NHS, Schools and Local Charities - so we can support their work but also support the stressed out people who work there.
The opportunity to contribute to the support of people who’ve faced the worst of the COVID pandemic and are now facing a mental health tsunami of need and concern.
Increasing favour and support from local and national organisations. Space to Breathe are known as good news to people who know us and we’re so touched by the encouragement we receive.
However, our honest position right now is that we are also very unstable as an organisation and without support we may face difficult choices and challenges in 2022.
The pandemic hit our resources, reserves and financial stability and now playing catch up is very hard. We have plans for 2022 which we’ll set out below but we need to solidify in order to get there.
Our staff and volunteer levels need to increase to meet the increasing demand we are facing. We work with many people who deeply need support yet are finding ourselves more and more stretched. This needs to change for the wellbeing of our team and volunteers.
We need to find a different way to respond when financial resources don’t exist. We work with many people on low or no income, with acute needs and with little support because of the barriers they face to care. We’ve taken the decision to keep going and keep serving these people, even when funds run out, but this is a hard step to take and to also take care of the two points above.
So today we are launching an appeal for urgent support for our work. We want to try and raise £4000 to help what we’re doing and want to ask whether you would contribute £20 towards this target. We want to raise these funds to:
increase our stability as an organisation
increase our capacity to recruit and support volunteers
increase our ability to respond to people who really need our help
to allow us time to create new models of working to meet deep structural and social needs we are witnessing like social exclusion, homelessness and mental health and mental health care in ethnic minority communities.
With this funding we want to launch into 2022 in a stronger position so that we can take a number of important steps.
We aim to start a separate charitable organisation that focuses on Mental Health and Social Change.
We want to dedicate more time to people on the margins in our local area and nationally and devote wellbeing and mental health support to people who struggle to access it.
We want to continue to create helpful, simple and creative wellbeing resources to support people in their mental health journey.
We want to grow our team and be able to help more people in the future.
We are going to be sharing more about this as we move forward in the coming weeks but we’d love to ask you to help us. These are big dreams and they feel a long way off but together we hope you’d be willing to help us.
How can you help?
There are three brilliant ways you can help Space to Breathe.
You can donate to us. Would you consider giving £20 to the this urgent appeal?
You can buy a Wellbeing product or service from Space to Breathe. These products are good for your wellbeing but also help us as an organisation to survive.
You can volunteer with us. There are many volunteering roles which we need help with and we’d love to talk to you about these.