World Mental Health Day is marked worldwide this Saturday (10 October) raising awareness of what can be done to ensure that people with mental health problems can live well and with dignity.

Our team in Doncaster run a community-based floating mental health and housing service for people affected by mental health conditions in the town – just one example of how we are helping people thrive in their own home by supporting them with their tenancy.

Area Manager, Wendy Heritage-Stevens, said: “Since Riverside’s Doncaster Mental Health Floating Support Service began operating two and a half years ago, we have had hundreds of referrals. Our team operate the ‘floating’ service by meeting customers in their homes.

“We have funding to support up to 300 single people and families suffering from mental health condition to obtain and maintain tenancies in Doncaster. We work with people affected by anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

“We are seeing an increasing demand for our support service and are working with other agencies to provide a package of support to ensure people have the practical help they need to maintain their tenancy or property. We help around 80 people at any one time and continue to receive a high number of referrals from our partner mental health agencies.

“The service operates a one-to-one system to assist personal development and help solve problems to ensure people in the town can maintain their homes.

“We have a team of 25 specialist staff who work with customers on individual support plans so they can make informed choices and decisions. This enables them to live their lives with dignity.”

Rob*, 47, had been diagnosed with a severe personality disorder, stress and anxiety and is profoundly deaf and has learning disabilities. He was having major problems managing his tenancy and his independence was threatened until he was supported by the service.

The floating support service helped him to reduce his debt as he was spending more than his monthly income. The team helped him acquire the skills he needed to manage his finances and signposted him to services to support mental and physical health.

Wendy added: “Rob now has all his utilities in one place and is managing his finances. Most importantly, he now has the skills to manage his life independently with dignity.

“By helping people we can combat the spiral of self-stigma, low confidence and self-esteem, withdrawal and social isolation that many experience.”

One in four adults and one in ten children are likely to have a mental health problem in any given year. This can have a profound impact on the lives of tens of millions of people in the UK, and can affect their ability to sustain relationships, work, or just get through the day. ^[1]

World Mental Health Day, hosted by the World Federation of Mental Health, aims to fight the stigma around mental health conditions, educating people to break down barriers and access appropriate support.

According to a 2014 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development mental health issues are costing the UK £70bn a year. ^[2]

For more information about Doncaster Mental Health Floating Support Service, or details about how to apply, contact Team Leader Paul Fitzpatrick on 01302 366323 or email [email protected].

*name has been changed

^[1] Source: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ – World Mental Health Day 2015

^[2] Source: Mental health issues ‘cost UK £70bn a year’, claims thinktank