Increasing the limit for requests for help
You may have noticed that the monetary limit for requests for help has increased on our website, which means that our local partners can now post requests up to the upper limit of £200 (instead of the previous £150). This is a decision we have recently made, with our Trustees, to make sure that we can continue to help individuals with the items that they need most.
Why?
With the rising cost of living in the UK we have been made aware that it is becoming increasingly difficult for our Advocates, and their recipients, to find larger items within the previous limit of £150.
Therefore, we have made the decision to increase the limit for requests to £200. However, as with our previous limit on requests, we ask our Advocates to only use this upper limit where absolutely necessary for specific larger items, such as cookers, washing machines and fridge freezers.
Although we have increased the upper limit for each request, one household is still able to have up to three requests. This means that we can enable our donors to help individuals and families in a crisis, but highlights that we're not an on-going financial support.
Alongside the guidelines around the upper limit we also have in place other guidelines on some items, and have increased or stipulated these where we feel necessary. We have placed reasonable limits for some specific items, such as £100 for a mobile phone or £75 for a microwave.
How do we keep track of these limits?
With the launch of our new website and back-end systems in June 2022, we were able to integrate some new processes. One of these processes is that each request posted by our local partners gets read by our staff team before it goes live onto the website. This enables us to question and, where needed, amend the amount or request. This process helps us to keep the system fair for every applicant, making sure all our guidelines are adhered to.
As we increase the limit on each request we're very thankful to all our donors, each giving what they can; whether meeting a need in full or giving towards a request. In 2022 the most popular amount donated was £50, which on its own wouldn't be sufficient to meet in full one of the requests on our website. That's what we love about Acts 435 - it is as people donate, alongside others, to the same need, that they can together support an individual in crisis. We are trusting that in spite of the cost of living crisis continuing to impact so many, our donors will still step up with us in generosity to continue to meet the needs of those seeking our help, even as we increase the maximum limit of our requests.
Give to an urgent need today!
The average time for a need to be fully funded is currently 2 days
£125 needed for a double bed
E has two children, one young child and one away at university during the week. They had to flee their home and were unable to take anything with them. We have helped them get established, but the eldest child is without a bed frame. E works part-time but had her hours cut just before Christmas, leaving her with a much reduced income. She also receives benefits, including disability benefit due to mental health struggles, and carers benefit, as she is a carer to her father.
£100 needed for a replacement phone
Our client, R, is an asylum seeker who arrived in our area three months ago, having left his family in Kuwait, and receives £9 per week in financial support. He has engaged with our organisation, attending different activities such as English language classes, chess club and lunch, sport and cultural events each week. R's phone is not working and he would be very grateful for your support in enabling him to replace his phone.
£200 needed for a tumble dryer
S lives with her partner and 5 children. S supports the family by working but she is on a low income so the family are struggling financially and have debts with no savings. S has a tumble dryer but it has broken and is irreparable. As the family is so large there is daily laundry needing washing and drying. There is no outside space to dry the washing at the property so a tumble dryer is an essential. Any help to get one would be gratefully received.
£200 needed for career coaching for an ex-offender
J is an ex offender who was referred to us by Clean Sheet - a Christian organisation who help ex-offenders. He is a former Special Educational Needs Coordinator and lost his job due to his offence. He is an intelligent and gifted man but without purpose or self-confidence, working in a temporary factory job. The coaching will help him find a meaningful career (that is not disqualified by his record) and will show him the gifting he has and the next steps for him.
£120 needed for three months gym membership
S is a newly granted refugee who has now finished her six month membership at Better Health where she used to go to the gym almost everyday. This massively helped with her mental health and she needs some help to get a three month membership for her local gym, to continue going. S struggles with her mental health without exercising, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
£200 needed for a washing machine
L and her husband and teenage son have been living in temporary accommodation for some months and have just moved into social housing which is completely unfurnished. The family are in employment but on a fixed low income and have got into debt with living in temporary housing and the cost of moving. They have no other source of income and need a washing machine for their new home as there is no launderette service nearby and they cannot afford launderette charges so they are struggling to wash their clothes etc.
£100 needed for a single bedframe
Single mum of 5 children, living in a 2 bedroom property in a really deprived area. As a charity we are working with mum to try and make the home more liveable and organized so she doesn't feel so overwhelmed. Mum has bipolar and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder so she finds life incredibly tricky. We are hoping that some donations towards a new bedframe for her son will provide a bit more space in one of the bedrooms. A small bit of space, but a worthwhile bit of space to have.
£180 needed for clothes and shoes for a family of 4
R is an asylum seeker from Pakistan. She is with her husband, son (19) and daughter (13). They left Pakistan because their families were trying to force their daughter into marriage and they were being threatened due to their lack of compliance. The family are currently living in an asylum hotel with very little income. All four family members are in need of clothes and shoes suitable for a British winter.
£120 needed for clothes
Z, our client, is an asylum seeker who arrived in our area two months ago, having left his family in Kuwait, and receives £9 per week in financial support. This client has engaged with our organisation, attending different activities such as English language classes, chess club and lunch, sport and cultural events each week. Z needs help to buy clothes as he doesn't have any, and would be very grateful for your support.