ABOUT US
Disability Support Calderdale is a user led organisation that seeks to empower and enable disabled people to make informed choices by providing them with information and support.
Our information and support service promotes choice and provides people with a voice.
The service is run by and for disabled people.
We are based at Suite 38, Windsor Works, Victoria Road, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8LN, but can support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions throughout the Calderdale district.
Our information and support service promotes choice and provides people with a voice.
The service is run by and for disabled people.
We are based at Suite 38, Windsor Works, Victoria Road, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8LN, but can support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions throughout the Calderdale district.
HISTORY OF DISABILITY SUPPORT
Disability Support was founded in 2004 by a number of people who wanted advocacy support with issues such as benefits and housing and we worked in both Bradford and Calderdale and for five years we worked from Keighley Voluntary Action on Skipton Road, Keighley. We received funding for our work from Bradford Clinical Commissioning Group and moved to an office in Little Germany, Bradford and we also employed a worker and had this office until 2014.
Because of the number of enquiries that we received in Calderdale, we moved to Lee Mount, Ovenden in November 2014 and we developed as an organisation and in 2015, we started a contract with the MS Society for Calderdale to do benefit related work for all their members and this contract did not end until 2018, when we moved our office to our office at Hebden Bridge and during this time we have continued to expand. The main reason we moved to Hebden Bridge was the number of people from the Upper Valley, needing support and this has continued to increase in the last two years. We are a district wide organisation and the most enquiries we receive for support always come from North Halifax, Park and Todmorden wards.
Before the start of the coronavirus outbreak we held weekly drop-in meetings at Todmorden Health Centre and St.Mary’s Food Bank, Todmorden (monthly), and the Upper Valley Hub (every two weeks) and we were due to commence drop-in meetings at Better Lives, Halifax but this did not occur due to the coronavirus outbreak. In 2020, the numbers of people needing support has increased and we recouped £1.2 million in payments for the people who used our support service in Calderdale. In the last 12 months, we have continued to work remotely and virtually and the volume of enquiries is still high and in 2021, we are due to start a new employment and training project called Inspire managed by Calderdale Council.
Because of the number of enquiries that we received in Calderdale, we moved to Lee Mount, Ovenden in November 2014 and we developed as an organisation and in 2015, we started a contract with the MS Society for Calderdale to do benefit related work for all their members and this contract did not end until 2018, when we moved our office to our office at Hebden Bridge and during this time we have continued to expand. The main reason we moved to Hebden Bridge was the number of people from the Upper Valley, needing support and this has continued to increase in the last two years. We are a district wide organisation and the most enquiries we receive for support always come from North Halifax, Park and Todmorden wards.
Before the start of the coronavirus outbreak we held weekly drop-in meetings at Todmorden Health Centre and St.Mary’s Food Bank, Todmorden (monthly), and the Upper Valley Hub (every two weeks) and we were due to commence drop-in meetings at Better Lives, Halifax but this did not occur due to the coronavirus outbreak. In 2020, the numbers of people needing support has increased and we recouped £1.2 million in payments for the people who used our support service in Calderdale. In the last 12 months, we have continued to work remotely and virtually and the volume of enquiries is still high and in 2021, we are due to start a new employment and training project called Inspire managed by Calderdale Council.