Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director (Housing and Communities) detailing the applications for Annual Community Grants.

Eight applications had been received for consideration for Annual Grants for the financial year 2022/23. To ensure that the fund was available widely, the maximum amount that would be supported through the fund would be £20,000 per organisation.

 

£73,270 was anticipated to be ring fenced for the distribution of Annual Grants payments for the financial year 2022/23.

 

There were eight applications totalling £148,150 for Annual Grants 2022/23 to be reviewed. That was £74,880 over the total amount of funds available.

 

Welwyn Hatfield Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) - £ 20,000

 

The Welwyn Hatfield Community and Voluntary Service provided support and advice to Voluntary and Community Organisations as well as to individuals in Welwyn Hatfield Borough. The organisation assisted members of the community in need and those who were volunteering their services for this purpose.  In addition, WHCVS operates the Community Car Scheme to transport elderly and/or unwell citizens to health related appointments across the county and to specialist London hospitals.

 

The funding would support the services provided by WHCVS including the Volunteer Centre (recruiting and placing volunteers with charities and community groups), Let's Chat (a telephone befriending service), Community Car Scheme, Blooming Marvelous (gardening service to elderly and disabled people) and Love Welwyn Hatfield (Litter-picking and giving local areas a bit of TLC). The organisation would also provide support to the voluntary sector including DBS checks, providing newsletters, funding information, training, signposting and supporting new embryonic projects/groups.

 

The following point were noted:

 

•   Members thought the Community Car Scheme was a fantastic idea especially if hospital appointments were located in Stevenage and Hertford and would like to see it continue.

•   Members also liked the Volunteer Scheme as they worked with volunteers with special needs.

•   Members thought the organisation was professional and presented the application well.

•   Members asked if they could part fund the organisation as there were projects they thought needed funding more than others.  Members agreed to part fund the organisation and were happy to support the Community Car Scheme and the Special needs volunteer scheme.

•   Members were happy to encourage CVS to apply for the Covid Grant. The grant was £10,000 and the closing deadline was 7 November 2021.

 

AGREED a grant of £13,000 to fund the Community Car Scheme (£5,000) and Supported Volunteer Scheme (£8,000).

 

 

Future Living - £ 17,408

 

Future Living Hertford worked with families who had experienced or witnessed domestic abuse in all its forms.

 

It provided free to access empowerment programmes for male and female victims of domestic abuse together with weekly personal counselling for trauma.

 

It provided The Base as part of the service to families including CYP who have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse.

 

It provided a range of ad hoc projects to support those victims and also people in the community who had complex needs including poor mental health and isolation due to lockdown, these included craft group, cookery skills and art therapy classes.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members thought the locations the organisation provided in the application were vague.   The organisation was located in East Hertfordshire.

•   As the organisation was located in Hertford, Members thought that the residents and community of Welwyn Hatfield would not benefit greatly.

•   Members thought that the application had no clarity as to how the residents of Welwyn Hatfield would benefit.

•   Members thought that the total they were asking for did not match the figures in the application.

 

REJECTED a grant of £17,408.

 

 

Forever Young - £ 20,000

 

The project will get young people in Woodhall mentally and physically active who had; experienced mental health issues, were exhibiting self-destructive behaviours and/or were suffering from social anxiety following lockdown. They would do this through a programme of informal sports and mentoring that would help the young people to improve their mood and self-esteem by reducing their stress levels, depression and anxiety due to the social exclusion, worries and concerns created during the pandemic.

 

The programme would support young people at the earliest opportunity as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. The project would seek to facilitate positive behaviour change, addressing these issues at such a critical time, by enabling young people to talk about the social and mental challenges they had faced, and enabling the organisation, alongside partners, to help the young people overcome these issues. It would also help them to keep in touch with other young people suffering with similar experiences, providing a valuable support network where they could form friendships and keep their mental health stable.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members noted that they had received an application from the organisation previously and that the application was similar as they were asking for money for similar areas.

•   Members thought that the mismatch of information in the application needed to be clarified as some of the costs were much higher than in a previous application.

•   Members were happy to encourage Forever Young to apply for the Covid Grant. The grant was for £10,000.

•   Members wanted to see different ways of supporting young people with mental health and not just with sports.

•   Members wanted to know how many people the organisation had approached on the sporting element and how that had worked for them.

 

REJECTED a grant of £20,000.

 

 

Ludwick Family Centre - £ 8,000

 

Installing a sprung floor into the dance studio floor would help the local dance community as well as those who participate in fitness classes in the hall, to keep their limbs and joints safe from jarring or spraining, because the floor will be much more resilient. It was currently wood laid on top of concrete, which made it more likely that participants could sustain injuries when dancing or doing exercise.

 

The overall aim was to greatly enhance the experience and performance of dance and fitness students, making their activity much safer and more enjoyable, and vastly reducing the chance of injury, by installing a sprung wooden floor.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members thought that the application was presented well.

•   Members thought that it would positively influence the community and younger people.  It would encourage more people to visit the centre.

 

AGREED a grant of £8,000.

 

(Note: Councillors L.Chesterman and S.McNamara declared an interest in this item and recused themselves from the Council Chamber whilst the discussion and decision was made on this application).

 

 

Mind In Mid Herts - £19,174

 

The organisation was seeking funding to have outreach available in the Welwyn Hatfield area. They had determined that the best way to engage individuals so they could learn to manage their mental health was to offer enjoyable opportunities for people to come together to learn new skills, follow their interests and support each other. The activities help to take the focus away from a person’s mental health and provide the space for them to rebuild their confidence, self-esteem and a sense of purpose and wellbeing. The over-riding objective was to ensure each person has full access to the support they need to better manage their mental health and wellbeing, and go on to lead a fulfilling life.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members noted that the office stated in the application was in St Albans. There was an office in Welwyn Garden City but it was not a walk in centre for clients.

•   Members noted that the organisation has also received funding from Hertfordshire County Council and the National Lottery "Awards for All" grant.  Members thought it was better to look at applications that were in Welwyn Hatfield.

•   Members agreed to part fund the Outreach Worker, contributing the £5,967 requested and an additional £453.  Members were also happy to encourage the organisation to apply for the Covid Grant of £10,000.

 

AGREED a grant of £6,420.

 

 

Resolve - £ 20,000

 

Resolve's Drug & Alcohol Treatment Service provided therapeutic treatment services designed to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all people who access these services.

 

Resolve’s aim was to address the causes and consequences of drug and alcohol misuse in the Borough. To provide treatment and positive solutions that tackle the issues faced by people suffering the multiple issues surrounding the misuse of drugs and alcohol. To provide a healthier community through the services for the people of Welwyn Hatfield and to therefore contribute to the community having a positive effect on the community and environment as a direct result.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members noted that the organisation is local and helped people with drinking and addiction issues.

•   The organisation was run by people had real knowledge and experiences of the issues involved.

•   Members noted that Resolve helped the local community during the Covid pandemic and helped set up the Jim McDonald Centre in Hatfield as a homeless shelter.

•   Members noted that there were not many ethnic minority residents using Resolve.  Whilst this may be a factor of the location, Officers were asked to enquire as to whether more could be done to reach out to all members of the community.

 

AGREED a grant of £20,000.

 

 

Welwyn Hatfield Unity of Culture Forum (UOC) - £20,000

 

The funding would provide Unity of Culture Forum the ability to support for all ethnic diverse communities within Welwyn Hatfield. UOC would advocate and provide a platform to increase visibility and provide a voice for ethnically diverse communities. With the support of the partners and community it would be the start to break down barriers between ethnic communities with other communities and services.

 

UOC would enable sharing of good practice, skills and experience.

 

The organisation aimed to hold local organizations accountable to action solutions impacting the small and wider community.

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members noted that the organisation had just been set up and agreed that the amount of money they were asking for was a lot considering the organisation’s infancy.

•   It was noted that the organisation, had minimal internet presence, with the public redirected to CVS.

•   It was noted that CVS appear to have embraced UOC and may help them become a bigger organisation.

•   It was noted that UOC were supported by the Police.

•   It was confirmed that UOC were not a registered charity. Members were worried about using the grant to employ staff as it would not be a legal entity.

•   Members agreed to part fund the organisation on areas such as Webinars, Marketing, Software, Stationery and Volunteers expenses, with a message for UOC to use the funding to formalise their operation.

 

AGREED a grant of £5,850 to fund Webinars, Venue and Refreshments costs (£3,000), Marketing (£800), Software costs (£350), Stationary, Printing, Literature and Resources costs (£700) and Volunteer expenses (£1,000).

 

 

Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge & Support Services (WHWR) - £ 23,568

 

Due to identified gaps in the organisation’s services, which included reaching those most at risk, the organisation was proactively going out to the community in the Borough to reach those who were hidden. They did this by delivering ‘lunch and learn’ meetings in companies and signposting people to DVA services for all employees for early intervention. This included education for these audiences about the impact of DVA on children and PTSD arising from the violence and the abuse.

 

The service was delivered during office hours Monday through Friday. With the co-operation of employers 1:1 support, safety plans and exit routes were held in a confidential and private space within the business premises. (This was to ensure that the employee does not have to leave work to attend because this may alert the perpetrator if they are tracking by location or car mileage).

 

The following points were noted:

 

•   Members agreed the organisation was great and helped people with mental health issues.

•   Members agreed that the application was put together well.

•   Members wanted more organisations to come forward who help and support male victims of abuse. It was noted that the Council work closely with SADA (Survivors Against Domestic Abuse) by helping find accommodation, giving support and giving a safe environment to those for whom refuge is not an option.

 

AGREED a grant of £20,000.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(1)   Members of the Grants Board were asked to consider the Annual Community Grant applications (as referred to in the Part II report) and make a recommendation to Cabinet in accordance with the Council’s priorities and criteria and reflecting the opinions the Board had expressed on each application at the meeting.

 

(2)   To ensure that the fund was available widely, the maximum amount that would be supported through the fund would be £20,000 per organisation.

 

That Annual Community Grants should be paid as follows:

 

Organisations	Funding Request	Amount Granted
CVS	£ 20,000	£13,000
Future Living	£ 17,408	£0
Forever Young	£ 20,000	£0
Ludwick Family Centre	£ 8,000	£8,000
Mind In Mid Herts	£19,174	£6,420
Resolve	£ 20,000	£20,000
UOC	£ 20,000	£5,850
WHWR	£ 23,568	£20,000
TOTAL	£148,150	£73,270