What do we aim to do and how do we know we're achieving it?
We directly support almost 3,000 people facing poverty each year through a range of projects and reach even more through our online resources and our training courses for professionals.
In 2018-19:
- 90 people learnt nutritious low-cost recipes, improving their wellbeing and cooking confidence
- 35 people built up their inner resources to get back on track through coaching and mindfulness
- 17 young adult carers accessed supportive shared housing to gain independence and plan for the future
- 212 families explored their money habits, learnt new budgeting skills and improved financial resilience
- 705 people were supported to access an affordable and meaningful funeral
- 1,837 people purchased affordable high-quality furniture to help make their house a home
- 90 professionals who support people living on low incomes attended our training courses to enhance their skills
For more read our latest Annual Report.
Individual stories
Every person we help is different and has their own story. Like Mark, a former addict who regained a sense of purpose through the This Way Up project to go after his dream of being a BSL interpreter. Or Percy, whose brother and carer died unexpectedly, saved over £2000 on funeral costs through our Down To Earth project and was supported throughout the process:
“It gave me the space to cry, the space to roar, the space to listen.”
Percy
How do we measure our impact?
We use a rigorous impact measurement system, including tailor-made databases, to plan and capture data on all our projects and ensure we’re making a difference.
We measure how people are experiencing our services through regular interviews and surveys, and use external evaluations to scrutinise our projects outcomes.
Every three months we analyse and reflect on this information and the political and economic climate, to guide new developments and address issues quickly with fresh strategies. This gives us the confidence to make the right decisions about what we do, and how we do it.