Introducing: Rayhan Haque

I am thrilled to have joined the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. This is a unique organisation that offers expertise grounded in real lived experience on how we can break the toxic link between financial difficulties and mental health issues. As someone who has dedicated his life to social justice, that cause naturally resonated with me.

I was also struck by something its founder and chair, Martin Lewis, once said: “Having money is not happiness, but not having money destroys lives.” That spoke to me, as my parents were immigrants who came to this country in search of a better life, with very little in their pockets. They worked hard, but life was not easy. And like many people across Britain, they were plagued by financial worries.

I passionately believe everyone deserves to have a decent income and strong mental health. So it is a real privilege to be part of an organisation and team that is resolutely committed to working every day to achieve that.

There is something else that is special about Money and Mental Health. They are not just a first-rate research and policy organisation, but also real changemakers seeking to challenge the status quo. And this is where I fit into the organisation – my role is laser-focused on maximising the charity’s impact with the government and decision-makers.

Or, to put it another way, my aim is to create positive change for people based on our research and ideas, which are drawn from our dedicated Research Community of 4,500 individuals with lived experience of mental health problems. The guidance, testimony and support of our Research Community members will be at the heart of my campaigning and influencing work.

I have a background in policy and campaigns and previously led the national team to create the Community Wealth Fund, empowering local people to transform their areas. Earlier in my career, I also founded a commission to investigate how we can improve incomes and work in London.

Back to the here and now, one of my first tasks is to lead our efforts to challenge the government’s recently announced welfare and health benefits reforms, which as they stand, risk only exacerbating the perilous mental health crisis across the country and failing to deliver the much-needed improvements to our economy and people’s living standards.

To stay up to date with Rayhan’s work and the latest updates on our campaigns at Money and Mental Health, you can sign up to join our Professional Network. If you have experience of mental health problems and would like to help inform our policy priorities and campaigns, please consider joining our Research Community.