Preston City Council and Red Rose Recovery transform lives with 'Changing Futures' Programme

Preston City Council, in collaboration with the local charity Red Rose Recovery, has successfully supported over 160 people in Preston through the transformative 'Changing Futures' programme.

This initiative is funded by the government's Shared Outcomes Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.

The goal of the Changing Futures programme is to stabilize and improve the lives of adults facing multiple disadvantages, such as homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system.

Councillor Zafar Coupland, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at Preston City Council said:

"I'm delighted at the difference Changing Futures is having for adults in Preston. We want the people of Preston to know that we are there for them, no matter what their circumstance are and Changing Futures is a great example of this."

"I want to thank Red Rose Recovery and their staff for the work they do to go above and beyond to make a positive difference to the lives of people."

"I hope that we are able to continue delivering Changing Futures for years to come and continue to support those that reach out for support."

Red Rose Recovery is located at the heart of Preston City Centre acting as a beacon of hope for many. A key factor in the programme's success is the dedication of its staff, known as 'Navigators'. Many Navigators have 'lived experience,' meaning they have personally faced the same challenges as the programme's beneficiaries. This unique perspective equips them with the empathy, passion, commitment, and drive to make a real difference in the lives of others.

Nicole Wilkinson, Associate Navigator, at Red Rose Recovery works on the Changing Futures programme said:

"We can genuinely empathise with the people that we support because our staff have had so many similar experiences and can relate very quickly to those we support. This builds trust because we have an understanding of their struggles. We are also very person centred and collaborate with our beneficiaries rather than telling them what we want them to do. Their support is tailored to achieving their own aims. Our role then is to empower them to do this they are the physical example of what can be achieved and overcome with support. We make it about them and what they want to achieve if the aims are positive ones."

"I love working on Changing Futures and for Red Rose Recovery because we get to go on that journey with the people that we support. I absolutely love seeing the transitions in our beneficiaries."

One beneficiary of Changing Futures had a background of substance misuse, diagnosis of Schizophrenia, poor mental and physical health as well as being homeless and finding themselves in prison. Their time with Changing Futures led to their longest period of staying sober and gave them the confidence to engage with services such as housing, working with Inspire to help manage substance misuse and mental health services. Inspire (also known as Change Grow Live) is a national charity, funded by councils and local authorities, to support people who are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction.

Through working with Red Rose Recovery and a Navigator, the beneficiary expressed that they are feeling a lot better the Changing Futures programmes, not only have they had their longest period of staying abstinent, they have helped build a support network that they need, to continue making a positive difference in their lives.

Ian Treasure, Programme Manager for Changing Futures Lancashire said:

"The Changing Futures Lancashire Programme is intended to be a learning programme to test out new ways of working with adults experiencing multiple disadvantages, and then embedding what works in local systems. The Changing Futures work that Preston City Council has led on, across Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire, has supported 288 individuals over 2 years (160 from Preston). As well as this support to individuals it is clear Preston City Council has embedded the learning within services as a legacy from the programme, which is exactly the aim of Changing Futures, and should be applauded."

A continuity plan is being put in place to ensure the legacy of the programme and so Changing Futures remains, making a positive difference in Preston.

Further information

About the Changing Futures programme

The Changing Futures programme is a four year, £77million programme, hosted by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and funded through the government's Shared Outcomes Fund, with aligned funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. 

A cross-governmental, cross-organisational initiative, it seeks to test new ways of bringing together the public sector and community sector to address cross-cutting issues and to drive the modernisation of public services for people experiencing multiple disadvantages.

Working with 15 local area partnerships across England, the programme will work with people who experience a combination of homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system.  

People in this situation are among the most vulnerable in our communities, often with past experiences of trauma. Getting coordinated support from local services can be difficult, and this can lead to greater risk of homelessness, ill health, and increased contact with the criminal justice system. This in turn can result in greater pressures on services that respond to crises such as A&E, policing and homelessness services.

Bringing together £55m of funding from the Government and over £21m from The National Lottery Community Fund - the largest community funder in the UK - means the programme can work with local areas for a third year, enabling more vulnerable people in our communities to get the help they need.

The funding builds on The National Lottery Community Fund's 'Fulfilling Lives' programme - a £112 million investment over 8 years (2014-2022) that focuses on improving support for vulnerable people, by giving them a greater voice in the design and delivery of services.

The Changing Futures programme, announced in 2020, began work in local areas in June 2021 and will continue until the end of March 2025. It aims to deliver improvements at the individual, service and system level:

• to stabilise and then improve the life situation of adults who face multiple disadvantage
• to transform local services to provide a person-centred approach and to reduce crisis demand.
• to test a different approach to funding, accountability and engagement between local commissioners and services, and between central government and local areas.

Our partners are:

• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• The National Lottery Community Fund
• Ministry of Justice
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Home Office
• Department of Culture, Media and Sport
• Department of Health and Social Care
• Office for Health Improvement & Disparities
• NHS England
• HM Treasury
• Government Equalities Office

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK - community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We're proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with government to distribute vital grants and funding from key government programmes and initiatives. 

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We're privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life. 

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.