WVCA’s Service User Involvement Team (SUIT), are a unique Lived Experience Recovery Organisation (LERO) in Wolverhampton, offering people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction the opportunity to connect positively with their recovery. The SUIT team all have the gift of lived experience from drug and alcohol addiction, whether that be a personal journey or family related.
SUIT also offer volunteer and client-led activities including the arts, writing, creativity, and wellbeing. SUIT believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to change, and champion people struggling with substance use towards fair treatment. SUIT consistently listen and offer their personal experiences, care, and guidance towards client needs.
SUIT provides tailored wraparound recovery support to clients, including help accessing homelessness support, healthcare, welfare, employment, and in criminal justice settings.
- Provide one-to-one support.
- Provide advocacy.
- Activities to improve recovery outcomes, including art, poetry & spoken word, yoga, peer support & mutual aid groups.
- Raise awareness, tackle stigma, & educate.
- Help to ensure that people get the most out of services.
- Offer volunteering opportunities, structured to provide recruitment, induction, training, & support.
- Strategic activities including external service meetings & outreach.
- Deliver consultations & conference presentations.
2024 has already been a stellar year SUIT – here’s a summary of what they’ve been up to (be sure to visit the links for more info!)
➡️ Volunteers at practitioner training with Geese Theatre
➡️ Monthly Black Country Radio SUIT show
➡️ 29th January & 3rd February: Wolverhampton Literature Festival 2024 (client art installation, and spoken word performance at Wolverhampton Art Gallery)
➡️ 14th February: Geese Theatre & SUIT performance at Newhampton Arts Centre, “Out of Darkness Cometh Light”.
➡️ 17th February: LIGHT event, ROUNDABOUT project, Asylum Art Gallery (clients and volunteers performing spoken word)
➡️ “Are you ready for the new Supported Housing (Oversight Regulatory) Bill 2023″
29th February: Event at Bantock House with Wolverhampton Council SHIP’s (Supported Housing Improvement Programme). The event saw SUIT deliver Legislative Theatre working alongside Arts & Homelessness International. In attendance were members of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, including Cllr Steve Evans, Minister for City Housing.
➡️ 14th March – Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) meeting: designed to gather opinions, suggestions, and feedback towards how drug & alcohol treatment services are delivered in Wolverhampton through co-creation.
➡️ Yoga is back! SUIT are welcoming Chris Belle back to the family, for weekly yoga & guided meditation, every Wednesday at Base 25, from 12pm until 1pm.
You can pop into the SUIT office for a chat, or get in touch via the website / social media:
Opening Hours:
9.30am – 4.30am
WVCA, Paycare House, George Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4DX