The rising cost of living crisis: our response
As a charity we are well placed to meet the needs of individuals impacted by economic and social change. Throughout the pandemic we saw a huge increase in need, helping more individuals annually than ever before. We're very aware that the need for help will only continue to increase over the next few months, as individuals struggle to pay for their basic bills. We are expecting this increase not only because many will struggle with the increases in energy and food, but also due to many people finding themselves without savings to pay for unexpected items such as a broken washing machine or clothes for a growing child.
Therefore, we are responding by being prepared to help as many people as we're able during this time through the needs on our website. We will be encouraging donors to give towards the individual requests on our website, but we are also running a specific appeal through Stewardship. You can read more about these at the end of this blog.
We are hoping that through our network of churches and local charities we will continue to be able to provide a valuable resource as they meet the ever-increasing need in their communities. We are getting daily requests for help, which tell the story of individuals who are being affected by the rising costs. Here are just a few examples:
R, a young mum to two small children, has come to us in desperate need of support for gas, electric and food. She is using a Foodbank on a daily basis, but is really struggling with anxiety and depression. R is trying her best to keep her head above water, but with the rising costs and being on a low income, she feels she is failing. If we could just give her some breathing space from the cost of living, to help with her mental well-being, this would be greatly appreciated.
M is currently being supported by the local Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre. She has made significant strides forward in managing her money and dealing with debt that has caused her to struggle for some time. However, with the cost of living rising she has found it really difficult to put any money away, leaving her stuck when needing to replace her fridge freezer.
This request is for a school uniform for a single parent who cares for two daughters and is a Kinship Carer with parental responsibility for her grandson. The cost of living crisis is hitting really hard as the children get older and the cost of their clothes increases. Her grandson is starting secondary school this September and she desperately wants to provide the uniform he needs, so he isn't different to his peers.
The good news is that Acts 435, alongside our fantastic supporters and donors can help to meet these specific needs of this grandmother and R and M! All individuals who are feeling 'stuck' and anxious. These three requests for help specifically mention the rising cost of living. However, we're aware that it is affecting most people in one way or another, meaning that all of the requests on our website will support an individual or a family who are struggling during this crisis.
As well as supporting our churches and local charities who partner with us we're also continuing to connect with our key partners who are also helping to tackle this emergency. In this way we hope to be able to help further during this crisis, and meet the needs of more individuals than ever before.
If you are able to give directly to an individual or family, please do take a look at all the needs posted on our website. However, we want to provide as much support as we can to individuals who are struggling with the rising cost of living, and particularly those who are immediately affected by the increase in fuel costs taking place in October. Therefore we have created a fundraiser with Stewardship and funds raised through this will go to the direct needs of individuals who are struggling with the rising cost of living, and especially those who find themselves in fuel poverty. Each family or individual will be someone known to be in need by our partner churches and charities. Initially they will go directly to meet the needs on our website. However, if funds exceed this we may seek to help other individuals who are known to our partners to be in need.
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.