Breaking the cycle of poverty

from The Daily Echo

A NEW SOUTHAMPTON outreach service to help mental illness sufferers break the cycle of poverty has been set up with lottery cash.

Solent Mind and Southampton CAB, some of whose members are pictured celebrating, have been awarded £471,371 from the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities programme to deliver the service for the next four years.

The charities will work together to deliver the service that is being funded with Lottery good causes proceeds for four years.

John Chambers, head of services at Solent Mind, said: "We were thrilled to receive the fantastic news that the Big Lottery Fund was awarding this grant.

"We will help some of the most isolated members of our community who have severe mental health problems by offering a service which comes to them rather than expect them to come to us."

The outreach service will target people with mental health problems whose conditions are worsened because of the stress of financial difficulties and who receive little help to manage money and improve their well being.