Lunch Positive East Sussex

Lunch Positive is a local charity supporting people living with HIV in Sussex.

Our aims are to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV through community and asset based activities. We undertake a wide range of support activities focused on health and wellbeing, financial disadvantage, combating loneliness and social isolation. Taking a person centred approach, we have a strong focus on reaching and engaging people who would otherwise not be supported, social connection and peer-support, empowerment, meeting unmet support needs We provide the only regular group support gatherings of people living with HIV in Sussex utilising community hubs in Lewes District, Eastbourne and Hastings and Rother.

The charity and our work is led and delivered by people living with HIV.

Our HIV Hubs support people living with HIV experiencing multiple social and financial disadvantages, social isolation and loneliness. Service users can experience poor physical & mental health, anticipated or internalised HIV stigma which are frequently barriers to accessing support. They are also from minority and often marginalised communities, such as LGBTQ, and women from minority ethnic groups.

The Hubs provide a unique regular community safe space for people to meet and form supportive peer friendships, access our HIV food bank & financial advice/signposting, specialist support including cost of living support. The Hubs are a space for partner organisations to engage directly with service users; money advice, and mental health are examples. The Hubs are also a base for delivery of our specialised HIV befriending scheme to County residents. Our project coordinator & volunteers have established a new ‘community connections’ role, diversifying and enhancing the support provided, linking people to other community based support, advisers and providers of cost of living support, whilst directly providing practical and peer-support, social connection and service user involvement that will all build personal and community resilience.

In between monthly sessions, additional telephone and face-to-face support is provided by the Project Coordinator. This may also include undertaking home visits and meeting in community settings.

People can access our services directly by dropping in, through phone and email contact, and also through contact forms on our website. They may also be referred by other HIV organisations and health and social care professionals.