One Year On for Everton in the Community's 'The People's Place'

Everton in the Community is marking 12 months since it opened the doors to The People’s Place, the charity’s purpose-built mental health and wellbeing hub in the heart of Liverpool 4, with more than 5,000 visits to the building from local residents, the general public and participants from across the charity’s programmes.

The People’s Place is the first-of-its-kind service delivered by a football club’s community foundation and promotes positive mental health and suicide prevention through an extensive range of evidence-based provision. The multi-million-pound facility houses Everton in the Community’s 15 bespoke mental health projects designed to support all members of the community, whilst its 60+ programmes also have access to and deliver from the hub, alongside providing wellbeing activities, educational and employment support, with a layer of professional care from GPs, mental health nurses and clinical psychologists in partnership with Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

Since launching its first targeted development programme in 2008, Everton in the Community’s mental health provision has evolved and adapted to meet the ever-changing needs of its local communities. Health disparities and inequalities are much more prevalent in low socio-economic areas including L4, where the building resides, with Everton falling into the most deprived one percent of neighbourhoods nationally.

Additionally, these alarming statistics – coupled with the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing cost-of-living crisis – amplified many of the associated risk factors for poor mental health and suicide amongst local residents. This served as a rallying call for Everton in the Community to provide a physical presence in L4 to help normalise mental health and act as a beacon of hope, hence the opening of The People’s Place in March 2023.

The much-needed facility has had a significant impact within the local community since opening, with 216 individuals having received psychological support, health screening checks and GP appointments, whilst 225 participants from across the charity’s programmes attend sessions at The People’s Place on a weekly basis. During the last 12 months alone, 25 individuals have walked into The People’s Place seeking support, with 4 of these classed as ‘in-crisis’, and Everton in the Community has been able to direct them to one if its existing programmes or external support.

Key highlights for The People’s Place during the past year include securing funding to deliver ADHD support programme for young people based at the hub in partnership with the charity’s local children’s hospital, Alder Hey, which will significantly reduce waiting times for patients and will be supported by Everton in the Community’s recently appointed Neurodiversity Coordinator.

In September 2023, Everton in the Community unveiled the award-winning ‘Brickyard: Grow, Cook, Eat’ show garden at its new home, The People’s Place. Following its success at the 2023 RHS Flower show at Tatton Park, the sustainable outdoor space was permanently moved to the hub and has since been used to support one-on-one therapy sessions, group counselling, community events and outreach work to aid positive mental health and wellbeing.

Furthermore, the charity’s mental health provision has expanded since The People’s Place opened, with three brand-new bespoke programmes launched, supported by the recent appointment of a Senior People’s Place Coordinator. This includes ‘Stand By Her’ – the region’s first female-focused project designed specifically to support women from the military with the transition back to civilian life and a children’s-only mental health programme for young people who have been bereaved by suicide or self-inflicted death, launched in partnership with ‘Alfie’s Squad’. Everton in the Community has also worked closely with its GP to develop ‘Everton Cares’, which supports individuals living with long-term health conditions and helps them to develop positive lifestyle habits.

What’s more, the charity recently launched its ambitious five-year strategic plan, ‘Trinity Project’. The strategy is underpinned by three powerful pillars, including ‘EitC Minds’ which aims to significantly improve the quality of life for Liverpool residents living with dementia as well as their carers, alongside providing high-quality mental health services to ensure everyone receives the help they need. The People’s Place will play a key role in the implementation of EitC Minds; facilitating the expansion and enhancement of the charity’s mental health provision whilst also hosting an ongoing calendar of activities, events and campaigns to promote discussion around mental health.

The last 11 years has seen Everton in the Community – along with partners – physically regenerate the L4 area and The People’s Place completed its £13 million-pound Goodison Campus. With this in mind, the Club’s official charity would like to reiterate its thanks on record to key funders Steve Morgan Foundation, The Football Foundation, Causeway Technologies, Community Match Challenge Fund in association with DCMS and Phil Brown, Evertonian and philanthropist. 