Care & Support Impact Report 2026

One customer, a gay Iranian refugee, joined our Camden Mental Health service while experiencing severe trauma, PTSD and depression. He found it difficult to trust others, engage with support and manage everyday life independently. 

Using a person-centred, trauma-informed approach, colleagues worked with him to build trust, develop coping strategies and increase confidence. Through regular support sessions and partnership working, he engaged with services, education and community activities. He now manages his medication, healthcare appointments, tenancy and finances independently. In education he has advanced from Level 3 to Level 4 Accounting and Payroll studies and received an Outstanding Learner Award.

He is ready to move on from supported housing while pursuing his education and employment goals.

Church Homeless Charity (CHC) has been a close partner of Riverside’s for many years and provide grants for individual Riverside customers of up to £200 each. These are tailored to meet the needs of each person impacted by homelessness at that moment in time and help with items such as clothing, ID, a phone, a rent deposit or furniture. Last year they awarded grants of over £200,000 to Riverside customers.

Withington Road provides a safe, inclusive home for LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness, offering specialist support that helps customers rebuild confidence, improve their wellbeing and take positive steps towards independent living. Through personalised support, the team helps people develop life and tenancy skills and reconnect with their communities.

Part of Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night programme, the service helps prevent repeat homelessness by supporting customers into long-term housing. Strong partnerships provide access to specialist LGBTQ+ services, mental health support, safeguarding, community activities and practical assistance, creating a holistic network that helps people overcome barriers to sustain tenancies. 

At Hamlet Court a Retirement Living scheme in Liverpool, customers have transformed an underused outdoor area into a vibrant community garden that is improving wellbeing, reducing isolation and creating opportunities to connect with nature. Part of Riverside’s Green Spaces pilot, customers played a leading role in co-designing Hedgehog Haven.

Working alongside colleagues, volunteers and sustainability specialists, customers created a wildlife-friendly garden filled with wildflowers, pollinator plants, raised planters and habitats for hedgehogs. Over 12 weeks, they learned about local wildlife, climate resilience and nature recovery while enjoying gardening, crafting and social activities.

Every decision was led by customers. Their ideas and experiences shaped the design and the project has encouraged customers to spend more time outdoors, build friendships and take pride in a space they created together.

One customer said: “I think it’s wonderful. My granddaughter is delighted too, and we spend time together in the garden.”

Another proudly shared: “I learned how to use a rake.”

As the UK moves from analogue telephone lines to digital networks, we are delivering a major Telecare upgrade programme to ensure customers continue to receive safe, reliable support. This is particularly important as traditional equipment depends on analogue phone lines that will be switched off by January 2027.

We have successfully upgraded 100% of dispersed Telecare equipment to digital signalling, compared with the UK average of 80%.

To deliver this, we introduced a phased approach. Digital converters were installed to enable existing systems to work on digital networks with minimal disruption, while longer-term plans are underway to replace legacy equipment with fully digital technology.

By moving to digital technology, we are helping to ensure emergency calls connect with assistance when customers need it most.

The programme not only safeguards vital services today but also creates a foundation for future innovation, giving us greater flexibility to meet individual needs and helping customers live independently in their own homes for longer.

For 44-year-old Gary, moving into Extra Care at Harbour Place was a life-changing step. Living with cerebral palsy, he had spent his entire life in the family home in Whitehaven, cared for by his mum after the loss of his father. As caring responsibilities became more challenging, Gary faced an uncertain future and when Harbour Place was suggested, felt anxious about leaving the only home he had ever known.

Despite his worries, Gary has settled into his adapted apartment much more quickly than he expected. With the care and support he needs, he has gained both independence and confidence.

Today, he is surrounded by friends, enjoys trips around the harbour, attends country music festivals, and shares a special friendship with fellow residents.

Gary’s journey shows how Extra Care living can transform lives, replacing isolation with independence, friendship and a true sense of belonging.

Afusat is the Registered Manager at our CQC-registered service, Lime Tree Gardens – a residential mental health service in Camden, North London.

When Afusat took on the role, the service was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’. Through her determination, clear vision and unwavering commitment to both customers and colleagues, she led a transformation that resulted in a ‘Good’ CQC rating in March 2026, a significant achievement for the service and the people we support.

Her impact goes far beyond compliance and quality standards. Afusat rebuilt confidence within the team, creating a positive, motivated and high-performing culture where people feel empowered, valued and accountable. The result is a stronger service delivering better outcomes for customers.

Afusat’s influence continues across the region through her work as Acting Regional Care Practice Manager. She mentors Registered Managers, shares her expertise in complex mental health services and is developing future leaders by coaching her Deputy Managers to step confidently into leadership roles.

Committed to continuous learning, Afusat is also studying towards her Level 5 Operational Management Qualification.

In Medway, Kent, Elizabeth Court provides intensive support for pregnant women or young mothers and their babies. As part of the tender, the Riverside Foundation funded the accredited Incredible Years Parenting Programme, which helps parents build confidence and support their babies’ early development.

Jeannette Kilinc, Senior Partnership Commissioner, Medway Council:

“As a local authority, we value the contribution Elizabeth Court makes supporting some of our most vulnerable families. The service provides far more than accommodation; it offers parents a unique opportunity to develop the skills, confidence and resilience needed to create safe, stable and nurturing homes for their children.

The relationships developed between staff and residents are at the heart of the service, helping parents feel valued, supported and empowered to make positive changes in their lives.”

When Wirral Council faced sustained pressure on temporary accommodation and rising reliance on B&B placements for single homeless households and Riverside had a long-term empty property - both parties sensed an opportunity for a creative solution.

The result is a two-year Temporary Accommodation pilot at Balls Road, Birkenhead, providing 24/7 concierge and intensive housing management, with the Council’s Temporary Accommodation Team based on site providing customers with support and case management. This shared model strengthens onsite presence and helps manage risk.

Outstanding partnership working overcame barriers, including refurbishment costs, financial viability, lone working, move-on arrangements, Housing Benefit considerations and legal complexity. Wirral Council funded the project through their Capital Programme as an “invest-to-save” model where the capital investment reduces revenue expenditure on alternative, more costly hotel/B&B accommodation, while both organisations agreed clear responsibilities through service level agreements and a bespoke licence arrangement. 

Centre 28 is a 25-room supported accommodation service for young people in Hull.

In 2025 the service was struggling to attract new residents and utilising funding from Riverside’s Care & Support Investment Programme budget a plan was put in place with a clear goal: to create a service that met new regulatory standards and, more importantly, felt like a place young people could be proud to call home.

From the outset, young people were at the heart of the redesign. They shared ideas on layouts, facilities and what would make the service work for them.

Co-production became part of almost every decision. Young people helped choose room names, furniture, colours and flooring, researching options and voting on their favourites.

The result is more than a refurbished building. It is a service shaped by the people who live there, supported by colleagues, commissioners and partners working together.

For 25 years, Old Tea Warehouse has supported people in High Wycombe experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives and move on towards a brighter future.

In this time the service has helped hundreds of people, providing safe supported accommodation, person-centred support and step-down housing for those ready to move on to independent living.

Its success has been built on strong partnership working with Buckinghamshire Council, healthcare providers, police, criminal justice organisations, local voluntary groups and the wider community.

A special 25th anniversary celebration brought together customers, staff, former staff, partners and local councillors while current and former customers shared their experiences, welcomed guests and showed the positive relationships the service continues to maintain long after people move on.