I was invited yesterday with Yvonne Fovargue MP to talk to members of Oasis, a voluntary group who support local people suffering from mental health, who are struggling financially, single parents or those who are just lonely.
We were very interested to hear the experiences of some of the group who had mental health problems with claiming the benefits . It was clear that they thought that they had not been treated with respect at the Jobcentre because of their illness. As one member pointed out 'Anyone can see if you have a broken leg but mental illness is much more difficult to spot but is just as disabling.' Myself and Yvonne will be addressing this issue in the near future.
The other issue for this group is lack of premises.The need for their services are growing but they cannot expand because of a lack of premises in Ashton They are a voluntary group with limited funding so they cannot afford to pay a large rent. Both myself and Yvonne together with the Council are trying to find suitable premises at an affordable rent but so far without success. If anyone reading this article has any ideas please contact me.
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