News
*** Hello and goodbye!
March 2008: John Starmer stood down as a trustee and Chairperson on March 31st and Jon Wilkinson was elected to succeed him. John had been Chair for the past 6 years and we wish him well in his future and retirement from Hestia. Jon Wilkinson was the previous Chief Executive of Research International before retiring in 2004. Jon is currently visiting many of the services and we welcome him and extend our best wishes in his new role.
*** Hestia wins new contract for Community Development Service in Hammersmith & Fulham.
January 2008: Hestia now provides a Community Development Service for Black, Minority and Ethnic (BME) Mental Health service users in Hammersmith & Fulham.
Hestia employs two Community Development Workers who provide a resource and a supportive link between BME communities and mental health services.
The key aim of the service is to reduce inequalities in mental health service provision in Hammersmith & Fulham. The service does this by:
Engaging local BME communities and users with a view to:
- Building their trust
- Developing skills
- Reducing fear
- Understanding their experience and expertise
- Raising awareness of mental health and addressing stigma
- Supporting early intervention / prevention and access to mental health services
Engaging local organisations with a view to:
- Developing cultural competencies within organisations – both statutory and voluntary
- Improving services and access to these
- Identifying gaps and solutions
- Tackling exclusions and combating racism and discrimination
- Working in partnership
Individuals with mental health needs, or organisations representing BME communities can access this service, through an open referral system.
Contact info@hestia.org for more information.
*** Hestia wins tri-borough jointly commissioned contract in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham to provide a Floating Support Service for 100 people with HIV/AIDS.
July 2007: Hestia provides a large cross-borough floating support service in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, supporting people with HIV/AIDS to live independently and maximise their choices and opportunities.
Contact info@hestia.org for more information.
Hestia establishes a Directorate of Women’s Services placing services for women at the heart of the organisation and consolidating our position as a major provider of women’s services.
April 2007: Following Hestia’s merger with 4 Women’s Aid organisations in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Harrow, we established a Directorate of women’s services. The merged structure brings a strong sense of identity for women’s services while at the same time being firmly integrated within the organisation as a whole. Women’s services form approximately 20% of Hestia’s annual turnover overall and we are committed to growing and developing it over the coming years.
Hestia’s Directorate of Women’s Services brings together 11 refuges for 77 women and approximately 113 children fleeing domestic abuse and 7 outreach and resettlement services for 127 women and children with experience of domestic abuse, across 6 boroughs. This makes Hestia one of the largest providers of specialist domestic violence services in Greater London.
Contact info@hestia.org for more information.
Expansion of mental health supported housing provision in Richmond
August 2006: Hestia has expanded its provision of supported housing services for people with mental health needs in London Borough of Richmond. Working closely with London & Quadrant Supported Living and Richmond Council, Hestia has taken over the management of 18 one-bedroom self-contained flats for people with mental health needs. Tenants benefit from regular visits from a skilled worker who offers support with a range of housing matters including dealing with neighbour disputes, applying for benefits, guidance with independent living skills and accessing community services and facilities. For further details and information on how to apply please contact sheila.jones@hestia.org
Hestia extends it's provision of support services for offenders in Brent and Ealing
July 2006: Hestia has taken over the provision of supported housing services for 35 offenders in London Borough of Brent. Knowing our extensive experience in managing services for offenders, Brent asked Hestia to step in and manage these services, when problems with the service were revealed. Hestia has successfully transferred staff from the previous service provider and is making significant in-roads in delivering the necessary improvements in service quality. In the near future these services will be enhanced further with support being made available to users in the evenings and weekends. For further details and information on how to apply for this service please contact jo.ideh@hestia.org
April 2006: Hestia has launched a new support service for mentally disordered offenders in London Borough of Ealing; the first such scheme in the borough. Hestia is working closely with prisons and the mental health housing team to support vulnerable and homeless prison-leavers secure settled accommodation. The service aims to promote users social inclusion within local communities and to this end skilled staff support users to access employment, education, training and welfare benefits, access healthcare and treatment and build and maintain family relationships. The service will be fundamental to mentally disordered offenders in avoiding re-offending and homelessness. For further details and information on how to apply for this service please contact ana.ryan@hestia.org
Transforming services to the needs of people with Long-term conditions including Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairment
Over the past 12 months Hestia has transformed its support service provision for people with HIV and AIDS, adapting to a constantly changing environment where the impact of medical, social and demographic developments require our services to be flexible, accessible and responsive. To this end many of our support services now cater for people with long-term conditions, including Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairment, rather than being specifically focussed on HIV or AIDS. This means that our valuable support services can reach out to greater numbers of people in need. It also means that people with HIV or AIDS can access our services without disclosing their status, and still benefit from the specialist expertise of our staff.