Onwards and upwards

Kaine had a chaotic start

to life which led him to
drugs and crime. Our
Motiv8 service has helped
him stay out of trouble and
away from Class A drugs

It was only by
engaging with DHI
that I began to turn
my life around
Kaine

Impact Report
2016-2017
www.dhi-online.org.uk
 The DHI Peer Support
Service has helped me
get on the path to
freedom. I’ve progressed
and grown a lot through
helping others
Golden Key
DHI peer Some of our peers and
staff from the Golden
Key project in Bristol

Who are DHI?

We run solution-focused services to help vulnerable people and
those living on the margins of society turn their lives around
n DHI helps over 4,000 n The people we help are n Few, if any, of our clients
people each year to turn their often vulnerable or living at the come with a single issue.
lives around, stand on their margins, meaning they are Rather than treat issues in
own feet and reduce disproportionately affected isolation, we work with the
dependency. We do this by substance misuse, person to find and resolve the
because we believe that offending, homelessness, root cause of complex issues.
everyone has the potential to mental health issues and other We see the person, not the
make a valuable contribution factors that can contribute to label, and find the most
to society. social exclusion. effective way to help them.
Ways we help
people turn their
lives around
100+
partners
We worked with 100+ different
partners in BANES, South
Gloucestershire, Bristol,
Somerset, and Swindon.
950
visits
Our MyScript social prescribing
service in BANES saved an
estimated 950 hospital and
GP visits.
What does DHI do?
We help people turn their lives around through our services
Our services include:
n Drug and alcohol housing
and treatment services.
n Young people’s drug and
alcohol treatment services.
n Housing and support for the
vulnerable, and for those on a
low income or benefits and
those at risk of homelessness.
£60k
saved
Burlington House saved
approximately £60,000 for
the public purse through its
innovative community detox.
12k+
hours
donated
DHI’s work was supported
by 110 people volunteering
a staggering total of 12,420
hours this year.
n Specialist support for both
victims and perpetrators of
domestic violence.
n Helping vulnerable people
find the most appropriate
support to enable them to live
as independent and fulfilling a
life as possible through our
Direct Payments and Social
Prescribing Services.
91%
people
housed
91% of people engaging with
our Reach service moved into
stable accommodation
during this time period.
We helped 340 young people
and 3,000 adults overcome a
drug or alcohol problem
through our services.
n Community and employment
support for a range of clients,
including ex-offenders and
those in recovery from a drug
or alcohol misuse problem.
n All services are strengths-
based and focus on maximising
positive connections – within
families, communities and at
an individual level.
 Getting back
on track
“I was a trauma surgeon for many years,
dealing with some of the most complex
cases. However, I started to suffer from
severe depression and I turned to alcohol,
which caught me in a downward spiral.

“When I decided that it was time to turn my

life around, I started to engage with DHI.
I then had a gastrointestinal bleed during a
1:1 session, and I was rushed to hospital
where I underwent an alcohol detox from
the ward. Having detoxed, I needed the
support of a dry house to keep me from
relapsing and that is what DHI’s Burlington
House project provided me with.

“I’ve now been abstinent for one year, and I

am glad that I can use my experience to
help other people as a peer mentor and by
running a music group at DHI’s treatment I was a trauma surgeon
centre. Thanks to the support that I
received and the effort that I put in, I am for many years… I started
now in a position to be looking at a return to suffer from severe
to medicine.”
depression and I
Burlington House is DHI’s supported dry turned to alcohol
house offering a cost-effective alternative
to hospital detox. Toby

The year in focus

DHI has adapted to
provide the best
support for those
across the region
who rely on us. We
are in a secure
position to continue
turning lives around.
Rosie and Sarah take a look at the past year, conte
This past year has been about
adjusting to changes in the
needs of service users and the
ways that we deliver services.
In recent years, we have seen
our statutory funding decline
and no sign that this trend will
reverse. Added to this has
been the continued lack of
affordable housing in the areas
in which we operate, and the
rollout of Universal Credit.
DHI always responds positively
to challenges. Our new model
for drug and alcohol services in
South Gloucestershire sees us
more embedded in the local
community than ever before;
 Families
Also Matter
We were proud to host our 10th annual
Reach Out conference this year. This unique
event brings together family members and
carers of people with drug and alcohol
misuse problems from across the region.

We heard from people whose lives were

and are affected by a loved one’s drug and
alcohol misuse, from experts in the field
and from DHI staff working with family
members. It is estimated that for every
person suffering with substance misuse,
another five people – parents, siblings,
spouses, children, grandparents and friends
– are also affected, and it takes an average
of seven years for those people to seek
help. Part of the reason for holding Reach
Out is to break down the stigma which
prevents people from getting the support
they need for so long. DHI’s Families
Mary (pictured) used our FAM service to Also Matter service
support her during and after her son’s supported me through
death as a result of his alcohol misuse.
“DHI couldn’t change the situation but they the worst days
helped me to be the best I could at that of my life
awful time; through counselling, friendship
and constant support.” Mary

templating its challenges and successes

we are focused on earlier
intervention across all services;
we’ve brought in-work benefits
expertise to Reach through our
partnership with Clean Slate;
we are growing Home Turf
DHI has adapted to provide the
Rosie
Rosie Phillips
best support for those across CEO, DHI
the region who rely on us.
Thanks to our staff, peers,
volunteers and partners we are

Lettings; and we’ve bought
Burlington House, our
supported dry house/detox,
thanks to generous donors.
Sarah
in a secure position to continue
helping to turn lives around.
Sarah Davies
Here’s to a successful 2018… Chair, DHI
Resolve to stop 1 in 4
the violence perpetrators of
domestic violence
RSVP is a programme that aims to reduce
domestic abuse by tackling it at its root are repeat offenders

1%
cause, changing perpetrator behaviour. A
person who took part this year said: “After
decades of verbal and physical abuse
Fewer than
towards partners, resulting in depression of perpetrators
and counselling from a GP to no avail, my
DHI support worker referred me to RSVP.
get a specialist
intervention
“Finally, a tailored service where I could
begin to address the underlying issues
regarding my compulsion to control and
violence. I did not feel shamed during
sessions, but was able to begin to explore
where I started to act out and controlling
behaviours that preceded violence. I’ve
learned how to set boundaries, self care,
identify triggers and manage thoughts and
emotions. Attending RSVP was quite
honestly a lifesaver. When I was violent I was
disgusted with myself afterwards, which
turned into depression. I no longer need to
go down that route, as I have tools to
manage my anger. Extremely grateful.”

RSVP is commissioned by Bristol City

Council and funded in BANES by St
John’s Foundation.

A busy year!
Opioid Analgesic Dependency
(painkiller addiction) is a growing
problem, so DHI is leading a pilot
programme to tackle it. It runs in
GP surgeries, involves world-class
research and is getting an
excellent take-up. South Gloucestershire Drug and
Alcohol Srevice is now entirely
run by DHI for the first time. We
are building our own ‘recovery
community’ where peers play a
much bigger role.
 Home is where the heart is
DHI’s not-for-profit lettings agency – Home
Turf Lettings – is five years old this year and
the past 12 months have been the most
exciting yet!
deliver the housing procurement and
management element of their refugee
resettlement scheme, part of a Home Office
driven programme.

We housed a total of 80 people during the Rosie Phillips says: “Back in 2012 we could
year, took on 19 new properties and bought see the growing housing crisis increasingly
© Russell Watkins/DFID

two new houses of our own.
We’re particularly proud that we also
re-housed 11 Syrian refugee families in Bristol
after being selected by Bristol City Council to
impacting on people’s lives and preventing
our clients from turning their lives around.
We looked for an innovative way to help
tackle this issue, and founded Home
Turf Lettings.”

The West of England Works

project, which we are taking part
in, started this year. The project
aims to help unemployed and
economically inactive people in
the west of England find
employment.
Clean Slate has joined as a new
partner in our Reach floating
support service. Clean Slate, a
social enterprise, is expert in
in-work benefits. Universal Credit
has already rolled out in Bath, so
this expertise is invaluable.
Project 28 and Motiv8 continue
to work with hundreds of young
people in a 1:1 setting, helping
them overcome individual drug
and alcohol issues. The outreach
work we do in schools and youth
groups is helping to educate
thousands of young people
each year.
DHI’s Exec Board (l-R): David
Walton, Housing Director; Anne
Welch, Corporate Services and
Finance Director; Sarah Shatwell,
Operations Director; and Rosie
Phillips, CEO.
Thank you
We would like to thank every
individual and organisation who
supported our work over the past
year – we are grateful for their
generosity and commitment.
We are also grateful to trustees,
employees, volunteers and peers
without whom we couldn’t make
the impact we do.
Keep in touch
www.dhi-online.org.uk
How to help
If you feel inspired to
volunteer or fundraise
for us, please email
volunteers@dhi-online.
org.uk or call us on
01225 478 730.
We welcome donations from
the public, companies and
charitable trusts which enable
us to continue with our work,
meaning we can tailor
programmes to the individual
client. Send a cheque or donate
online at www.localgiving.org/dhi
Company No. 3830311
Charity No. 1078154
DHI Head Office
15/16 Milsom Street
Bath BA1 1DE
Email: info@dhibath.org.uk
Telephone: 01225 478 730
@dhi_online
/Developing-Health-
Independence