A mental health charity whose current home is being sold by Greenwich Council is being given £100,000 to help with the move to a new premises.
The Greenwich branch of South East London Mind (SEL Mind) is currently based out of two terraced residential houses in Ormiston Road which are owned by the council.
Greenwich Council announced in October 2024 that it would be selling the two houses, along with several council-owned properties, to try and plug a £33 million budget gap.
The Ormiston Road site has been providing mental health services to Greenwich residents for over 45 years with its origins as Greenwich Mind, predating its mergers to what is now SEL Mind.
The council has now decided to provide a £100k grant to SEL Mind to help move its Greenwich branch to The Forum community centre in Trafalgar Road, about a 15-minute walk from its current premises.
The charity identified The Forum as the best available option for it to deliver its mental health services to the borough after the council placed the Ormiston Road location on its disposal list in 2019 due to its “poor condition” and lack of accessibility.
The charity plans to complete its move to The Forum in August. Greenwich Council has stated that the charity’s new home will be a “more accessible and suitable environment” for users.
SEL Mind’s Head of Services in Greenwich, Shukri Mohamed, said: “We know leaving Ormiston Road, our home for four decades, will be difficult. But I believe this move presents us with opportunities to connect with more members of our community.
“South East London Mind’s promise to stand by people with mental health problems and dementia isn’t tied to a building. Our support is about people, and that will always be our priority.”
The £100k will go towards covering the conversion of a large open-plan room into a counselling suite with four private rooms as well as the refurbishment of an annex building for peer support groups. Council documents state that The Forum will cover any additional minor refurbishment costs.
A Greenwich council spokesperson said: “Our priority is always the health and wellbeing of our communities. We’re extremely grateful for all the work that South East London Mind do in our borough and after years of supporting the charity with its accommodation in Ormiston Road, we’ve worked hard to work alongside them to find a new home that means SEL Mind’s vital work can continue for years to come in a property fit for the residents it will support.”
The grant will come from Greenwich Council’s Section 106 fund, money provided by developers and landowners after planning permission is approved to mitigate the impact of a development on the local community and infrastructure.
