A leading mental health organisation is partnering with The Greggs Foundation to provide financial relief to people referred to their crisis service.
Everyturn Mental Health, a non-profit that provides a range of mental health support across the country, has joined forces with The Greggs Foundation with the aim of offering financial assistance to those referred to its North East crisis service, Together in a Crisis (TIAC).
The organisation, which supports people experiencing mental health crisis through its TIAC service, has seen a rise in referrals over the last two years due to the cost-of-living crisis. There have been more cases of people struggling with their mental health, as it becomes increasingly hard to maintain and meet the demands of utility bills and the cost of essential items, including food and clothing. The non-profit has also seen an increase in need as local food banks are struggling to keep up with higher demand during the cost-of-living crisis.
Everyturn is partnering with The Greggs Foundation to provide a 12-month pilot scheme that enables the TIAC team to offer vouchers for various supermarkets, stores, and utility companies so people can get immediate relief from the financial pressures they are facing. The vouchers can be spent in shops including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Primark, and Argos.
Both organisations have allocated a total of £2,000 per month as a crisis fund for Everyturn’s support workers to distribute as vouchers to people in mental health crisis. The vouchers, provided through the Huggg app, will be £30 to £50 in value, depending on need, and will aim to deliver immediate relief so people can buy food, clothing, or pay their bills. Everyturn will then work with each person to help them find longer-term support.
Adam Crampsie, Chief Executive of Everyturn Mental Health, said: “We have worked closely with The Greggs Foundation for many years, providing local people with real support that makes a difference. This new scheme is another example of our partnership’s positive impact on the lives of people struggling in our community.
“Our TIAC team has seen first-hand the absolute devastation the cost-of-living crisis has caused to people in the North East, and we are incredibly grateful to The Greggs Foundation for helping us to support our region when it matters most.”
Tracy Lynch, Manager of The Greggs Foundation, added “For several years, we have supported people in financial crisis with a national hardship programme providing targeted support for those who really need it.
“Helping people manage the impact of cost-of-living increases has become a strong focus of the Foundation over the past 18 months and our partnership with Everyturn Mental Health will ensure that even more individuals can access grant funding to purchase essential groceries, clothing and meet basic utility costs in the region.”
