PATACC - Community Befriending

PATACC runs Community Befriending project to support people experiencing loneliness and isolation by enabling them to make new friends, improve their social lives and stay healthier.

PATACC organises Annual Black History Multicultural Festival to bring Harlow citizens from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate a community where everyone feels they belong and can contribute to its development.

What will the Kao SEED Fund support?

PATACC’s Capacity Building for Community Befriending Project will recruit and train up to 14 volunteers to deliver safe, structured befriending support to people in Harlow experiencing loneliness and isolation. Volunteers will receive training in befriending skills, safeguarding, and health and safety so they can provide effective emotional and social support by phone and face to face. This will expand PATACC’s existing Community Befriending Project, enabling earlier intervention so that loneliness does not escalate into depression or crisis requiring hospital treatment.

Who is the project helping support?

The project primarily supports community volunteers who want to develop their skills as befrienders, but the ultimate beneficiaries are vulnerable and isolated residents in Harlow and surrounding areas. These include older people, widows and widowers living alone, disabled people, and those recovering from serious illness such as stroke or mental health issues. It also supports people facing homelessness, joblessness, low income or debt, unpaid carers and those they care for, minority and LGBT communities, new residents with few local connections, and anyone self-identifying as lonely or isolated.

Impact of the project

The project will significantly increase PATACC’s capacity to respond to a sharp rise in referrals since Covid-19, reducing waiting lists and ensuring more people receive timely support. Trained volunteers will encourage isolated residents to socialise, build confidence and form new friendships, improving mental health and overall wellbeing. By intervening early, the project aims to reduce the number of people whose loneliness deteriorates into severe mental ill-health, easing pressure on NHS and statutory services.