Neighbourhoods Connect - keeping people Warm 'n' Healthy

Back in 2010 the founders of Harringay Online worked with Haringey Council and Age Concern Haringey to establish the Neighbourhoods Connect project. Since then it has been supporting residents who are, or may become, vulnerable.

As part of the project, the Warm ‘n’ Healthy campaign aims to offer specific support during the winter months via the dedicated Warm ‘n’ Healthy team.

Advisors are in touch with residents, visiting their homes and ensuring they get all assistance they are entitled to:  from help filling in forms to support with the digital TV switchover.

Each advisor is responsible for a part of the borough, and supported by volunteers specifically recruited for the campaign by Age UK Haringey.

As well as trying to prevent older people getting sick by helping them to keep warm the project is also directing them to other support. This includes everything from befriending and benefits advice, to slips, trips and falls assessments, and free leisure passes.

Neighbourhoods Connect and the Warm ‘n’ Healthy campaign point the way to how we might develop relationships between older residents and their neighbours in order to promote their independence in the community, and their relationship with each other. It's challenging at a time of  unprecedented reductions in public sector funding when at the same time there is  an unprecedented increase in the numbers of older people. One one method of sustaining good quality social care provision in our austere times is to draw on the support of neighbours, volunteers and community organisations.

Over the longer term Neigbourhoods Connect say they want to: "...make sure that people are given every opportunity to remain in their own homes, drawing on the support already available from the public and voluntary sectors, but also on informal support from local groups and neighbours."

• If you think you could benefit from with some support, or are worried about a neighbour, contact Neighbourhood Connect on 020 8489 1400.
• If you are an interested resident (older or otherwise), or want to volunteer to help Neighbourhoods Connect, further details are available online