The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) has awarded grants totalling £55,058 to 10 local groups with the support of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, Michael Lane, who has provided match-funding of c.80% to the Youth Mental Health Fund.
Grants have been awarded to local voluntary groups right across the region for projects working towards the prevention and treatment of mental health problems for younger people.
The fund supports young children from the age of 5 up to adults of 25-years-old who have been affected by a range of issues including anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, low self-esteem, drug addition, bereavement, domestic abuse and crime. Young people living with mental health issues, and their parents and carers, need be able to explore their concerns in a safe, friendly and non-judgemental environment, receiving support with their emotional wellbeing to help them avoid illness and mental distress.
This is the first time HIWCF has run a Youth Mental Health fund and the Foundation received an overwhelming response, with applications received from 38 groups expressing an interest in grants for projects amounting to £206,823.67.
Jigsaw Family Support in Ryde offers psychological therapy and counselling to families in crisis and to children and young people who have been affected by family breakdown. The group has received a grant of £5,252 to enable them to support more young people suffering with mental health issues, allowing them to expand their services and offer even more help for people in desperate need who have nowhere else to go for the right advice and support.
The group aims to help by dealing with the physical and emotional turmoil that may lead to unhappiness, risk taking, substance misuse or anti-social behaviour, reducing isolation and promoting key values that children and young people can carry forward into their adult lives.
Tina Maretic, Centre Co-ordinator for Jigsaw said:
“We are delighted to receive this grant which enables us to continue our vital services on the Island, supporting an average of 36 vulnerable young people every month.
Article continues below this advertisement “It is vital that children with mental health problems get early support, yet the reality is that mental health for young people has been chronically underfunded for decades. By gaining access to the right kind of counselling and treatment we believe that we can address young people’s problems, effectively transforming how they will deal with issues in their future lives in a more positive way.”
HIWCF continuously reviews grant-making to ensure that it focuses on the areas of greatest need. Last year HIWCF was able to target 70% of the £1.1million grant spend on the 50% most deprived wards in the region.
If you would like to find out more about HIWCF and their invaluable work across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth, visit www.hiwcf.com.
