The Art House at St Matthew’s House Limited

Who we are

The Art House at St Matthew’s House

Aims

To help people with mental health difficulties make the transition into mainstream society equipped with the skills and networks necessary for a meaningful and hope-filled life.  This is achieved by delivering pottery and art classes in a beautiful facility in the centre of Sheffield, which is shared with the general-public.  The shared activities create a non-stigmatising and asset-based approach to mental health.

Achievements

The Art House is a busy venue, we run 6 well-being activities/groups each week (supporting approximately 125 people with mental health issues during the course of a year), run over 50 commercial classes during each academic term, numerous weekend art and pottery weekend workshops, a changing programme of art exhibitions and additional room hire to help achieve our income targets (our current financial model is based on having 85% commercial income and 15% other fundraising activities). 

Approach and Service Model

Our approach and service model, is based on the following principles:

• We take an asset-based approach by building on an individual’s existing skills and abilities
• We deliver our work within a non-stigmatised space
• We support the development of individual progression
• Service user involvement/co-production is central to our philosophy
• We work on a financial model based on the dual aspect of both being a charity, working with vulnerable individuals, whilst wishing to become as financially self-reliant as possible by developing commercial income streams.