While many communities were still navigating the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 saw the rise of another crisis disproportionally affecting those on the lowest incomes. The ongoing cost of living crisis has seen soaring energy prices, record-breaking inflation and rising interest rates. Almost everyone in the UK has felt the pinch of this crisis to some extent, but for those already struggling to stay afloat, the effects have been devastating.
Read our blog about the Islington advice services dedicated to support residents in the midst of the cost of living crisis.
- Help on Your Doorstep (HoYD) reported a 75% increase in the number of food bank referrals they made from 2021-2022. (This is following a 50% increase from 2020-21)
- HoYD saw a 52% increase in referrals in SHINE for fuel costs between 2020 and 2022
- Citizens Advice Islington saw a 350% increase for advice requests in relation to Utilities and Communications from January 2021 to December 2022.
Crisis Appeal
In September 2022, responding to the huge increase in demand our charity partners were already seeing, and thanks to a generous initial donation from a local resident, Islington Giving launched a crisis appeal. So far, thanks to the generosity of local people and businesses and the support of Cripplegate Foundation and other coalition partners, we have raised over £123,000. This amount will provide over 300 local people and families with emergency grants to help pay mounting energy bills and support them with rising living costs.
Grants have been, and continue to be, distributed by a number of our local charity partners: Age UK Islington, Help on Your Doorstep, Parent House, Manor Gardens, Islington Centre for Migrants and Refugees, Community Language Support Services, Newington Green Food Action, Islington Law Centre, St Luke’s Community Centre, The Manna and Islington People’s Rights. We will continue to work with these and other local organisations to distribute funding until March 2023. 100% of the money raised goes directly to local residents.
Thank you to all the generous supporters of this appeal, who have come together for neighbours who need support at a difficult time for everyone.
How the grants have helped
One client supported by Age UK is a single parent who is struggling financially. She relies on foodbanks to feed her family and has mounting utility bills that she cannot pay. She has developed a high level of anxiety from the constant calls and letters from Thames Water threatening further action. A grant has helped her to pay off her water debt and enabled her to buy a warm duvet, relieving some of her anxiety and helping the family to stay warm.
Grant Uplift
Rising prices have also hit the Islington voluntary sector and its employees hard. As a responsible funder, we want to show our commitment to the strength of the sector within the borough by helping our current grant holders to meet the additional cost of staff, energy, food, rent and other core costs. To do this, Cripplegate Foundation has agreed an uplift of 10% for our current grant holders. In part, this will help groups to retain staff, which we know is a challenge for central London Voluntary Community Sector groups.
“I just wanted to thank you for the additional funding, it certainly is a big help. I have been working in community centres for 13 years now and this is the first time I have seen a funder inflate a grant considering the economic climate, so I would like to say a huge thank you to you and the team for your consideration.”
“[The funding] will most likely go towards utilities bills. We are part of Islington’s Warm Room offer and we have had the heating on for local residents in need…We have had large numbers coming to our coffee/chat sessions on Tuesdays”
Adam Parr, Light Project Pro International
RSS
Islington Council’s Resident Support Scheme (RSS), which this year will be 10 years old, has a vital role to play in helping vulnerable residents. RSS grants are supporting residents struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis by providing a one-off grocery payment and heating voucher, as well as continuing to supply household goods to homes across the borough. Cripplegate Foundation is a partner of the RSS scheme and contributes financially.
Islington Food Fund
Islington Giving also received additional funding from Google – whose London headquarters are located on the border of Islington and Camden. As a result, in response to the cost of living crisis, Islington Food Partnership and Islington Giving have been working in partnership to distribute the Islington Food Fund. The fund is supporting community services in Islington that provide food and support to those experiencing food insecurity. We are also exploring ways to develop this work in relation to the goals and outcomes of the upcoming Islington Food Strategy 2023-2028.
Support for staff
As a London Living Wage employer, the Foundation is supporting our own staff with rising costs and inflation by providing a cost of living salary increase in 2023. We believe supporting our staff is the right thing to do and a positive way to achieve our charitable objectives.