DHI hold their 25th Anniversary Impact Evening in Bath
Social inclusion charity Developing Health and Independence (DHI) held its 25th Anniversary Impact Event on Thursday evening at the Museum of Bath at Work. The powerful and emotionally charged evening was a true celebration of community and strength, with a host of people who have been part of the ‘DHI family’ over the past 25 years sharing their courageous and inspirational stories.
DHI’s Founder and CEO, Rosie Phillips was asked if Bath really needs DHI given it’s reputation for being a beautiful place to live and visit. She explained that with that reputation comes a high cost of living and thought DHI was needed all the more:
The need to tackle the complex, pervasive issues underlying homelessness and a multitude of other disadvantages, led me to establish DHI as a social exclusion charity in 1999. Twenty-five years later,homelessness continues to present a barrier to people leading fulfillinglives. Bath is a beautiful city, but regardless of the façade it has all the problems of any other modern city, with the added problems caused by a lack of affordable housing. Many of our clients simply cannot afford to live inBath. Perversely, those with the least income end up furthest from support services they need —and spend more in accessing them.
The team at DHI asked us to urge you to make sure your local councillor learns about their work and the people they help. They are also extremely grateful for voluntary donations, which enable them to respond to emerging needs in our communities which may fall outside contracted services.
As a social exclusion charity, their aim is to breakdown barriers, to support and ensure that they are reaching people who do not fit into a defined label, treating the whole person, whatever their needs.
Donations also enable DHI to mitigate increasing demand for intensive treatment and support by investing in their digital and peer services, to engage more people upstream of a crisis occurring.
You can donate online or volunteer with DHI here.