South Tyneside mental health service going from strength to strength as it supports local community

Even Better, which was launched by Dr Hannah Burman, supports the Jarrow community with mental health and is continuing to grow since its launch in 2019, recently taking on new staff and offering additional services and support.

Even better is a social enterprise which aims to ‘level the playing field on mental health’ and offers mental health support through its service Listening Ear, where residents can talk to volunteers in order to talk about their mental health, vent about issues and just feel generally listened to.

The service, which runs out of Bilton Hall, in Jarrow, has now expanded to offer a dedicated community connector, who will help those struggling find support they might not have otherwise known was available.

As well as this, the group will also be launching a building based service, which will be run by people who have previously had mental health issues, to help people going through the same struggles.

Alex Adams, Administrator at Even Better, believes the need for mental health services in the community is vital right now.

He said: “There's a lot of need right now for mental health services with the cost of living crisis and also the repercussions of lockdown and Covid, which still has a big effect on people. We’re able to put our services together to help and support people.

“We’ve had some great feedback from our members who say how much we’ve been able to help and how our community based approach has benefited them. I think there’s a mental health crisis at the minute so having services like this in the community is vital.”

During lockdown, Even Better worked remotely, meaning residents could have a rant, talk about their problems and be heard from a safe environment during the difficult times.

The services are targeted at people in Jarrow but also available to those in the surrounding areas.

To find out more about Even Better and the services they offer, visit https://www.evenbetter.org.uk/