Written by Zainab Hashmi-Saatar
World Mental Health Day, taking place on 10th October each year since 1992, is an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health, promoting the importance of good mental health and supporting people who are struggling with their mental health. The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is 'access to services - mental health in catastrophes and emergencies', which highlights the importance of mental health within the current global and national context of conflict and instability.
As is one of our core purposes at Macc, especially within the Policy and Influence Team, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the essential role that the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector plays in supporting people facing mental health challenges in Manchester, especially within the ‘polycrisis’ we find ourselves currently in the UK and globally. Because, despite the perception of the voluntary sector amongst the general public as a ‘nice-to-have', feel-good addition, we are in reality an integral part of the health and social care system, often reaching people not in contact with mainstream/statutory services and often delivering essential services on behalf of the statutory sector.
Mental health in the UK today
So, why is World Mental Health Day even needed? In England, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year, and the number of people reporting common mental health problems is increasing, going up by 45% from 1993 to 2024 - and even this high number is likely an undercount as it does not include people who are not living in private housing. Focusing in on Manchester, the city has higher rates of mental ill health compared to national averages for both adults and children, reflecting its poorer health and socio-economic indicators.
Within the current local, national and international context of the past few years – the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, conflict, climate change, and increasing polarization – it makes sense that mental health challenges are increasingly common. Moreover, the determinants of mental health (such as having a safe place to live, experiencing abuse, or growing up in poverty) interact with societal inequalities, leading to some groups having poorer mental health outcomes. Taking the cost-of-living crisis as an example, research from Mind found that nearly half of the people surveyed said their mental health had been impacted by the crisis.
There is a range of support that people facing mental health can access in the UK, from going to the GP and Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) through to in-patient care and crisis intervention. While the statutory sector, especially the NHS, plays a major role in these services, the work of the VCSE sector in supporting people and preventing them from facing mental health challenges is often underestimated.
The role of the VCSE sector in the mental health system
According to the Association of Mental Health Providers, there are 884 mental health provider charities nationally which helped 8 million people, although this is likely an undercount of the true number. In Manchester, 14% of the 3,394 VCSE organisations in the city said they supported people with mental health challenges, which equates to around 475 charities. Mental health VCSE organisations can range from large national charities such as Mind, medium-sized charities operating across cities and regions such as Manchester Mind and Gaddum, through to small grassroots organisations supporting local neighbourhoods. The support they provide is equally varied, ranging from prevention to crisis support.
Mental health VCSE organisations are uniquely valuable as they can offer certain benefits and have qualities that statutory services may not have. They take a whole-person approach, supporting people with issues such as money, employment and physical health which may be impacting on their mental health. They support people who may have not been supported by more ‘mainstream’ services or may want a specialist service, such as people from the LGBTQ+ community or the Global Majority. Small, local charities are embedded within their community and understand their needs and strengths well.
As has been referenced, the determinants of mental health interact with societal inequalities to produce poorer mental health outcomes for marginalised groups. As October also marks World Homelessness Day and Black History Month, we wanted to highlight the work that is being done in Manchester by VCSE organisations to support people with their mental health who are at risk of homelessness and who come from African and Caribbean communities.
Homelessness and Mental Health: Manchester Mind
Mental health difficulties can both contribute to an individual becoming homelessness and be a consequence of homelessness. According to Crisis, 45% of people who are homeless have a diagnosed mental health issue, rising to 80% for people who are sleeping rough.
Manchester Mind have been supporting mental health for all in Manchester for over 35 years. One of the many vital services they provide is their Advice Service, supporting people who are struggling with advice on housing, benefits and debt. In 2022, they shared the following story with us as part of our Spirit of Manchester Stories Week focused on what VCSE organisations were doing to support people in the cost-of-living crisis: https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/spirit-of-manchester/spirit-manchester-spirit-stories
We have been supporting Andrea*, a 55-year-old woman with complex needs, who is a carer for her adult son. She was facing eviction from her private rented property due to rent arrears.
We identified that she had recently fallen victim to several financial scams, and advised on how to take measures to protect herself. She was searching for paid employment, so we were also able to provide her with resources and signpost her to nearby job clubs.
We advised on searching for a new private tenancy and informed her that she could be eligible for help with a deposit. We also supported Andrea to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) and signposted her to another agency for support with her eviction.
Having identified a number of debts, we advised on trust funds for water and energy arrears and signposted to debt advice services. We advised that as a carer, she could be eligible for additional council tax discount, and we supported her to apply for Carer's Allowance. Her claim for Carer's Allowance was successful, increasing her benefits by £37.70 per week. She also received a one-off backdated payment of nearly £1000.
*Not her real name
African and Caribbean communities and Mental Health: Afrocats
People from African and Caribbean communities in the UK are over-represented in mental health services and experience poorer outcomes compared to white people. Systemic racism in the healthcare system and stigma within communities combine with other factors.
Afrocats is a Black-led organisation working with people from diverse backgrounds to help them integrate into society. In 2023, they shared the following story with us as part of our Spirit of Manchester Stories Week focused on what VCSE organisations were doing to support people seeking sanctuary: https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/spirit-of-manchester/spirit-manchester-spirit-stories
The women we work with tell us that they experience isolation, low self-esteem, long-term mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress and depression. This has been amplified by the cost of living crisis. We spoke to the women we work with and they told us:
45% felt alone
100% felt weak and tired of repetitive day-to-day depression and stress
60% said they stopped eating
“I don't want to be in the house because it is depressing to be alone at home.”
Afrocats work aims to change this.
Our Natives of the World programme is for women from refugee backgrounds. Our aim is to give women access to activities that will improve their wellbeing and increase employability skills so they can feel included and valued members of society.
Eden got her refugee status in 2019 and is a participant on our Natives of the World programme. Joining us on our walking project Eden saw the benefit of women joining together. This inspired her to volunteer for Aftocats running own group.
“Through Afrocats walking group I made friends, I met people in the same situation as me. We could talk about women’s issues, things that were causing us worries that we saw in the news. I wanted to give something back to Afrocats so I asked Magdalen if I could volunteer.
"When Magdalen asked me what I wanted to do I asked if we could make a group to bring people together to have time to ourselves together, time just for talking. From there Table Talk was born.
“I want to get a paid job and leading Table Talk helps give me the confidence to make that happen. It helps me develop day-by-day because Afrocats believes in me. It is amazing.”
It is clear that the VCSE sector is a vital part of the mental health system, reaching underserved communities and providing a holistic, whole-person approach for those with mental health challenges. Within the current difficult climate for the sector, these organisations need secure and sustainable funding to meet the increasing demand for their services. It is also essential that they are seen as equal partners by their public sector counterparts, so that they can work in partnership to deliver better mental health support for all.