A new Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has been set up with an allocation of £15 million to support mental health and well-being in communities across Scotland.
By supporting community-based initiatives in Scotland, the fund will help tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic.
The fund was launched by the mental wellbeing minister Kevin Stewart at Saheliya in Edinburgh, a specialist organisation for black and minority ethnic women and girls.
Stewart said: “This funding reflects the importance we place on promoting good mental health and early intervention for those in distress and will help develop a culture of mental wellbeing and prevention within local communities.
“It is vital now, more than ever as we start to re-open society that we support the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. I am very keen that this benefits communities across all of Scotland.”
The initiative is a part of the wider £120m Recovery and Renewal Fund announced in February 2021 in response to the mental health need arising from the pandemic.
Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre