Cost of living: crisis will be ‘soul destroying’ for Sheffield’s black community, says charity

The cost of living crisis is ‘soul destroying’ according to the head of a mental health charity which supports Sheffield’s black community.

Ursula Myrie, CEO of ADIRA, said they are forced to turn people despite their need becoming even greater because of the current economic conditions.

She said: “Everything is coming in at the same time, dealing with the impacts of Covid, everyday racism, mental health stigma and on top of all that, the cost of living crisis.

“It’s a very dangerous mix. It’s soul destroying.”

As the demand for their services rises, ADIRA is struggling to find funds and has been unable to take on much-needed referrals since 2020.

Ursula said: “We are having to turn people away by the bucket load because we just don’t have money.

“It is easier for big, predominantly white organisations to get funding. We get thrown the scraps.”

But ADIRA’s services are essential for black people suffering with mental issues, says Urusla.

“We specifically support black people and we make no apologies for that.

“The services on offer right now are just not culturally appropriate, sensitive or aware enough to support the black community’s needs.

“Behind closed doors, we say that mental health doesn’t exist. It is a white man’s problem, yet we are overpopulating every single psychiatric ward in England. A lot of black people are in denial about their mental health.”

Part of this, Ursula says, is tailoring support to the needs of the black community. ADIRA uses ‘out of the box’ techniques to treat mental health issues, such as running makeup and skincare workshops.

“The first time we ran a makeup course victims of rape and abuse were sharing stories they had held in for years.

“You have to hide things in certain packages for people to engage. But as a small organisation we can’t apply for bigger funding. If we don’t have funds, we can’t provide services and help those that need us.”

But this is not the only area in which support for Sheffield’s black community is lacking.

The charity has been working with Baby Basics, a Sheffield-based charity providing much needed items to families in need, including care packages.

ADIRA approached Baby Basics to create ethnically sensitive care packages in February.

They came up with the idea after noticing the packages lacked essential items for black families like cocoa butter and wide tooth combs.