Bridge

20/11/2025

Big milestone! 🎉

Our new Housing First contract is fully operational. Its exciting to hand over the keys - a positive milestone in someone's journey.

And of course our continues.

Our team will help them settle in, feel secure and make the changes they want in their lives, at their own pace.

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https://thebridgeproject.org.uk/services/housing-first/

19/11/2025

We will be at Safer Bradford's 'Responding to Self-Neglect Conference' for .

We will:
-Hear about self neglect from those who have experienced it
-Review the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005
-Identify local learning from reviews to inform our local practice
-Continue working with our multi-agency partners to improve outcomes in Bradford

-neglect is one of the most challenging safeguarding issues. It raises difficult questions about autonomy, choice, capacity, and risk, and often sits at the intersection of health, social care, housing and community responses.

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17/11/2025

💙 Join Us at the Men’s Health Event Tonight 6-8pm! 💪

Our friendly team from the Wellbeing Network, Bingley Bubble Hub, and Concerned Others Drug and Alcohol Services will be upstairs by the café in Canalside Health Centre tonight from 6–8 PM.

There will be refreshments, lots of stalls to explore and informative talks from GPs about men’s health. It’s a great opportunity to learn, connect, and find out about local support services.

14/11/2025

📣 Inside Reconnect: This Week at Bridge

Every week, the Reconnect Centre at the back of Bridge is a safe space for people we support - where small acts of care make a big difference. Here’s a glimpse of what’s been happening:

We've distributed
✅30+ naloxone kits
✅25 food bags (collected from Bradford Councils food bank)
✅countless cups of tea and toast

We've also
🔵Provided showers and laundry facilities
🔵Created a quiet, low-demand space to rest and recharge
🔵Charged power packs for torch light and phones - helping people feel safe, attend appointments and arrange medications with pharmacies.

All powerful reminders of what community and compassion look like. 💙

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10/11/2025

🚨 Supporting Our Veterans: The Forcer Protocol 🚨

Did you know West Yorkshire Police has a special safeguarding initiative for veterans and military personnel who go missing? It’s called the Forcer Protocol, and it’s designed to save lives.

✅ What is it?
-The Forcer Protocol helps police quickly access vital information about a missing veteran—such as medical needs, triggers, and safe places—so they can act fast.

✅ Why does it matter?
-Veterans can face unique challenges like PTSD, mental health struggles, substance use and housing security. When they go missing, every second counts. This protocol speeds up searches and ensures the right support is given when they’re found.

✅ How can you help?
-Share this post to spread awareness.
-If you’re a veteran or know one, register details securely via Safe and Found Online.
-Learn more about support services like Op NOVA, which provides aftercare for veterans in crisis.

Together, we can make sure no veteran feels alone. 💙
👉 [https://bit.ly/4nIDs4z]

07/11/2025

*Did you know behind the scenes at Bridge…*

We have a Board of volunteer Trustees who bring together professional expertise, lived experience, and strong advocacy skills to support, guide and strengthen our work.

They help ensure Bridge can support people in Bradford across housing, mental health, substance use, domestic abuse, employment, and social inclusion—making sure our services truly meet local needs.

Their dedication keeps us focused on our mission and helps us grow responsibly to make a lasting impact in the community.

Join us in celebrating our Trustees this week and thanking them for everything they do!

06/11/2025

Our Chief Executive was quoted in the BBC this week!

“Housing First is a compassionate, humane response to help a group of people, who’ve had incredibly difficult and challenging lives, fulfil their potential and gain a level of dignity that most of us take for granted” said Jon.

Its a privilege to continue offering intensive, tailored, and wraparound support to people we know, as well as people new to our care.

Bradford Council is extending its Housing First initiative to help up to 40 people over three years.

05/11/2025

The African Caribbean Achievement Project, in partnership with Black Health Forum Bradford, and Staying Put wish to better understand how domestic abuse information, support, and services can be made more accessible and culturally relevant for people from Bradford’s Black communities.

The private information gathered will be used to help improve how domestic abuse support and awareness are delivered across Bradford and Keighley.

https://bit.ly/3LmKGxU

03/11/2025

We've been growing the service since 2018 and are proud to announce Bridge is delivering the program together with Waythrough and Bradford Council.

We offer up to 40 homes without preconditions and tenancy support too, empowering individuals to build stability on their own terms.

We also offer flexible, trauma-informed support tailored to each person’s needs.

This program brings real social value to Bradford—supporting recovery, promoting safety, and demonstrating a visible commitment to ending homelessness.

Our pioneering ‘New York’ style approach to tackling homelessness is expanding, with an additional ten places now being offered. The Housing First initiative was initially piloted in Bradford in 2018, to support people across the district who have the most complex needs and who have histories of repeat homelessness.

It’s based on an international model, first developed in New York, which is widely regarded as one of the solutions to street homelessness and has had a big impact in Finland, where it has cut homelessness by 70 per cent since 2007. Rather than the traditional approach, which is often to place rough sleepers in hostels, Housing First provides people with their own home and tenancy, with intensive open-ended support. It aims to give people back control of their own lives and having a stable home provides them with an environment from which to tackle their challenges.

Bradford Council will work in partnership with the Bridge Project and Waythrough to deliver the programme over the next three years, with the additional capacity to increase support from 30 people to 40.

🏠 For more info: https://orlo.uk/hb2rM

24/10/2025

🎁 We’re collecting chocolates, toiletries, winter woolies and other goodness to wrap and gift the vulnerable people we support 💝

Last year our service manager recalls hearing "Someone thought of me" - that simple moment of being remembered means the world.

Lets prepare to spread kindness and warmth together this festive season. 🌟

23/10/2025

*Book now for free ticket to this day event with guest speakers*

Event - 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence
Venue - Bradford Royal Infirmary - Sovereign Lecture Theatre, Bradford
Date - Friday 5th December 2025, 9:00AM - 2:00PM (refreshments provided only, not lunch)

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/bradford/bradford-royal-infirmary-sovereign-lecture-theatre/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/2025-12-05/09:00/t-jxkxrjj

17/10/2025

Well done - we look forward to receiving you at Bridge for an opportunity to hear about your learning.

We love your interactive map highlighting creative, sport and community services within every Ward across Bradford. Together we strive to better signpost young people to join and create safe interesting and fairer communities.

https://www.bradfordcitycf.org.uk/peer-action-collective