Following the addition of four new organisations to the GMHF Pilot, we asked them to introduce themselves to discover more about them.
In this edition, the spotlight is on Community Led Initiatives CIC
Community Led Initiatives CIC was formed by two people who had lived experience of crime, prison, addiction and mental ill-health.
When they tried to turn their own lives around, they struggled to link positively into their communities and overcome barriers and stigma. These experiences led them to set up CLI in 2013, supporting others in a real, person-centred way to create positive lives in their own community.
CLI is passionate about the power of lived experience and peer support, over 50 per cent of our staff and volunteers at all levels of the organisation have themselves experienced prison, addiction, mental ill-health and homelessness.
This experience has informed our values and approach, putting people first and believing in everyone’s potential for change.
At CLI we help over 600 people every year to build happier and healthier lives in their communities, connecting them into the opportunities that enable them to thrive.
We work across Greater Manchester and the East of England and are nationally recognised for providing quality, lived experience-led services, including peer support to the Housing First project within Inspiring Change Manchester.
CLI’s founder and CEO Peter Atherton: “We are delighted to join the Greater Manchester Housing First pilot and look forward to bringing our expertise in working alongside people involved in the criminal justice system, helping them to create positive lives within their communities.
"Our values and approach closely align with the principles that underpin this exciting partnership and we look forward to contributing to the overall success of the pilot.”
To find out more, visit their website HERE