Equal Futures is delighted to announce it has been awarded £60,000 by the Self Management Fund, which is administered by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The Self Management Fund supports projects providing support to people experiencing multiple forms of marginalisation, or engaging in a hybrid way of working and supporting digital inclusion. The demand for funding was five times the amount of investment available, and the maximum amount of funding available to projects in this round was £60,000.
The funding will enable Equal Futures to expand its support to a new area, North Lanarkshire. Following a scoping project last year, Equal Futures identified North Lanarkshire as an area with an unmet need. They will soon be working with several people with a learning disability and their families to provide befriending and circles of support.
Jayne Laidlaw, Managing Director, said: “This grant award will make a huge difference to the lives of a dozen adults with a learning disability, and their families, to end social isolation, develop new interests and improve emotional well-being.
The team worked tirelessly to understand their needs and look at how we could bridge the gap in existing services by appointing a Project Co-ordinator to facilitate life-long circles of support, and recruit volunteers to offer 1 to 1 befriending in the local community.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and enjoy the benefits of belonging in our fun but professional team. It’s a fantastic way to make new friends and form meaningful connections with others.
We’re super excited that the Self Management Fund will help us to launch our services across the communities of North Lanarkshire and enable people with a learning disability to live their best lives.”