World Mental Health Day 2022 - Crisis café case study

This World Mental Health Day (Monday, October 10th) we want to highlight the positive impact of services such as crisis cafes across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Case study

Sefton resident David, 57, formerly street homeless and struggling with his mental health, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and last autumn was sleeping rough in a shelter on Southport promenade when he stumbled across a flyer for the Sefton Crisis Cafes.

With locations in both Southport and Crosby, the crisis cafe service offered him out of hours support for his mental health and would go on to help him change his life for the better.

The crisis cafe offered David a warm welcome, food and drink, a calm and safe space and a group of friendly staff who provided a wealth of support for both mental health and practical issues that he was experiencing.

They gave him one-to-one support with his mental health concerns, helped him to register with a GP, get a winter clothing grant and referral to a food bank, as well as providing regular social activities with the staff and other service users in the cafe’s social space - all of which began to have a hugely positive impact on David’s life.

David said: “It’s not possible to measure it, I’ve made some great friends through the café. I’m a lot more positive than I was. I know that there is somebody there if I need someone.”