This week (23rd September), we welcomed commissioners from Birmingham City Council to our Steps Forward session at Stanhope Wellbeing Hub.
Steps Forward is a confidential drop-in session where people can get a drink and a hot meal, as well as access to support services from our partners at The Hepatitis C Trust, Crisis, Anawim, Birmingham Mind and Change Grow Live (CGL).
Jackie, from The Hepatitis C Trust, said: “I’m here every week. We’re to support people in the local area who at risk of Hepatitis C, such as injecting drug users, who can be harder to engage and are often underserved.
“We do a lot of outreach on foot but it’s nice to have this space for people to come, get something to eat, and get tested in a safe, clean and welcoming environment, where they can also link with other services. Kerry and the team at Stanhope have been so understanding and are great to work with.”
The motivation behind the Steps Forward session was to provide people with access to multiple support services at once, instead of being waiting to be referred to separate providers at different times.
Sian, from Change Grow Live, said: “More people need to be coming here. The facilities, the food, and the amount of professionals that are on-site – I just think it’s a beautiful space. I come here, so if anyone comes in, I can refer, I can triage, and I can get them set up with us.”
For Sian, she also spoke about the benefit of having a physical space to share with other service providers and partners. Being in the room together allowed them to share knowledge and resources.
“There’s also sharing of things. I’ve bought a bulk-load of tampons with me today. We had a big hygiene donation, so I provided some to The Hep C Trust and some to The Active Wellbeing Society.”
For people experiencing homelessness, addiction, or substance abuse, Steps Forward is completely confidential, non-judgemental, and speaking to service providers is optional. By providing food, testing, and access to support, we hope to meet the immediate needs of people in crisis, reduce their risk of blood-borne infection and cardiovascular disease, and provide the opportunity to engage in long-term recovery.
For any more information, please contact Kerry at kerry.jones@theaws.org
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The Hepatitis C Trust is a charity dedicated to eliminating hepatitis C in the UK by 2030 – championing the right of every person in the UK at risk of hepatitis C to receive effective testing, treatment and care.
To find out more, head to: www.hepctrust.org.uk
Change Grow Live is a health and social care charity who provide free and confidential treatment, support and information about drug and alcohol use, smoking, homelessness, justice and probation, and employment.
To find out more, head to: www.changegrowlive.org
