Posted13.11.24
Health and Wellbeing programme
When you walk into one of our services, you might encounter the scent of fresh lavender from an aromatherapy session, hear laughter from an arts and crafts workshop, or find a group of people preparing for a walk to the local park. For Jenna, who heads up Evolve’s Health and Wellbeing Team, this dynamic range of activities is essential in helping people affected by homelessness in London.
“Our goal is to meet people where they are and give them a safe, welcoming space to explore their health and wellbeing,”
Evolve’s approach includes providing traditional one-to-one therapy but goes beyond it with group activities like art sessions, aromatherapy, and nature walks. These activities offer customers a less formal way to engage, easing them into building trust with the team.
“Some people might not feel ready to sit down in a formal therapy setting, but through these activities, they start connecting with us and begin feeling comfortable. Once that foundation of trust is built, they may be more open to other forms of support.”
Evolve’s Health and Wellbeing Team also partners with local health providers to organise free health checks for customers. Opticians come in for eye tests, blood pressure checks are done regularly, and customers receive assessments for diabetes and other health risks.
“These services are vital as they often prevent minor health issues from escalating due to neglect or lack of access. We even have hairdressers come in because something as simple as a haircut can boost confidence and improve mental wellbeing.”
Though the NHS offers comprehensive healthcare in the UK, referrals and wait times can be lengthy. For people experiencing homelessness, these barriers can become insurmountable.
“The Health and Wellbeing Team are present in all our accommodation services each week, so staff know where they can directly refer customers. It can help our customers to build informal relationships with us before they might want to sit down and have more formal therapy.”
Integrating health and wellbeing support into our services is a vital step in helping people transition from homelessness to independence.
“Our hope is that with support, our customers are able to move on to independence faster and more sustainably. We want to ensure they’re less likely to experience homelessness again.”
Find out more about health and wellbeing at Evolve here.
