Priority 2: Reach
Reach more people to let them know we’re here
Our challenge
We are not yet good enough at reaching people whose circumstances mean they might have a higher risk of suicide, such as those living in deprivation or who are marginalised.
Our ambition
To be more visible and relevant, particularly to a more diverse range of people and communities, so those who might need us most, trust us and know we’re here for them.
We will achieve this by:
- Assessing the needs of specific communities and developing resources to help our branches understand which local communities or groups need us most.
- Increasing our presence in locations of greatest need, for example by opening new hubs or satellite branches.
- Taking action to reach a more diverse range of people who could benefit from Samaritans’ support, such as those who are marginalised or living in deprivation.
- Partnering and collaborating with national organisations who already work with groups who could benefit most from our support, to introduce Samaritans and what we do. We will support our branches and regions to do the same locally.
- Learning from our NHS and Social Care line, we will investigate specific support for sectors that are most in need of the work we do.
Samaritans volunteer Ann talks about how her branch, Dumfries, reach out people in the to the local community.
It’s really important that we actually speak to people before they reach crisis point. And if we can encourage people in our local community to be a lot more aware about the services that we can offer, but also more aware about the signs when somebody might be struggling and then how to listen, that can hopefully prevent somebody then reaching that crisis point.
Ann, Samaritans volunteer