New National Lottery and Government partnership to help more vulnerable people

• The National Lottery Community Fund to invest almost £18 million in Government’s ‘Changing Futures’ programme
• Expanded £64 million programme will help more adults facing multiple issues such as homelessness, substance misuse and domestic abuse
• Additional funding will extend length of the programme to help local partnerships develop longer term and more effective support for those in need. 21 areas have been shortlisted for the programme and will submit full plans.

More of the most vulnerable people in our communities will be supported by an expanded Government programme thanks to an around £18 million new investment announced today from The National Lottery Community Fund - the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

The Changing Future Programme invites local organisations to form partnerships to better support those who experience multiple disadvantages, including homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse, and contact with the criminal justice system.

Those targeted by the programme are often among the most vulnerable in society, facing entrenched disadvantage and trauma. Getting coordinated support from local services can be difficult - this can lead to greater risk of homelessness, ill health, and increased contact with the criminal justice system, and result in higher demand for local response services.

On top of the Government’s £46 million investment in the programme, the additional funding announced today takes the total scheme to £64 million. This will extend the support available to 3 years and enable a more effective, joined-up service from local organisations - including, councils, health bodies, police, probation services, voluntary and community sector.

Last year, the government invited local partnerships to bid to take part in the ‘Changing Futures’ programme and establish new support systems for vulnerable people. 21 areas have been shortlisted for the next selection round and will now submit their proposals for a wider support service in their regions.

Today’s funding builds on the National Lottery’s ‘Fulfilling Lives’ programme - a £112 million investment over eight years that that focuses on improving support for vulnerable people, by giving them a greater voice in the design and delivery of services.

Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Eddie Hughes said:

“With thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund, the nearly £64 million Changing Futures scheme can now expand the support available and enable more vulnerable people in our communities to get the help they need.

“It is important for the most vulnerable in our society to have access to a range of support from different services.

“By extending the scheme, we will give local organisations the chance to establish these partnerships and provide a longer period of tailored support that will ultimately help more people to build a better future.”

Interim Chief Executive at The National Lottery Community Fund, John Rose, said:

“We are delighted to be supporting the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government Changing Futures programme through an additional investment of £17.9m.

“Through our Fulfilling Lives programme in England, we have seen people who have lived experience come together in partnerships with communities to develop new approaches which can better support adults facing multiple disadvantage.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for the UK’s good causes, and £41 billion has been distributed to 565,000 good causes across the UK since 1994.”

The ‘Changing Futures’ programme, announced last year, aims to deliver improvements at the individual, service and system level:

• for individuals, to stabilise and then improve the life situation of adults who face multiple disadvantage
• for services, to better integrate local services to provide a person-centred approach and to reduce demand on reactive services
• for the local system, to test a different approach to funding, accountability and engagement between local commissioners and services, and central government and local areas.

Ends

Further Information:

The initial shortlisting round for the ‘Changing Futures’ Programme has completed, and the local partnership areas will now be asked to submit delivery plans for the next selection round. More information will available here from Friday 19 March.

The programme will run alongside an evaluation, and lessons learned by local areas will be applied nationally to deliver better outcomes across the country.

Case studies from the National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Fulfilling Lives Programme’:

The 8 year ‘Fulfilling Lives Programme’ provides support for local services to help some of the most vulnerable people in our communities get the support they need to turn their lives around.

The new Changing Futures programme aims to enable services such as these to expand the work they are doing and support more people like Lucy and Shaun.

Manchester - ‘Inspiring Change Manchester’:

Lucy experienced a difficult childhood, with trauma and abusive relationships. She was a dependant drinker with severe mental health problems.

Following a referral to Inspiring Change Manchester (ICM), Lucy was given the time needed to engage with support workers and build up a trusting relationship. A large part of this was adapting the way of working to best suit Lucy’s needs due to her past experiences.

Having previously not attended support groups due to her disruptive behaviour, Lucy has since volunteered to help run the ICM’s Women’s Voices group (a lived experience group for women facing multiple disadvantage) and facilitates activities during sessions.

Jackie Richardson, programme manager at Inspiring Change Manchester said: "It cannot be emphasised enough how working in a way that focused on positive relationships and built on Lucy's strengths have been crucial to her achievements."

Lucy said: “I don’t know what I would have done without Amanda and ICM, they have stuck by me, believed in me and didn’t give up.”

Birmingham - ‘Birmingham Changing Futures Together’:

After facing abuse during childhood, Shaun (now 48-years old) left home at 19. He then became homeless and his mental health deteriorated, developing PTSD after an experience of violent assault. After 30 years in and out of prison, things changed when he connected with Birmingham Changing Futures Together.

Since then, he has received coordinated support from services in the local network to help address his specific needs, such as anger and stress management counselling, as well as housing support from Shelter.

Shaun said: “It was late on a rainy day when I came out of prison and I had very little time to get to the probation office. If my peer mentor and lead worker hadn’t met me as I walked out, I would have gone straight to the off-licence and been back inside within days. Without their support my future was a life sentence or violent death.”