Our Truth about Poverty
- April 2024
- Lead Member Stevenage Borough Council
- Categories Poverty
As the efforts of public sector workers during the Covid-19 pandemic are recognised by Government, senior leaders and the general public, it is vitally important to acknowledge not only the outcomes and the good news stories, but also the nature of the work that it takes to produce them – work that doesn’t always lend itself easily to public discussion – let alone celebration – but that is the everyday reality for many staff on the frontline.
This is very much the domain in which Stevenage’s ‘No More Service’ operates. Set up in 2012 with a £2k grant to engage street drinkers, and additional funding from partners allowed a full-time worker to be employed with a holistic approach to help clients reduce alcohol consumption. Further contributions funded a drugs worker, and in 2016, with roles now generic, ‘offending’ was added to the client profile. 2019 research into the links between ‘complex needs’, addiction and offending led to a further expansion of the service’s remit.
