About Fund The Hubs
Hundreds of thousands of young people are struggling with their mental health – and too often they can’t get support when they first need it.
We know that the earlier a young person gets support for their mental health, the more effective that support will be.
That’s why we are calling for a network of hubs across the country, which would provide early support for young people’s mental health when their problems first emerge.
Early support hubs already exist in some areas, and we want to build on these successful examples. We also need to ensure they have consistent, long-term funding.
Did you know?
- In July 2020, data from the NHS suggested that one in six young people now has a probable mental health disorder, up from one in nine in 2017.
- We surveyed young people in 2019 about their experiences of early support, two-thirds told us they could not find support when they first needed it.
- Three-quarters (78%) of young people in the same survey said that they had had to manage their mental health on their own when they couldn’t find help elsewhere, but only 17% felt confident in their ability to manage their mental health by themselves.
What is an early support hub?
An early support hub is a mental health and wellbeing hub that provides open access, flexible, early support for young people under 25 in their communities.
Watch our short video to find out more about hubs.
Our Activists' open letter to Rishi Sunak MP
Our Activists have written an open letter to Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, calling on him to #FundTheHubs in the Autumn Spending Review.
An incredible 5,000 young people added their name to the letter, which four of our Activists personally delivered to Downing Street on 30 September 2021.
Stephen Fry and 53 organisations have backed these young people's call in a letter published in The Telegraph, echoing their plea for a serious funding commitment.
The campaign so far
Spending Review Announcement
At the end of October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP set out the Budget, detailing where the Government would invest money over the next few years. Despite calls from a coalition of charities and backing from thousands of people across the country, there was no funding allocated for early support for young people’s mental health.
Read our Chief Executive’s response to the Budget here.
Hand in to no.11 Downing Street
In September, four of our Activists personally delivered an open letter they had written to the Treasury, calling on Rishi Sunak MP to #FundtheHubs in the Budget. This letter was signed by over 5,000 young people, all calling on the Government for better early support.
Stephen Fry and 53 organisations backed the call from young people in a letter published in The Telegraph, echoing their plea for a serious funding commitment
Gillian Keegan MP visits an early support hub
The new Minister for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan MP, went to an early support hub as her first visit as a Minister.
She visited an existing hub in Liverpool and spoke to young people about their experiences of using the service.
Thousands of you email your MP
Thousands of you have now emailed your MP asking them to tell the Government to #FundtheHubs. This has resulted in over 50 MPs taking an action for the campaign and getting early support hubs firmly on the government agenda.
We will be continuing the campaign…
#FundtheHubs is far from over and we’ll be asking you to take action again soon. Sign up to our emails to be the first to know about updates and to find out how you can get involved.
