Positive Action in the Community

Positive Action in the Community (PAC) is a thriving charity that has positively impacted thousands of lives across Pendle and Rossendale over the past year. It began with a group of compassionate residents from Nelson, who united to support homeless youth in the city centre.

“In 1997, there was a significant youth homelessness crisis,” explains Leroy Philbrook, Partnership and Community Engagement Officer for PAC. “Many young people between 16 and 17 were falling through the cracks within the local authority and ending up with nowhere to stay.”

In response, the community repurposed a couple of houses in Nelson and offered shelter for four young people. “They provided support, helped them find work, developed life skills, and secured permanent housing for them.”

“We’ve supported around 300 young people in the past 12 months…”

This initiative marked the inception of the charity Safe Space, which continues to operate under PAC’s umbrella 25 years later. “Safe Space now manages two multi-occupancy buildings—one in Rossendale and one in Nelson. Both provide supported accommodation for young people aged 16 to 21 who would otherwise be homeless. Since the pandemic began, the 33 apartments have been fully occupied.”

Due to the surge in demand, Safe Space launched the Homelessness Awareness Prevention and Intervention Programme (HAPI). With no additional space to accommodate more young people, the charity focuses on aiding those at risk of homelessness within the community. “We’ve supported around 300 young people in the past 12 months, helping them find accommodation or work, offering mental health counselling, and mediating with families when staying at home is an option,” Leroy explains.

Helping young people learn to cook in Safespace

“When I was in my darkest places, there was always someone there for me,” says a young person living in Safe Space supported accommodation.

Approximately 15 years ago, PAC expanded its services to address domestic violence by developing the Pendle Domestic Violence Initiative, now known as Be Free, which extended to Rossendale in January 2022. “We have two safe houses accommodating up to six families fleeing domestic abuse,” Leroy notes. Beyond providing refuge, Be Free offers various support services, including coffee mornings, advocacy, and counselling.

“One shocking statistic is that the average person trapped in a domestic abuse situation is physically assaulted 35 times before seeking help,” says Leroy. “We want to spread the message that we’re here, and those experiencing domestic abuse can reach out to us anonymously through our website, phone, or social media.”

“The recession, increased poverty, and COVID have strained household relationships.”

“I was able to be myself and speak freely without judgement,” a mother supported by the Be Free team explains. “It gave me the strength to stand up for myself and my children and get my voice back, which has been lost over many years.”

With 1,500 new referrals to the Be Free team in the past year, the need for help is critical. “We’ve seen a significant increase overall,” Leroy remarks. “Before the pandemic, we averaged about 900 referrals annually for all our services. Last year, we had just over 3,000. The recession, increased poverty, and COVID have strained household relationships.”

Learning about healthy relationships

To address these issues, PAC’s Evolve programme focuses on prevention and tackling key factors exacerbating homelessness and domestic violence. Evolve offers free counselling through a six-week programme for children and adults, employability skills, and East Lancashire’s Healthy Relationships programme. “This educational programme is free in schools and community groups, teaching young people to recognise unhealthy relationships, whether intimate, peer, or familial.”

“In our first year, we engaged 500 young people with the programme. Last year, that number rose to over 5,000.”

Activities at the Youth Centre

Evolve also operates the Waterside Youth Club in Colne, engaging over 100 young people weekly. “Over the summer, the centre has taken children on nature walks, and each week is filled with activities from arts and crafts to lessons on healthy eating,” Leroy says.

“Waterside is a real community asset,” Claire Bennett, Chief Executive of PAC, explains. “It sits within the heart of the Waterside ward. Since opening, we have been inundated with demand for youth club nights and youth activities, for which we have worked hard to find funding and deliver. We know that young people struggle in Colne for positive things to do, and as such, some find themselves getting a bad name for themselves. However, we also know that these young people significantly benefit from a well-managed youth provision that understands young people and their needs, which is what our Evolve provision within Positive Action in the Community does.”

Unfortunately, in recent weeks, the centre has been targeted by vandals. “When we find that our building has been damaged, on purpose, it is extremely frustrating as that means we have to spend money on repairs rather than delivering youth work. However, we are determined not to let a small minority spoil it for the majority, and we are now working with our young people to fundraise and develop plans to make the youth club sustainable. We want them to see that it’s their asset, for them and other young people, and they can decide what this will look like now and in the future. We want our Waterside centre to be run by the community for the community. If anyone can support this with their time or donations (financial or in-kind) or can support us in any other way, please get in touch!” Claire says.

“Many people think homelessness and domestic violence happen to others. When it happens to them, they often don’t know where to turn.”

Amid all these activities, PAC continues to expand, now offering mental health support training for those caring for the elderly. “It’s a free course for anyone who cares for elderly people, whether in their family or professionally. It helps them identify how to better support elderly individuals in accessing mental health care.”

For Leroy, spreading awareness about PAC’s support services is crucial. “Many people think homelessness and domestic violence happen to others. When it happens to them, they often don’t know where to turn. Issues like mental health, domestic abuse, and homelessness can feel very isolating. It’s important for people to know PAC is there to help.”

If you or someone you know could benefit from PAC’s work or if you’d like to organise a fundraiser, visit https://www.p-a-c.org.uk

ColneLife Sep/Oct 24