Nathaniel’s journey with our Mental Health Liaison Team
02 February 2023
Today is Time To Talk Day which is all about creating supportive communities by having conversations with family, friends, or colleagues about mental health. We all have mental health and by talking about it, we can support ourselves and others. What's more, conversations about mental health have the power to change lives.
At Network Homes, we’ve always supported residents with mental ill health, with our Neighbourhood Officers typically providing this support. To help residents who are finding it difficult to sustain their tenancies because of mental ill health, and to limit the issues this can cause such as rent arrears or anti-social behaviour, we established a Mental Health Liaison team last year. Our team work on a referral basis to support to residents with severe mental health issues who are at risk of losing their tenancy or subject to tenancy enforcement action. They work collaboratively with other departments within Network Homes and relevant external local agencies to increase independence, maintain tenancies and support residents in their recovery.
Whilst our Mental Health Liaison team is still relatively new, their impact so far has been substantial. One resident our team has worked with is Nathaniel Braithwaite. Nathaniel has lived in homes managed by us for 12 years, and was referred to the Mental Health team at the start of last year by his Welfare Benefits Advice Officer. In the video below, Nathaniel shares how our Mental Health Liaison team supported him with managing his mental health and improving his confidence, which helped him secure a job and become active in his community.
Watch the video below to hear Nathaniel’s story:
