The Living Alongside Foundation is a new organisation established to ensure no family walks alone through the challenges of a first responder’s psychological workplace injury. Conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and moral injury affect more than the individual in uniform, their impact ripples through entire households. Partners, children, parents, and loved ones often carry significant emotional, social, and financial strain, yet remain largely unseen in current systems of care.
Founded on lived and living experience, Living Alongside was created by families, for families. The organisation provides compassionate support, meaningful connection, and a strong voice for change. Its early initiatives include in-person and online catch-ups, offering safe spaces for families to connect and feel understood; an online book club and free library, encouraging reflection and shared learning; and a curated Resource Hub that consolidates trusted, evidence-based information tailored to the unique needs of family members. Together, these initiatives provide both practical guidance and emotional support.
The Foundation recognises that while treatment and workplace policy often focus on the injured first responder, families are profoundly and enduringly affected. Relationships, routines, and wellbeing are disrupted, yet families remain overlooked in mental health frameworks. Living Alongside addresses this gap through safe connection, peer networks, and advocacy for policy reform that includes families as essential to recovery.
By centring families in both service delivery and advocacy, Living Alongside works to reduce isolation, strengthen resilience, and influence long-term change. Our vision is a community where the hidden burdens families carry are acknowledged, and where hope, stability, and healing are possible.