Inspiring Change Manchester is a long-term scheme, funded through Big Lottery Fund’s £112m initiative, to support Manchester’s most vulnerable residents. This new partnership, led by Shelter, is an ambitious vision to help people in Manchester deal with homelessness, offending, substance misuse and mental health problems, and improve their lives.

Over the next eight years we will work together with people who use our service and partners from across the voluntary and public sector to develop a programme that will transform Manchester’s systems and services.

Our aim – to make sure that when the most vulnerable people do seek help in a crisis, there is no ‘wrong door’ and that agencies can work together to put in place the support needed, no matter what the first point of contact.

To make our vision possible, we will need to inspire a wide range of people across the city to change their beliefs and their behaviour. Through our project, we will:

• Inspire people with entrenched, damaging lifestyles to take the first step on a personal journey of change.
• Inspire service users to persevere with their recovery, though the journey may be long and challenging.
• Inspire professionals, from the front-line to senior decision-makers, to change how Manchester works – creating a culture that breaks down the barriers to people resolving their complex needs and leading truly fulfilling lives.

Inspiring Change Manchester is part of The Big Lottery Fund project ‘Fulfilling Lives: Supporting People with Multiple & Complex Needs’. Our focus is on people with multiple needs who are experiencing at least three of the following: homelessness, reoffending, problematic substance misuse, mental ill-health.

Throughout, service users in Manchester have been at the heart of the bid and it has been a privilege to work alongside them. I enjoyed the whole process, in particular the consultation stages and sitting on the panel at interview. I am proud of my contribution to the group and I am looking forward to seeing the project help others in Manchester grow stronger and move forward.

This grant from the Big Lottery Fund will help Shelter and our partners in Manchester to work together in new ways, giving people with multiple needs the opportunities they want for a better life.

For more information about Inspiring Change Manchester, please contact:

Rachel Watson
Project Support Officer
Rachel_Watson@Shelter.org.uk
Tel: 0344 515 1680

Partners:

• 42nd Street
• Addiction Dependency Solutions
• Back on Track
• Department of Work and Pensions
• Greater Manchester Police
• Greater Manchester Probation Trust
• Lesbian and Gay Foundation
• Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH)
• MACC (Manchester Alliance for Community Care)
• Manchester BME Network
• Manchester City Council
• Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups
• The Manchester College
• Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
• Manchester MIND
• Manchester Women’s Aid
• Partners of Prisoners
• Riverside Housing
• Sanctuary Housing
• Turning Point
• Urban Village Medical Practice