Bridge - delivering top-class drug and alcohol services

September 2008

Download a fact sheet about Bridge (PDF format)

The Social Investment Business invested £218,750 from the Futurebuilders Fund in Bridge to help it purchase and refurbish a building in order to further develop and expand its Family Support Service, providing dedicated support specifically targeted at sex workers and their families, with the aim of tackling a range of health and social exclusion issues.

About Bridge

Bridge is a registered charity that was established in 1984 to help tackle the growing problem of drug and substance misuse in Bradford. Bradford had no statutory drug team in the early 80s and the organisation grew from a group of concerned professionals and local people who wanted to provide the necessary support and assistance to users. Its service was initially funded through grant support, with little certainty of continuation month-on-month.

Syringes for the needle exchange programme

‘It’s a real range of services’, says Bridge Chief Executive, Jon Royle, ‘at one end of the spectrum we are working with very chaotic substance misusers, many of whom are homeless, delivering needle exchange services and harm reduction services and on the other hand we help people develop the skills that they need to recover from drug from misuse and support them to get back into education, employment or training.’

Before The Social Investment Business got involved

When The Social Investment Business got involved in Bridge the organisation was having a hard time. Financial difficulties and a poor relationship with Bradford and Airedale tPCT, meant the organisation was in danger of going under.

‘We were at a point originally, when The Social Investment Business got involved with us,when there was some serious doubt about the viability and future of the organisation,’ says Jon. ‘The Social Investment Business came in, and that investment gave our commissioners confidence to support the organisation, invest in the organisation.’

Service users training at the Bridge gym facilities

How The Social Investment Business helped

The Social Investment Business invested £218,750 in Bridge from the Futurebuilders Fund in the form of a Full Investment, to finance refurbishment works at Bridge’s existing property in Bradford city centre; purchase a new property to house the growing Young People’s Service; support salary costs; and fund an internal review of HR and finance procedures.

‘I view the investment from The Social Investment Business as the catalyst for change in the organisation’, says Martin Brook, Finance and Business Manager. ‘When I came here, part of my post was funded by the Futurebuilders Fund. There had been a business consultant sitting in on drawing up the job description and during the recruitment process. The organisation had been without a finance manager or officer for nine months, so it was in financial disarray at that time. Once we got that sorted we moved on to the HR and governance and then management issues. I think without Futurebuilders being involved Bridge would have probably sunk two or three years ago.’

Jon Royle adds; ‘The Social Investment Business seemed to have the knack of stepping in at really important stages in the organisation’s development and just giving it that lift and boost to enable it move on to the next stage. For example, bringing in a consultant to recruit for a Chief Executive.’

The Social Investment Business investment leads to increased confidence of commissioners

With the help of the Futurebuilders Fund, Bridge has greatly expanded its capacity for commissioning, and most of the organisation’s income now comes from public service contracts. Organisations that The Social Investment Business invest in very often say the investment increases the confidence of commissioners in the organisation. This was certainly true in the case of Bridge, Jon says.

‘Having the The Social Investment Business loan funding and grant funding has been a really useful lever in our negotiations with the Primary Care Trust (PCT). People are always happier to put some funding in if they see another reputable body also putting some funding in.’

‘Many of the contracts that we now rely on, we wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for the The Social Investment Business investment’, he adds.

This view is echoed by Ian Wallace, Lead Commissioner, Bradford and Airedale PCT. ‘Over the past two years the Joint Commissioning Team has developed a strong working relationship with Bridge and has been closely involved in the development of this service. I have been impressed by the lengths that Futurebuilders has gone to in order to provide Bridge with the kind of flexible support they needed.’

A Bridge service user in a counselling session

Ensuring long-term sustainability through The Social Investment Business

Moving from being a small third sector organisation that relies heavily on grant funding to a sustainable organisation with long-term public service contracts is often not something that can be achieved straight away. Sometimes it takes time, which The Social Investment Business realises.

‘I think what was good about the whole process was that it wasn’t just an overnight success story’, Jon says. ‘The process took some years. And it involved The Social Investment Business coming to the table, putting some money in, and accepting that nothing immediately changed or improved. A few false starts really. But The Social Investment Business continued to provide that support, staying with the charity, not giving up on it - and eventually, the organisation really managed to turn itself around.’

And he adds: ‘with all that history, it would’ve been a real shame if after 20 years of delivering services, because of a few problems, the organisation had to close down.’

But thanks to the The Social Investment Business investment , Bridge will still be delivering its valuable services for many years to come.

What next?

Are you an organisation like Bridge who need investment to help you successfully bid for, and win public sector contracts? Then find out which of our products is right for you and check if you could be eligible for an investment from The Social Investment Business.