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P3 Charity’s Chestnut Place is an accommodation service in the heart of Derby City, providing long-term accommodation for people experiencing mental ill-health with in-house social, practical and emotional support.
With a range of services provided from advice to mental health support and independent living skills, the overall aim of the service is to improve the health and mental wellbeing of the residents.
Part of P3’s BeWell Derbyshire Personal Budgets Service, Chestnut Place focuses on wellbeing support that reduces isolation. Residents are invited to join social trips and activities with other members of the local community who are receiving support from the BeWell team.
Unlike other BeWell services, Chestnut Place is the only accommodation provider, combining Intensive Housing Management (IHM) with wellbeing support (BeWell). This gives it a unique perspective on balancing holistic housing support with mental health support for people with a range of complex needs.
In this article, we’ll explore what this type of support looks like, the benefits of providing mental health support in a well-connected area and how this approach helps people build stability and move forward with confidence.
Intensive Housing Management (IHM) covers the day-to-day management of supported accommodation. It includes tasks like maintaining properties, ensuring safety and security, managing tenancies and providing guidance to help residents sustain their homes successfully.
P3 BeWell Derbyshire Personal Budgets Service provides support to people over the age of 18 to help them live independently and manage their mental health.
We offer emotional support, advice and practical help both at home and within the local community. Our holistic approach focuses on building connections and reducing social isolation through activities and trips, co-designed by the people we work alongside.
We’re joined by Charissa Monaghan and Martha Ware, wellbeing workers based at Chestnut Place. Martha has just celebrated her ninth work anniversary with P3, her first-ever support role. She says, “I’m happy to be here so long, happy to work with people and just love doing what I’m doing.”
Charissa has been with P3 for around two and a half years, “I absolutely love this job, I couldn’t imagine doing anything different. It doesn’t feel like a job sometimes, because I enjoy every day.
“From the people we work alongside, seeing the changes in them over years that’s brilliant. Knowing you had a part in somebody’s life, that’s amazing. But also, we’re so close as a team, we’re all supported – I don’t ever feel like I can’t just be open.”
Martha adds, “With this job, you start to see the people behind the situation. You have your eyes opened to the realities of people living on the streets, people with mental health issues.”
Charissa echoes this, “That’s why the training is so good, it gives you that insight to lots of different things before you then apply it in real life. It changes how you approach people.”
Charissa and Martha believe P3’s people-centred approach shapes both the level of support we provide and the way we work as an organisation, creating a supportive environment for the people we help and the colleagues who deliver that support.
Charissa explains, “This approach has taught me that listening is the most important thing. I’m quite a talkative person, which I think is good when you’re supporting somebody but it’s hard sometimes not to overtalk and put your own opinions at the start of the conversation.
“P3’s training really means we listen first and put that person first, that therapeutic silence is a big thing – especially for people that lack confidence and need the time and space to talk. It builds trust and increases their ability to share with you.
“As it’s person-centred every single person is different, which means you must learn how to approach it differently every single time.”
Martha agrees, saying, “I feel the same way, you need to hear people and let them talk or you can’t engage with them. Let them lead the conversation and give them that time.
“With the right support, [the people we support] can then help each other.”
At Chestnut Place, skill sharing is a core part of the way the service operates. People are supported to learn from one another, sharing their experiences, strengths and practical skills in a safe and encouraging environment. This peer-led approach helps build confidence, fosters a sense of community, and supports people to develop greater independence as they move forward.
We asked Charissa and Martha to share how fundraising directly impacts the people they support and why it makes such a meaningful difference to their lives.
Charissa says, “The impact is massive and it means we don’t have to worry about covering the costs of these extras. We can pay to take people to places that they have never been before, this year our focus is to get people to the beach for the day.
“We see time and time again that with our trips, just one day has such a positive impact. The people [we support] get excited but so do we!”
Martha adds, “The money goes directly to taking the people we support to do something they’ve never done before! The pantomine was what we did last year, and that was brilliant.”
Charissa talks about some of the other trips: “We went to Matlock Farm Park, and they got to feed goats and stroke cows, things they’ve never done before! It was great to see people from different areas coming together and making friends with people who share their experiences.”
These shared experiences don’t just create positive memories, they play an important role in reducing isolation. Spending time together outside of structured support sessions helps people build meaningful connections, grow in confidence socially, and feel part of a community. It creates opportunities for ongoing peer support, so people aren’t left feeling alone once formal sessions come to an end.
Charissa explains how the people supported at Chestnut Place are less isolated than other members of the community in Derbyshire who seek support from BeWell.
She says, “When their support sessions are over, they can still spend time with like-minded people. They’re with others even when they’re at home – a lot of others in the community don’t have that. They have their visit and that’s their contact time for the week.”
Another benefit of receiving support in Derby city, compared to more rural areas of Derbyshire, is how much easier it is to access local services, facilities and opportunities. Being in a well-connected, diverse area also means people can meet others, share experiences and learn about different cultures, helping to build confidence, broaden perspectives and feel part of a wider community.
Charissa adds, “I guess we take it for granted being so close to the city centre, being able to access facilities and take people for dinner or take them out to do fun activities like bowling or something.”
Martha agrees, she says, “It’s massively different in a rural area, in the city there is so much to do and so many opportunities to take the people we support out. People have so many chances just to join in.”
Chestnut Place shows what’s possible when housing and wellbeing support come together in a way that truly centres people’s needs. From building confidence and connections to reducing isolation, this approach is helping people move forward with greater stability and hope. To find out more about Chestnut Place and how your support can make a difference, click the button below.
