Prevent the closure of the People's Centre for Change in Camden

 

 

People’s Centre for Change at 96-98 Shoot up Hill, is currently in Section E5 of the Fortune Green and West Hampstead Neighbourhood Development Plan, which means it is a community facility to be protected from any change.But now the council is objecting to the building being listed as community facility and is looking for a change of use in order to sell it on the open market.

 

 

People's Centre was set up by a group of family carers who campaigned against the closure of the service originally planned for 2012 and set themselves up as a social enterprise with the aim of providing excellent individually tailored activities, social and employment opportunities and support to people with high support needs and creating new community facilities for the neighbourhood. Being designated a community facility protected from change is crucial to enable People's Centre to realise their plans to transform this local day centre into a vibrant and inclusive community resource for the local community and people with severe learning disabilities and their families when this local authority centre closes down.

 

The closure would leave people with severe learning disabilities even more isolated, stuck at home, without meaningful occupation, friendships lost, ever more dependent on their family carers (as reported in Mencap's report “Stuck at Home” 2011). People's Centre set up a plan to provide an alternative future.

The building has been adapted to provide facilities for people with severe physical impairments (lift, WC facilities, changing rooms etc). There are no equivalent premises in the area and the cost of providing the necessary facilities in another building will be prohibitive as well as wasteful.

In April 2012 the council agreed to defer the closure of Shoot Up Hill (now extended to 2016), which gave People's Centre time to develop their proposals and raise money to buy the building.

What we are doing now

People's Centre runs activities in the building outside day centre hours under a license from Camden Council.

• Weekly creative, social and therapeutic sessions for 21 adults and young people with learning disabilities supported by volunteers, family and support workers and a “Unique Products”project .

• Weekly sessions and special events for unpaid carers in Camden

• Saturday Stay and Play sessions for families with children with disabilities, their siblings and friends

• Open Days, Special Concert, Carers Week Day and Festival events bringing together many local people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to make music, art and enjoy greater social involvement

We have inspired funders to support our projects and plans including Co-op, National Lottery, School of Social Entrepreneurs, Comic Relief, Camden Carers Service, SIBS, a local Hampstead Trust, Baily Thomas, Tesco and several individual donors and supporters. Our business case demonstrates that we can be a sustainable enterprise. We are continuing to develop the service offer and detailed business plan.

The inclusion of 96-98 Shoot Up Hill in section E5 of the Fortune Green and West Hampstead Neighbourhood Development Plan is a vital step in ensuring that this opportunity to continue our work in providing support for people with severe learning disabilities, their families and carers and creating a community resource for local people is not lost.

 

facebook.com/peoplescentre

http://peoplescentreforchange.org.uk/