Our CEO, Lanre Babalola, outlined how BUBIC continues to develop by equipping a new outreach van, developing the Clean Up, Fix Up peer-led project, and continuing to raise the profile of lived experience recovery organisations nationally. These developments reflect a charity that is growing thoughtfully, staying grounded in its values while responding to changing need.

One of the most significant examples shared at the AGM was BUBIC’s work alongside Haringey Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Team and the police led by Monica, our Strategic Engagement Lead, with support from our outreach teams. Through this partnership, BUBIC helped close eight residential properties that were being cuckooed in 2024/25, while also supporting the people affected into treatment and appropriate housing. The Hope Outreach project also re-engaged 80 people who had previously disengaged from treatment and recovery support. There was recognition from public health partners of the way BUBIC contributes to multi-agency responses around vulnerability by supporting residents at risk, moving away from enforcement alone and towards a more humane approach. Both Monica and Beverlee, who leads our rough sleeping project, spoke about the BUBIC teams’ role in being the “voice of the vulnerable”. By intervening early and standing alongside people in vulnerable situations, the team is helping individuals stay housed, access support and avoid further harm.

We heard from Angie, our Volunteer Coordinator, about BUBIC’s development pathways for community members. During 2024/25, 19 volunteers supported the organisation and community, nine learners completed Gateway accredited training to become Peer Supporters, and five graduates moved into paid employment as Peer Mentors. This progression from lived experience to peer support, training, volunteering and work remains one of the most important features of BUBIC’s model. It creates opportunities for people to grow, contribute and lead, while ensuring that support is shaped by those who truly understand the realities others are facing.

As always with BUBIC, the meeting wasn’t focused on reports and governance. Poetry and personal testimony were woven through the afternoon, reflecting the creativity and honesty that sit at the heart of the organisation’s culture. The staff team read poetry by BUBIC community members that captured the power of expression in recovery: “when words felt difficult, colour spoke”, “BUBIC has a listening ear”, “I cannot set myself on fire to keep someone else warm”.

We were extremely proud to hear from Professor Ed Day, National Recovery Champion. Professor Day described addiction and recovery as a spiral, with people climbing back towards recovery, sometimes from deep exclusion and sometimes to a place beyond where they were before. He spoke about the role of lived experience recovery organisations in offering hope, resilience, truth and community, affirming the role that peer-led organisations like BUBIC play in systems of care. Speakers throughout the afternoon echoed this sentiment.

Ronnie, Matthew, Hasara and team offered vivid insight into aspects of day-to-day delivery. We heard how the outreach vans act as an “office on wheels”, enabling teams to respond to referrals across the borough and provide hot food, practical support, harm reduction and human connection. The importance of the work BUBIC does was testified to by someone currently in addiction sharing how his life had been saved by calling the BUBIC 24/7 helpline. These moments captured something core to BUBIC’s approach to offering long term support and care to people who may have felt excluded or overlooked elsewhere. As Lanre, BUBIC’s CEO, put it, “we act when others look away”.