By Kendall Worth!
Regular readers of this BLOG know that I am a long-standing advocate for the launching of a Social Prescription Organization (SPO) here in Halifax. Within this past week I have had conversations with 4 different people in my community about this idea.
Given that a core function of an SPO is to provide a safe space for people in my community to engage socially with others, I often get asked the question whether an SPO would replace the drop-in spaces provided by local organizations in Halifax, such as food banks, soup kitchens, etc.
My answer is a resounding NO! But clearly, I have much work to do to clearly define and communicate the key program elements of a Social Prescription Organization. I have written in a recent BLOG about the challenges of communicating in the short, snappy style of a quick elevator pitch all the key ideas behind a SPO.
This BLOG is not another attempt at an elevator pitch. I think it is time to move beyond the “pitch” to start elaborating a more substantive business plan that describes the programs and services of an SPO, and also explores issues of funding and financial sustainability.
I first discussed the importance of business plans some years back, in a Nova Scotia Advocate article on the challenges of finding employment and how to explore the option of starting up your own business. A business plan is critical in such circumstances, as it compels you to clarify your own thinking and plans. The plan also provides other stakeholders (particularly prospective funders, investors and lenders) with the information they need to decide if they are In or Out.
The added value of a business plan is that it compels you to explain how your business will be different: to specify your proposed mix of products and services as well as the slice in the market (the ’market niche’) that you intend to focus on.
In defining the services of an SPO, it is clear to me that such an organization will be totally different from such agencies as Souls Harbour, Hope Cottage and all the many other established organizations that address poverty and marginalization here in HRM. Many of these agencies have been engaged locally for years, such as North Grove which I wrote about here.
To be clear: the organizations listed above are doing GREAT WORK to address issues of Food Insecurity in my community. In addition, many also have drop-in spaces where people can socialize while they receive the services offered.
But this is quite different from the role of a Social Prescription Organization or Program which is entirely focused on addressing issues of social isolation in our community. In an SPO, the coming together of people is not a by-product of service delivery …. It is the whole purpose of the organization or program.
To ensure that the proposed SPO in Halifax has the desired impact, I believe that there should be four core programs:
1. Firstly, our community needs a broad expansion in support activities and services. I discussed this in a recent BLOG where I explained that for many Income Assistance recipients, their only substantive social engagement is with the professional staff that provide them with medical and counselling services (like psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counsellors). Clearly, these professionals are not peers or friends, and it would be inappropriate – crossing professional boundaries - to suggest otherwise. For that reason, we need to find some other mechanism or some other group of people with whom to build more support style relationships.
I am therefore proposing the creation of a non-professional type of Peer Support Worker, who would work out of the SPO and engage pro-actively with clients. It would also be great if we could mobilize students who are studying Social Work at Dalhousie to engage in this work. It would be great experience for them, and a positive opportunity for the clients.
2. Secondly, we need to cultivate PEER support activities. Friendships amongst or between people in my community can be very difficult to develop and maintain, given all the complications in people’s day to day lives, as well as the various mental health issues that many live with. I have discussed both the importance of friendships in an earlier article, as well as the issue of failed friendships in this BLOG, where I examined how the definition and management of boundaries are often the biggest challenge for people within my community. I have also personally reflected in an article on my own experiences and challenges in this regard.
Bottom line: we need the proposed SPO to work with individuals in our community to help us develop the skills to successfully manage friendship relations with peers. This will be critical in reducing social isolation and may be another opportunity to engage Dal Social Work students as facilitators.
3. Thirdly, I think we should have some goal-oriented programs that bring people together around a shared objective, - and through which we can engage not just as individuals but as a sort of team-building and community-building process. My suggestion is that the shared objective be to build a collective voice for people in our community.
This suggestion is informed by my own experience in building the Benefits Reform Action Group which was an advocacy group for Income Assistance recipients. I have written on BRAG in earlier BLOGs and addressed in this BLOG the challenges that led to its closing. That said, the NEED for a BRAG-like, membership-based organization for our community remains greater than ever. We need a strong megaphone for First Voices, to speak on our own behalf and to be heard! Perhaps if such an organization was “incubated” by an SPO, there would be a greater chance of success.
4. Fourth, and finally – we need spaces for people in our community to socialise “after hours”. Evenings spent alone only serve to worsen social isolation and increase mental health issues. As I have discussed earlier, mixing alcohol and socializing can be very problematic, so I am proposing the creation of a “sober bar” in Halifax, sponsored by or in partnership with the SPO.
This idea is not new (see here for more) and can play a key role in helping people to break the chains of social isolation, by providing a safe and affordable after-hours option. Such an initiative also holds the possibility of being a revenue earner for the SPO, though this would need to be explored in the business plan.
So, these are the four key elements that I would see for a Social Prescription Organization in Halifax. Clearly, the intent and programs of an SPO would be VERY different from those of other established agencies such as Food Banks and Soup Kitchens.
The important thing is to enable people to break out of their social isolation and engage meaningfully with friends and neighbours!
Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.
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