Camden Disability Action get ready for Greenwood opening
When it opens, the Greenwood Centre will be a one stop shop for residents with a range of care needs to access the support they need to live more independently.
Camden Disability Action (CDA) have now moved into the new facilities at the Greenwood Centre, getting set up and settled ahead of the centre’s official opening in the New Year.
Built and paid for by our Community Investment Programme, Greenwood will provide activities and services to local residents with a range of care needs. CDA, a service run by disabled people for disabled people, will manage Camden’s first Centre for Independent Living from the centre, providing information, support and activities to help empower residents to live more independently.
Councillor Pat Callaghan, Deputy Leader of Camden Council and Cabinet Member for Tackling Health and Inequality and Promoting Independence, joined Councillor Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities, to mark the building’s handover to CDA. Councillor Callaghan said:
“Nobody is better placed to develop our offer for disabled residents than disabled residents themselves. That’s why I’m particularly excited to work with a resident-led organisation like CDA at Greenwood. I think they can help revolutionise Camden’s offer to disabled residents, co-designing a service that gets to the heart of residents’ needs. We also hope that by enabling residents to co-design their services, they can become more confident in themselves, opening doors to all kinds of opportunities to live independently in the borough.”
Councillor Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities added:
“It’s great to see the finished Greenwood Centre, built by Camden Council. This is what our Community Investment Programme is all about – making smart use of our resources and working with local residents to provide the homes, community facilities and in this case, the care and personal support, that some Camden residents need. Once opened in the New Year, residents with different needs will be able to make use of the fantastic facilities at Greenwood, including an art room, music room, outdoor spaces and more.”
Four tours have been organised for residents and their carers during November and December. These have been very well-attended and feedback from the participants has been generally very positive.
For residents with particularly complex needs, these tours have been vital in helping them familiarise themselves with their new surroundings, easing their transition into the new centre. Special adaptations at Greenwood, such as the induction loops for the hard of hearing and lifts for disabled people, are now in operation, extending the invitation to tour the facilities to even more potential visitors than before.