First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) is rolling out a new free programme to help customers with their mental health issues.
The pilot initiative will allow ten customers to attend confidential weekly sessions over an eight-week period. They will provide support and a safe place to discuss mental health challenges people might be facing.
It will launch later this month alongside Mental Health Awareness Week running until 18th May. FCHO has partnered with the community interest company Calm Ahead to deliver it and it has given £2,500 in funding.
If the pilot is successful, then FCHO will consider rolling out the service at other locations.
Naomi Martin-Smith, Stronger communities manager at FCHO said: “We are really pleased to be offering this important free and confidential service to customers for the first time,” said
“Our customer feedback has highlighted mental health issues as one of the major concerns and, in our role as an anchor organisation, we felt it was right to listen and act on those findings.
“After the eight-week course, peer support sessions will continue to help our customers access further support for issues such as funding employment or tackling debt.
“The pilot also very much supports our other initiatives to support our customers like Live Well, therapeutic yoga, virtual walking and the volunteer driver service pilot.”
The ten places for the pilot will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The programme will be in cognitive behavioural therapy. This talking therapy helps individuals understand and change unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns with a view to setting goals and finding practical coping strategies to improve well-being.
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