Our Mission -

The Be Strong project’s social mission is to facilitate, encourage and support behavioural change in individuals who have become addicted to substances and have fallen into patterns of offending behaviour. It has a number of key objectives including:

Reducing re-offending, currently two thirds of released prisoners re offend
Reducing the number of family breakdowns that imprisonment creates
Improving the mental and physical health of released prisoners
Increasing employment, voluntary and training opportunities
Reducing the number of incidents of domestic violence

OUR PROCESS

Be Strong will work with newly released offenders, referred by partnering agencies, who have a commitment to change. An individual programme will be created which addresses their specific needs adopting a holistic approach to changing behaviour.

Often this will start with a gentle introduction to the gym setting. As the individual progresses they will have the opportunity to become involved with other agencies and projects.

For example education establishments, counseling services, personal development sessions etc. The project seeks to prepare people for work, training and voluntary opportunities.

The progress of the participants will be regularly reviewed and evaluated with them.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

My testimony and experiences are both evidence of how physical training can help in beating drug addiction and changing offending behaviours.

It worked for me and it can work for others too. We’ll put our best foot forward to help our clients every step of the way.

To find out more, please get in touch via the confidential message form on the next page.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Be Strong would like to express its gratitude for the encouragement, support and assistance provided by the following individuals whose kindness has proved invaluable in getting our project established :

Derek Smith – Pastor, Kings Church Centre, Bolton
Elaine Bowes – Bolton Business Ventures

Be Strong SAVES LIVES & THE PUBLIC PURSE!

Estimated cost per person to set up Job Seekers Allowance is over £300.

Estimated cost per person to set up Welfare-to-Work programme is over £400.

The cost of getting an adult into work through a welfare-to-work programme is over £4500.

Job seekers allowance (paid to the job seeker; not cost to the taxpayer) is over £3500 per year (age 25+).

The bill for Class A drug-related crime has hit £100billion since 1998, while the health costs have added another £10billion, according to the charity Addaction.

Each person who remained dependent on illegal drugs cost the taxpayer about £44,000.

Addaction chief executive Deborah Cameron said: 'ILLEGAL DRUG USE IS COSTING THE UK TAXPAYER £16.4BILLION A YEAR, which is more than ONE-AND-A-HALF TIMES THE COST OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN 2012!

The combined cost of general medical and psychiatric treatment, addiction services and crime amounted to £11,404 per person.

A person in temporary supported accommodation for single homeless will cost the taxpayer over £13,500 (plus £5,000 with added mental health issues).

A three month stay in prison will COST OVER £9,000

A person age 25+ claiming job seekers allowance, on a welfare-to-work programme and committing crime to feed an addiction, having spent 3 months in prison and is now living in supported accommodation and struggling with minor mental health WILL COST THE TAXPAYER OVER £47,600 IN THE FIRST YEAR!

If the person does not sustain the employment due to addiction or lacking personal development and falls back into the system these costs are repeated.

Be Strong at £150,000 per year per borough working with 60 people and successfully recovering just 5 per year will potentially SAVE THE TAXPAYER A MINIMUM OF £238,000 PER YEAR!!!!

LETS SAY THAT AGAIN: Successfully recovering just 5 people per year will potentially SAVE THE TAXPAYER A MINIMUM OF £238,000 PER YEAR!!!!

Rehabilitating just four people per year makes Be Strong financially viable to the local Council.

17 prolific priority offenders were referred in to the Be Strong project last year and 14 of them didn't go on to reoffend - that's approximately an 82% REDUCTION IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY!!