National guidance and local evidence have identified the following priorities of the fund: reducing social isolation, suicide prevention and reducing poverty and inequality.
Reducing Social Isolation: We would like to see activities that target reducing social isolation in general, but specifically for older people and those from within a BAME community, refugees or the LGBTQI community. For those aged 16-24, we are keen to see activities that encourage peer support and opportunities to connect. We would be especially keen to see applications that supported intergenerational work.
Suicide Prevention: We would like to see activities that directly or indirectly support lowering the risk of suicide or crisis intervention. We know the risks are wide-ranging and any activity that can demonstrate a link supporting people in distress and or risk of suicide is welcomed, especially for the priority groups.
Reducing Poverty and Inequality: Research indicates that living on a low income or uncertain income can generate a significant amount of stress and contribute to poor wellbeing. The fund would like to see applications for activities that can support the issues that address the mental health challenges that arise due to poverty. We would specifically like to see activities for individuals and families living in temporary accommodation and those with no access to public funds in Edinburgh. Note this does not include dealing with immediate crisis interventions, such as access to food or fuel costs, however, an event that brought people together where they could get access to additional food or essentials packs would be welcome.
The national guidance also prioritises projects that support the following groups identified as “at-risk”:
Women, particularly women experiencing gender-based violence; people with a long term health condition or disability; people from a Minority Ethnic background; refugees and those with no recourse to public funds; people facing socio-economic disadvantage; people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage; people with diagnosed mental illness; people affected by psychological trauma (including adverse childhood experiences); people who have experienced bereavement or loss; people disadvantaged by geographical location (particularly remote and rural areas); older people (aged 50 and above); people with neurological conditions or learning disabilities, and from neurodiverse communities; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) communities; and young people aged 16-24.
You can read the full national guidance here.
