06 September 2024
Tom Hayes MP for Bournemouth East has visited WithYou Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) for the first time to meet some of the charity’s clients and staff living and working across his constituency.
Mr Hayes met with clients who’ve been supported by WithYou’s homeless outreach, young people and veterans support services.
Caz Anderson, Head of Service Delivery at WithYou in BCP, and other members of her team, talked about the support currently being given to more than 3,000 adults across the area. They discussed key issues that the service faces, including: responding to homelessness and rough sleeping across the region, tackling stigma around drugs and alcohol, and engaging harder to reach communities across the region.
Caz Anderson, Head of Service Delivery, said:
“It was brilliant to be able to talk to Tom about the vital work we do at WithYou BCP, which is saving lives across our community.
“This new Government has a huge opportunity to make real, tangible change in the lives of people in Bournemouth. Each alcohol- and drug-specific death is a tragedy, but we don’t need to accept this status quo. These deaths are preventable with the right support, treatment and policy-making.
“We also have to tackle stigma and do more to reach underserved communities, to ensure that everyone is able to access the support they need.
“To achieve these goals, charities like ours need long-term, secure funding, which would allow us to plan ahead and run long-term campaigns to help people change their lives.”
Tom Hayes MP, Bournemouth East, says:
“It was an honour to meet users of WithYou BCP services and the words of one will stay with me: ‘I don’t want to be saved, I want someone to walk alongside me so I can save myself’. That’s what excellent services do, they walk alongside people during the most difficult times they will know.
“Until a few weeks ago I was a chief executive of a mental health, domestic abuse, and homelessness charity – I am passionate about supporting people to rebuild their lives. We can only truly tackle the root causes of people’s difficulties when we provide help with housing, health, security, jobs, and money, and WithYou do all of this.
“Thank you to everyone who is supporting local people, so many of whom have their own lived experience which spurs them on to do such incredible things.”
WithYou also delivers specialist services to support people with specific needs.
- In the last three months, WithYou BCP’s Community Team supported 438 people struggling with their housing because of their challenges with drugs or alcohol, and prevented 35 evictions.
- We offer education, group work and one-to-one sessions for young people, and meet them wherever they feel most comfortable, whether that’s at home, in school or in the community. This year we’re already working with 173 young people, and our successful completion rate for the rolling year is at 91%.
- 44 veterans are currently in treatment or support programmes across WithYou BCP, and we work closely with the armed forces community, veterans’ families and children.
