Habinteg tenants to benefit from programmes to improve skills and wellbeing

Habinteg tenants in the City are set to benefit from programmes to improve skills and wellbeing.

The organisation has secured more than £9,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to support community projects which will benefit tenants and their families across the North.

Habinteg said it aimed to increase access for vulnerable and isolated tenants and planned to implement initiatives to help improve health and wellbeing, increase skills and reduce living costs.

The housing association will use the funding to co-ordinate six-week cookery programmes teaching participants how to cook healthy meals on a budget.

Each participant will be provided with ingredients costs and a utensils pack, including a slow cooker to ensure that they can continue to cook hearty, healthy meals for themselves and their families.

Habinteg will also be hosting six-weekly wellness courses promoting the five steps to wellbeing with the aim of improving mental wellbeing and physical health.

The events will be held in “snug hubs,” which are warm, dedicated spaces for tenants, across sites in Derry, Dungannon, Limavady, Enniskillen, Strabane, Coleraine, Ballycastle, Belfast and Newry. There will also be online workshops for those who are unable to attend the face to face sessions encouraging participants from across the region to come together to build relationships.

Deborah Wooderson, Director of Homes and Communities, Habinteg Housing Association, said: "As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on our tenants, improving the skills and wellbeing of our communities is a high priority for Habinteg and we’d like to thank National Lottery players for their support.

“Specific online and in-person workshops promoting steps that our tenants can take to improve their physical and mental wellbeing will help to ensure the most isolated and vulnerable in our communities feel connected.

“The funds will also support our community snug hubs where tenants can come to engage with their neighbours. Developed during the winter months, when heating bills were particularly high, the snug hubs have encouraged engagement within our communities and they will continue to run throughout the summer.”