Alcohol hub to be launched for Wolverhampton's vulnerable families

Wolverhampton Council has received a £116,000 funding boost to create the specialised unit for families dealing with alcohol problems in the city.

The cash, from Public Health England's Capital Fund, will transform areas of a building owned by drug and alcohol treatment provider Recovery Near You.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the council's cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: "Evidence suggests our substance misuse services are among the most successful in the country in helping people recover, but there’s still much more we can and need to do.

“We therefore welcome this funding which will enable us to further improve facilities and access to treatment and recovery services in Wolverhampton for families who are experiencing alcohol dependency."

The Wolverhampton project is one of 23 projects across the country which has been handed a slice of a £6 million funding pot.

The new hub will be launched at Connaught Road's Thornhurst building, providing support to parents and their children.

It will help make it easier for people suffering with alcohol problems to access help, creating a "home away from home" for people in need.

Councillor Malcolm said: “As a council, we are really focused on supporting families, and this funding will help improve recovery rates in the context of the wider family group.

“The funds will be used to modernise key rooms within Thornhurst, turning it into a multi-agency hub and enabling families with varying and complex needs to come together.

“It will be an accessible, modern and attractive place for families, offering dedicated arts, gardening, exercise, cinema, games, cooking and dining facilities and a multi-sensory play room, and become a home away from home for families when they need it.

“We will also be creating a commercial kitchen at Thornhurst to grow its small social enterprise for people who are receiving treatment, enabling them to learn new skills by providing a catering service for meetings and events.”

Across the UK, there are around 34,000 parents in treatment for alcohol problems, with nearly half living with children.

It is estimated that nationally there are 120,000 parents with alcohol problems who have a total of 200,000 children living with them.

Rosanna O’Connor, director of alcohol, drugs, tobacco and justice at Public Health England, said: “Alcohol misuse causes significant harm to society and can tear people’s lives apart.

"The outstanding range of exciting and innovative local projects that we are funding will make a real difference to communities across the country, with an important focus on helping those that are most vulnerable in our society.

“We want to encourage more people, particularly parents and people sleeping rough, to access treatment by making facilities more suitable for their needs and removing the stigma around receiving treatment.”