Alpha House offers individuals a chance at new beginnings through their residential, rehabilitation, and resettlement programs. To read more about how Alpha House operates, you can read our previous story on them here.
One member, Daniel Cooper, was elated to learn that he had won the ‘Adult Student of the Year’ award at the Calderdale College Inspire Awards in July. This was a significant achievement not just for Daniel but also for Alpha House, which continues to make a profound impact on its members.
Daniel had been enrolled in a 6-month Awareness of Mental Health Problems Level 2 course at the college, a qualification designed for those wanting to deepen their understanding of mental health and the challenges associated with it.
On July 4th, Daniel, alongside his course mates, Alpha House staff, and volunteers, celebrated this accomplishment at an awards ceremony held at the Victoria Theatre.
With Alpha House’s support, Daniel took the course to advance his personal development and, more importantly, to better understand his own struggles with mental health.
Daniel thoroughly enjoyed completing the course and noted how it had played a crucial role in his recovery, providing him with a greater understanding of the complexities of mental health.
One of the highlights of the course for Daniel was learning about schizophrenia. Although he has no formal diagnosis, he resonated with certain aspects of the condition, which reminded him of his past behaviours during his struggles with substance abuse.
Calderdale College recognised Daniel’s dedication and motivation, naming him Student of the Year for his outstanding effort and involvement.
Daniel expressed his gratitude to the staff and volunteers at Alpha House, crediting them with giving him the foundation to build the life he wants. He is now looking forward to the next chapter of his journey, with aspirations of achieving his dream job in business and sales.
The success doesn’t stop there, the latest group in the Alpha House Skills and Education program also celebrated their achievements and received their certifications for completing Alpha House’s in-house accredited courses through the Quality License Scheme.
The courses available include:
- Addressing Offending Behaviour
- Dealing with Depression
- Dealing with Anxiety
- Dealing with Harmful Thinking
- Anger Management & Conflict Resolution
- Dealing with Gambling and Money Management
- Respect and Safety of Women Diploma
These courses play a vital role in the rehabilitation process, helping to improve the mental health of individuals and opening doors to new opportunities for growth.
Members were encouraged to reflect on their time at Alpha House, with one member commenting:
“If I didn’t learn the skills I have here, I would be back in addiction. It’s given me the tools to get past that.”
Another shared:
“When I came here 2 and a half years ago, it was just a get out of jail free card for me, but I’m a nicer person today and that’s thanks to this place (Alpha House Calderdale)”
The most impactful comment was:
“It truly has saved my life and I hope it continues to do that.”
With each success story, Alpha House reaffirms its commitment to providing a supportive and empowering environment where individuals can rebuild their lives, one step at a time.
Most recently, the charity received the Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accreditation for the third time.
This quality assurance mark is provided by local infrastructure organisation Voluntary & Community (VAC) for groups delivering health and wellbeing services.
In their assessment report, it was noted:
“It was a pleasure to be able to assess Alpha House against Level 1 of the Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accreditation.
What might have started 13 years ago as a small project has since grown and in the words of the Chair gone from “Strength to Strength” led by Yvonne who was described as “a driving force”. A small and dedicated team of people with lived experience of recovery and multi-complex needs supporting others to turn their lives around. The service was described to me as “delivering”, “rewarding” and has a “great offer” which I would agree with.
It was particularly moving to hear first-hand of the impact as well as the difference Alpha House is having on the lives of its service users who were grateful and spoke both warmly and passionately as to the support provided and of Alpha House.”
For more information on Alpha House Calderdale, you can visit their website here: https://alphahousecalderdale.org.uk/
If you’re a group or organisation and are interested in finding out more about Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing, please contact Tamsin at tamsin.woodhead@cvac.org.uk