LGBQ+ homeless & sofa surfing initiative:
We are very pleased to announce that not only now our friends at the the BCP and Pan-Dorset, Dorset Healthcare NHS mental health Trust’s ‘Steps 2 Wellbeing’ Programme LGBTQ+ homeless & sofa surfing mental healthcare services, based on dedicated information resources and training for the latter to Trust healthcare professionals and admin staff are live, and similarly preventative and signposting information and training we have provided to key staff groups at Bournemouth & Poole College, as a further part of our national level important initiative have been implemented, but also concerning another part of the latter.
The Network has initiated provision for direct advocacy & signposting support through the Network with a BCP Council area homeless support app. This means that when the app fully launches in early 2023, we will be able to provide direct support in the two areas mentioned to members of our LGBTQ+ homeless & sofa surfing community.
We are also progressing the counteraction and prevention of crime and criminality (abuses and exploitation of various kinds that our LGBTQ+ sofa surfing community is uniquely and gravely subject to) with Dorset Police, further to provision of related dedicated information resources and a related policing operational level use, to the Office of the Dorset Police & Crime Commissioner that is very supportive of the value of the latter in addressing a major unmet need where serious crime and exploitative ASB is concerned.
LGBTQ+ Prisons (HMPPS/Portland Prison) initiative:
The Network is very pleased to update concerning our 1+ years initiative, that one component has included dedicated collaboration with Portland Prison, specifically in support to the courageous and effective work of an Out Trans community member (prisoner) at the prison in advising in conjunction with our strategic and direct operational level delivery support building practical and processes level support for Trans communities (‘Out’ and not self-identifying/disclosing) members.
This with planning for replicating this work to other HMPPS prisons & young offender institutes in the South West, and later more broadly. A great deal of our work in this area has been based on months of support at an advocacy case level, providing the necessary on the ground , on the ‘wings’ detail necessary for the first ever initiative of this kind in the UK prison service, to become successful. We are looking forward to progress this crucial work in January/February 2023 with the Trans community in question and the Portland Prison & YOI team.
The recent International Transgender Day of Remembrance at Portland Prison was not only very successful in raising awareness of hundreds of instances of torture and brutal murder of transgender community members, but a great breakthrough for the Network in the effectiveness of its guidance, strategy, and information provision regarding Trans community support. This effected through the prison’s authorities and the Out Trans community member that we have been working with at the prison for 6+ months. In particular, in addition to the latter we wish to record our praise for the Buddhist and Pagan members of the prison’s multi-faith chaplaincy being so proactively involved in delivery of the event, that included members from other world faiths, including two Muslim community members participating.
We record our thanks to the National Lottery as the main funder of both our homeless initiative and prison initiative for the 2022 period.
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