Over 50 young people from Colchester and Tendring are enjoying brighter futures thanks to a £13,200 grant to The OutHouse from the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (VVU).
The Violence and Vulnerability Unit Community Grant Scheme (VVUCGS) is available annually for local groups to develop bespoke support for young people. Applications for activities in 2025/26 are now open, and entries close on Monday 23 September 2024.
The VVU’s funding in 2023/24 enabled The OutHouse to offer counselling and therapeutic support for young people who identify as LGBTQ+. These sessions provided a listening ear for young people and enabled them to access support and guidance. A Sunday Youth Club was also launched to reach more young people and offer a safe place for them to talk and meet others.
The OutHouse now runs youth groups in Colchester, Tiptree, Chelmsford, Harwich and Clacton, and they are piloting further youth groups in Chelmsford (weekly), Witham and Braintree. Young people in their youth forum have also become hate crime support ambassadors, and they support other young people who have experienced a hate-related crime.
Fern Lovett, The OutHouse said: “Thanks to the VVU funding, we have been able to provide Sunday sessions and young people have been able to use our service from further afield. Vulnerable young people have been provided with accessible safe places, building connections with trusted adults and a range of support, clearly raising self-esteem and building confidence.”
The OutHouse were just one of 17 community groups who in 2023/24 helped support more than 7000 young people across the county with a wide range of interactive projects. In a recent survey that asked about the impact of the project, 82 per cent of participants agreed the project they attended has helped them to make positive choices around keeping safe and had a positive impact on their mental health.¹
Today, Roger Hirst, Chair of the Violence and Vulnerability Partnership and Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex thanked The OutHouse for supporting young people in Colchester and Tendring Districts.
Mr Hirst said: “We must never underestimate the fantastic work being delivered by local organisations in communities right across the county. The projects, embedded in their local area, understand the needs of the young people they are working with, and can provide the support needed to address risk factors such as violence, lack of engagement in education, isolation and poor mental health. So many young people have been helped thanks to the 23/24 VVUCGS and I encourage organisations to apply for next year’s grant and continue this great work.”
A range of The OutHouse activities included one to one animal handling sessions to help calm and engage people and group events such as Youth Forum and Youth Voice projects, being involved in LGBQT+ history month exhibition, residential trips and photography and filming.
To discover more and to apply for the Violence and Vulnerability Unit Community Grant Scheme, visit www.ecvys.org.uk/funding-news.
