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Category: Cost of Living Crisis

Camden Infrastructure Alliance (VAC, VCC, C4) Joint Statement: Cost of Living Crisis

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The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) provides essential support for those in need, but it also finds itself under enormous pressure as a result of the current cost-of-living crisis.

 

The pandemic disproportionately affected voluntary and community organisations that were already struggling to meet demands with insufficient resources. Before we have even begun to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the sector is faced with another crisis that may last even longer.

 

We are deeply concerned for the continued resilience of our sector and are calling for cross-sector unity and resistance to the much-anticipated reduction in public spending.

 

The government has announced immediate, short-term action to support households, businesses, and the charity sector cope with soaring energy bills. For many households this will not abate the financial strain they are facing, nor will it alleviate continued pressure on already stretched frontline services.

 

We welcome Camden Council stepping in to help residents least able to manage soaring energy bills and everyday costs. However, we urge the council to remember the community services that are often the first port of call for people struggling to make ends meet. Current funding in the community sector is not keeping up with inflation or the increasing costs of providing essential services in the community. From foodbanks to debt advice, mental health services to animal rescue, every part of the sector is experiencing both extraordinarily high demand and rapidly dwindling resources.

 

As hardship deepens, particularly with winter looming, some donors are finding that they are no longer able to contribute to charities.  We know that some local food banks are seeing demand increase while donations are slowing down.

 

We are pleased that the Government has listened to the sector’s call for voluntary and community organisations to be included in support plans for businesses. As it stands, this support is only for six months, and all of the signs point to this crisis lasting much longer. We need a commitment to longer-term support to ensure financial stability and confidence.

 

The sector needs additional targeted financial support to deliver essential services, but we also want to work systematically with the council to tackle the crisis. Camden’s response to the pandemic highlighted the value of cross-sector collaboration. It also demonstrated the importance of forming partnerships built on trust across the public and VCS sectors. We are inviting the council to join us in developing strategic plans to support residents struggling to cope with the cost of living.

 

Camden’s VCS has consistently demonstrated its ability to respond quickly and efficiently. Nevertheless, the vital work of the voluntary and community sector simply cannot be spread any thinner.

 

We have the experience, community reach, ingenuity and resolve to tackle this latest crisis and ensure that meaningful support reaches those in need. As key infrastructure partners we will be working with the Council to ensure that perspectives of the VCS inform the council’s support for the sector.

 

Signatories

Keith Morgan

CEO, Voluntary Action Camden

 

 Foyezur Miah

Co-Chair, C4

 Dominic Pinkney

CEO, Volunteer Centre Camden

29th November 2022 Voluntary Action Forum: Cost of Living

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About

The meeting brought together voices from Camden Council and the local VCS sector to discuss the challenges and potential solutions of the current crisis.

The forum included eye-opening accounts of the intense strain felt by voluntary and community groups, and highlighted the importance of cross-sector unity and collaboration during these difficult times. VAC also presented the findings from our Members Cost of Living Survey, which revealed the increased demand in services that VCS organisations are facing as a result of the crisis.

Guest Speakers include:

  • John Muir from Camden Council – Head of Community Partnerships
  • Sarah Sedley from Camden Council – Tackling Poverty Programme Manager
  • Farrah Rainfly from Life after hummus
  • Hannah Norgate from London Plus

Presentations

Background

VAC is deeply concerned for the continued resilience of our sector and is calling for cross-sector unity and resistance to the much-anticipated reduction in public spending. The government has announced immediate, short-term action to support households, businesses, and the charity sector cope with soaring energy bills. For many households this will not abate the financial strain they are facing, nor will it alleviate continued pressure on already stretched frontline services.
Before we have even begun to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the sector is faced with another crisis that may last even longer.

The voluntary Community Sector (VCS) needs additional targeted financial support to deliver essential services, but we also want to work systematically with the council to tackle the crisis.

VAC has joined Camden Infrastructure Alliance to publish a joint statement on the cost of living crisis to highlight the impact on the sector and the community it serves.

In October, VAC launched a member survey to better understand how the crisis is impacting the VCS, how community organisations are responding, and what further support the sector needs to tackle this new challenge.

Moneyhelper Reources – Leaflets in Various Languages

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MoneyHelper is a free service provided by the Money and Pension Service, which provides free guidance on a number of money and pension issues such as benefits, family care, savings, homes and everyday money issues.

They have developed a number of leaflets in the following languages, which may be helpful for Camden residents.

A language line is also available on the MoneyHelper free helpline 0800 138 7777.

Cost of Living Crisis Survey to Camden Voluntary Sector Groups

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The Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) provides essential support for those in need, but it also finds itself under enormous pressure as a result of the current cost-of-living crisis.
The pandemic disproportionately affected voluntary and community organisations that were already struggling to meet demands with insufficient resources. Before we have even begun to recover from the impact of the pandemic, the sector is faced with another crisis that may last even longer.
We are deeply concerned for the continued resilience of our sector and are calling for cross-sector unity and resistance to the much-anticipated reduction in public spending.
We have put together a short survey to help understand how you are responding to the cost of living crisis, how it is impacting your organisation and what further support you need to tackle this new challenge. The results of this survey will inform plans to provide additional support to the sector.
It should take no longer than around 10 minutes to complete this survey.

Camden’s Cost of Living Crisis Scheme – Referral Info, Overview and Criteria

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About the Scheme

In response to the growing cost of living crisis in 2022, the Council agreed a £2m annual cost of living crisis fund.  To successfully deliver the support we have updated the local welfare assistance scheme to reflect learning from the pandemic and the emerging understanding of need in Camden.

 

Cost of Living Awards

A portion of the budget will be used for Cost of Living Crisis Awards.  These are where an individual or family is facing severe financial hardship and cannot afford the essentials of food, warmth, water, electricity and housing etc.  As such, there is a risk the family or individual will suffer harm without help as they have no other source of financial support available to them.

  • The maximum award for a household of any size is £500.
  • A household can only receive a maximum of two awards in a 12-month period.
  • The scheme’s budget position will be taken into consideration when making an award.

Advice and sustainable solutions

Wherever possible, financial payments will be linked to an advice intervention that builds sustainable solutions including employment support, childcare, benefits and debt advice, income maximisation (e.g. free school meals, healthy start vouchers, pension credit), advice on reducing costs (e.g. food co-operatives, help with energy costs, green travel) and wider issues such as mental health and wellbeing support (IAPT, stop smoking, healthy eating, social isolation etc) and digital inclusion.

 

Who is the support for?

Those in most financial hardship must be prioritised.  The Council has identified the following groups as most likely to be in financial hardship with limited ability to increase their income but the Council recognises that not everyone in need will fit into these categories so this list is not exclusive and any exceptional circumstances will be considered:

  • People with disabilities leading to higher utility bills and/or impacted by the bedroom tax
  • Unpaid carers
  • Pensioners on pension credit
  • Families with young children under 5 or larger families impacted by the 2-child rule
  • Care leavers
  • Single parents impacted by the benefit cap
  • People fleeing domestic violence or other community safety issue
  • Council tenants in street properties not on the shared heating system

How is the award accessed?

All applications will be made through a registered referral partner, Council case workers or the Council’s tackling poverty team to ensure people are receiving support to address the wider causes of hardship and build future financial security. The list of registered referral partners will be available on the Council’s website but include the Camden Advice Network, social prescribing teams/NHS partners, schools, a range of council services, employment partners and food partners. Information on how to access the scheme will be available online and via other publicity channels.

 

Getting set-up

 

  Using the form

  • You submit the form on behalf of the resident so please include as much information on reasons for their hardship as possible.
  • The applicant will need to evidence their identity, residence in or connection to Camden and their financial situation, which includes copies of their bank statements.
  • Preferred evidence of identity is national insurance numbers to enable the award to be processed quickly.
  • The Tackling Poverty Team run checks ensure eligibility.  Depending on the evidence submitted they may need to request further information. Please advise customers to respond quickly to avoid delays in receiving the award.

Awarding criteria:

  1. The customer must have lived in Camden for at least six weeks

We check the Council Tax database, if they are not registered, then we will come back to you for another form of proof such as a bill, bank statement or benefit letter addressed to them at the address they are claiming for.  The faster we receive proof of residency the faster the award can be made.

  1. No more than two awards per household

We check records to see how many awards a household has received. If there is more than one adult or family in the household, the application must come from the main tenant.  If the household is large, we will consider a larger award as no more than two payments can be made in a 12-month period.  If you consider someone needs a higher award, then you must get agreement from the Tackling Poverty Team before submitting the form.  Email sarah.sedley@camden.gov.uk or tacklingpoverty@camden.gov.uk

  1. Applicants must be over 18, but we will accept those aged 16-18 living independently in recognition that not all young people are able to remain at home
  2. You must deem this person to be in severe hardship or financial crisis based on evidence they have provided.

 

Key information

  • Awards are set at a maximum of £500 

However, awards should be kept at the amount required to meet basis needs, for example the cost of a fridge. Please provide sufficient detail for the award to be approved including price listing and reason for hardship.  We will consider higher amounts in exceptional circumstances, but these must be agreed via email before submitting the form.

  • Advise people to collect cash from PayPoints located in a Post Office

Smaller shops do not have large amounts of cash available and so they often cannot cover payment. Not all post offices have PayPoint. PayPoint locations can be checked online – https://consumer.paypoint.com/

  • We can only give energy vouchers up to £49

If the bill is more then we can transfer funds via BACs payment or by issuing three energy vouchers.  Not all energy providers accept vouchers, please check before requesting.  Let us know the preferred option in the notes section of the form.

  • Number of dependants 

Please include the number of dependants in the notes section.

  • BACs Payments 

BACs payments can take up to five days.  To help avoid payment delays please triple check personal details before submitting the form. 

 

Further Information

Cost of Living Crisis – Resources and Support

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We all are feeling the impact of the rise in cost of living.  The following resources have been developed to help people to cope with the challenges associated with the higher cost of living:

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