Congleton's Plus Dane housing is giving back, with free mental health support during the cost of living crisis.

The Worrall Street housing association provides homes to 30,000 people across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Now, anyone aged 16 or over of those 30,000 can benefit from support for their wellbeing.

The housing association is teaming up with healthcare charity Making Space for its new 'Wellbeing First' project.

Plus Dane Housing employ 500, and are now out to help the emotional wellbeing of their thousands of customers. (Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay)

A trained, experienced and caring team will be able to provide friendly, one-to-one support to customers concerned about mental health issues like depression, stress, anxiety, worry, or low mood.

Announcing the news, a statement from the socially-conscious housing association said: "Making time to look after our mental health is really important, and Plus Dane Housing is pleased to be able to offer a range of wellbeing support to our customers in Cheshire".

Sessions can take place over the telephone, on video calls like Zoom, or face-to-face.

Usman Ashiq, strategic partnerships manager at Plus Dane said: "We know with the cost of living crisis, among many other things, there is a lot going on for people to worry about and this can really have an effect on mental health.

Usman Ashiq has worked at Plus Dane Housing since 2014, and was originally their Health and Wellbeing officer before taking up their latest position. (Image - LinkedIn)

"Opening up about it really is a good place to start, and these projects help us to reach out to customers and make sure we can provide meaningful support to help build positivity and resilience, to try and stop a mental health issue turning into a crisis."

This new early intervention project is designed to help people take control of their lives, feel confident, and build on their self-worth in a safe and supportive environment.

Rachel Munn, head of psychological wellbeing services at Making Space, said: "We are excited to get to work with Plus Dane on this new project. It is great to have another option of support for people as we look forward to helping tenants with their wellbeing."

Wellbeing First is open to all Cheshire-based customers of Plus Dane aged 16 and over. Referrals and enquires can be sent to engagement&[email protected].