Cumbria Community Foundation - Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021

F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 36 The Well Communities Furness, and Barrow in particular, has had the spotlight shone on it in recent years, but not for a good reason. When 12 people died between December 2017 and April 2018 as a result of taking Class A drugs, the town was labelled “the drug capital of the UK” by tabloid media. It’s a stigma that the area wants to shake, but the problems can’t just be ignored. Richard Hancock, senior recovery worker at The Well Communities, which started in Barrow and now covers Kendal and parts of Lancashire, said: “We initially started just doing the drug rehabilitation around eight years ago, because there was a massive need for it. “We have found that the cohort of people we deal with are switched off to traditional professional services, so this is the way to get them engaged.” The charity’s flagship project is 30-bed intensive supported housing and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme. “One of the benefits of having all these projects is that if, say, someone comes to our supermarket and they’re struggling with their mental health then we have a programme that they can go on. “The projects that we run typically lead on to each other, and with our supported housing we encourage all our residents to do voluntary work and give back to the community. Making amends for the past is a big part of what we get people to do as part of their recovery programme.” A White Paper on sustainable addiction services quoted Well Communities in a parliamentary debate, and it is seen as a successful programme and an example to follow. The charity signposts people onto the HAWCs (Cumbria County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Coaches), to Mind in Furness and to other agencies, and uses programmes such as its food club to help and engage people. Applications for a recent hardship fund saw well over half the people that received support come from one postcode [LA14, Barrow Island]. Around a quarter of the money went on white goods, but the other three quarters was food. People just needed food. “I know that the NHS runs multi-disciplinary teams, but one thing I’ve always found is that you don’t seem to have one central person and everyone uses different systems and nobody really knows what each other is doing. “We have a very personal approach though, so we’ll call people up and ask how they are getting on with Mind or other organisations. We’re open to doing whatever is useful for people. “For lived-experience organisations, national funding isn’t up to the levels we would hope for because there just isn’t enough money out there to do what’s needed.” “ It’s not just poverty though, there are a lot of comorbidities around with mental, physical or substance issues going on. So having somewhere linked in to all those different areas can be really helpful.”