Maria Yianni, with Nurullah Turan and Islington mayor Marian Spall

THERE are “not enough” dedicated spaces for LGBTQ+ people with mental health problems and learning disabilities, Islington’s new Volunteer of the Year has warned.

Maria Yianni won the prize at Islington’s Dignity in Care Awards for her work with Outcome, an organisation run by and for LGBTQ+ people based in Finsbury Park.

Working alongside the charity Mind, Outcome is “a safe space for people within our community who are affected by mental health or LD [learning disabilities] or autism,” she said.

Ms Yianni said Outcome is “one of the very few” LGBTQ+ organisations with a mental health focus available in the country.

“There are definitely not enough services,” she said. “It’s really important that the people accessing the service don’t feel judged – it’s a day in, day out occurrence, and especially with our trans folk that come in.

“Even going into a shop and trying something on as a trans person – it riddles people with anxiety and fear that they’re going to be discriminated against and judged.

“There was an Outcomer who said that sometimes they feel they’re in a fishbowl. The straight world, as much as they say ‘let’s support the LGBTQ community,’ they feel that they’re being stared at, that they’re on show.”

A 2021 study by Stonewall found that LGBTQ+ people are at higher risk of experiencing poor mental health compared to the rest of the population, with half of LGBTQ+ people having experienced depression, and three in five suffering with anxiety. Outcome runs a drop-in service every Tuesday, with a dedicated session for refugees and asylum seekers on Wednesdays.

It is run entirely by LGBTQ+ people, meaning it is “totally inclusive” for its service users.

“You come in, we have lunch, people are just chilling on the sofas – it’s like the old-fashioned youth centre. It’s like you’re at home, but with 50 of your mates,” Ms Yianni said.