In construction, many workers and their families can find themselves in a desperate situation and are unsure of who to turn to for help and advise.
This is where the inspirational charity The Lighthouse construction charity can help.
The charity provides financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families who are suffering from the effects of long term illness, injury or financial difficulties. They offer support to anyone who needs advice on debt management, taxation or just generally need a helping hand in life.
A recent press release from Lighthouse has shown some staggering statistics on the emotional welfare of construction workers in the UK and Ireland.
2018 was a difficult year for many people and for many reasons but in the construction industry last year alone 1662 individuals or families in crisis contacted the Lighthouse helpline. These calls ranged from mental health issues to legal, taxation and debt management advice.
The financial support provided in 2018 by Lighthouse was £1.25 million a staggering increase of 75% compared to 2017.
Lighthouse Construction Industry charity provides helpline packs to employers and construction employees and thus far have a total of 350,000 helpline cards in circulation within our industry.
The charity has also recently launched a helpline app with the support of construction software ‘COINS’, the app enables industry workers and their families to quickly and conveniently find out more information on self-help techniques or how to progress to the next step in seeking professional help. This app is designed to be a preventative tool that can be used in the early stages of a situation to prevent a crisis for the individual by seeking help quicker.
For help on downloading this app please visit their page here
Lighthouse provides a 24 hour 7 days a week confidential helpline, 0345 6051956, which presents the first step in getting help and support on the situations many construction workers may be facing.
Working closely within the industry and with the individual employers, Lighthouse offers an online portal of information about mental health, equipping employers with the knowledge and skills to begin developing the process of a positive mental health culture in their workplace.
For more information please visit: https://www.buildingmentalhealth.net/
To encourage the shift in attitude towards mental health Lighthouse empowers employers by providing downloadable videos and toolbox talks as well as essential advice on how to access health training and services.
All of this information is free of charge and can be tailored to the individual companies needs.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction industry charity commented on the recent figures released, “On the positive side the 2018 figures show that we are reaching out to more construction workers and their families, but it also means that too many of them find themselves in desperate situations. The significant escalation in families needing our support has taken us by surprise and has put pressure on our finances.
With two construction workers taking their own lives every single working day, and stress depression and anxiety accounting for a fifth of all work-related illness it is vital that we continue to provide our helpline services and put additional funding into the construction industry’s dedicated volunteer-led building mental health programme.”
It is important to stress that Lighthouse is a charity based organisation helping thousands of industry workers and their families on a daily basis, Lighthouse receives no public funding and relies solely on the generosity of those working within the industry to help them continue their vital, life-changing work.
Hill added, “The only way we can plan ahead is with predictable income. That’s why we have launched our company supporters initiative and our ‘save a life’ campaign. We are urging companies to pledge a regular annual donation to ensure the long term sustainability of our valuable charity services.
If you are reading this and wondering how your company can make a difference, then here’s how to get involved.”
https://www.lighthouseclub.org/lighthouse-company-supporter/
