Our impact
Achievements
As we approached the midpoint of our financial year, we can report that Rehabit is doing well.
We now have 12 volunteers, including trustees, board advisors, and marketing officers. We have funding to meet our counselling needs into next year and are currently applying for sustainable grant awards.
As of October 2024, we had received 71 referrals since we rebranded as Rehabit - on track be double previous years. Of those referrals, the highlights are:
- 10 completed counselling clean and sober
- 14 are still receiving counselling
- 25 are in peer support (pre- and post-counselling)
- 37 have received some peer support and/or being guided to another service
Most of our referrals come from Islington and Haringey. Since we got more connected with Islington in March 2024, we have formed some wonderful partnerships and are going from strength to strength. Big thanks to Help On Your Doorstep, SHP, Age UK and Manor Gardens for their support and encouragement.
We were overjoyed to get testimonials from for clients who are grateful for the extra patience, care and tolerance we offer.
Over the second half of the year, we're going to do more community drop-in sessions and host our own event.
What our clients say
I will be forever grateful for this organisation and all the efficient and attentive support they have given me. The CEO goes above and beyond to put all the care needs in place. And I was given a counsellor who has been fantastic and wonderful peer supporters to check in with me on a regular basis. I would recommend them to anyone who’s struggling and needs help. I am truly grateful!
Social services are going to give me a chance with my daughter. That was my miracle. I’m so glad I didn’t give up trying. We DO recover! Thanks to all you did at Rehabit and for setting up the counselling – Natalie’s been really helpful.
I had just come off of a one-week drinking bender and generally, I felt like I didn’t want to do anything, especially work. I had no motivation and felt very negative about everything. I now feel hopeful and excited about pursuing a new career as a fitness trainer!
Meeting with Sean, one of the peer supporters, before I started counselling really helped. We had a coffee and it was nice to speak to someone who had similar experiences to me.
If you are willing to change but just need that help and a push in the right direction, Rehabit is perfect for you. Also, if you have no one to talk to, this will help a lot. If you need help with drugs or alcohol and have limited funds, please self-refer.
Case study 1
Dave (name changed for anonymity), 54, came to us via a borough’s drugs services organisation last year. Suicidal and registered disabled, Dave was struggling with cocaine and alcohol, a divorce he couldn’t get over, troubled relationships with his family and the women in his life, and seemed to bounce around different borough services.
Dave is now 17 weeks into counselling, has regular peer support sessions, is engaging with AA and seeking a sponsor, the relationship with his family is improving, and he hasn’t had a drug or drink for 17 weeks.
He really seems to enjoy meeting for coffee or food and it’s a joy to see him increasingly more comfortable in his environment. And he recently participated in a client focus group / co-production session to help shape a pilot programme we are planning that will influence our future services.
Dave has expressed gratitude for the speed of response, direct support, and warmth he has received from us. He’s someone who just needed that bit more patience, time and care. Once he got to know us he became more open and connected. His relationship with the peer supporter who is a similar age who had experienced the similar outlooks to life and challenges really helped him.
It’s cases like Dave that have reinforced that our uniqueness is in supporting those who fall through the gaps, get stuck in the system, or who need that extra bit of tolerance and care to be guided to changing their lives.
Case study 2
When Sam was referred to us from a GP hub in Islington, he had stopped drinking for a few days and was very nervous about his physical health and that he might start drinking again soon. We responded quickly and a peer supporter met him for coffee within a couple of days of the referral and supported him through his further GP sessions and checks to ensure he didn’t respond badly to stopping drinking.
Suffering from a high degree of social anxiety, we took a gentle and patient approach with Sam and the peer supporter and he built up a level of trust. We also realised quite quickly that Sam was keen to start counselling, something he’d never tried or thought of before. Leaping forward, the great news is that Sam is currently six months sober and has another few weeks of counselling left. To help continue his journey, we teed him up with a Bright Lives coach who is guiding him to the next phase of his life.
Sam is a wonderful example of how to bring about positive change with resolve and the right support in place. Sam said: “I’m doing things now that I simply wouldn’t have thought possible six months ago. I’m a regular at the gym; I’ve changed my diet; and I’m gradually gaining more confidence to try new things. I know that I’ve a way to go, but I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from Rehabit. They’ve really helped me.”