What do we aim to do and how do we know we're achieving it?
We directly support over 3000 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 2017/18 we provided:
- Over 1,925 people access to affordable furniture
- 12 young carers with supported affordable housing
- Over £1600 saved on average against initial funeral quotes
- Workshops for over 480 people to make their money go further
- Training for 189 professionals to deliver holistic financial capability workshops
Our This Way Up project, which uses mindfulness and life coaching to improve wellbeing, helped 40 people in 2017/18, who on average went from clinically depressed levels to an above average level of wellbeing (measured by the World Health Organisation wellbeing index).
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.