Support for families facing Cost Of Living Crisis

Aim

To build skills and equip parents to manage debt to prevent loss of home protecting children's and parents mental health

Home-Start Colchester Jaywick and Clacton is a small local charity that operates across some of the most deprived communities in the UK. We offer a free charitable service across Colchester and Tendring,  home to  pockets of deprivation one being in the worst 3% nationally. 

Why are we crowdfunding?

Many families are facing the Cost of Living Crisis, leading to debt, depression and inability to cope. The lack of skills and support  in managing their debt and finance is leading to increased financial strain, food insecurity, and mental health challenges creating a downward spiral and affecting children

Families are struggling to afford basic necessities,  following a spiral of not being able to manage their finances, some face homelessness and are forced to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation with small children. Moving into temp accommodation can have a lasting impact and further negative  impact on financial control, with children feeling the impact by losing their possession's changing school and no longer able to play. 

 Home-Start CJC would like to raise funds to  support parents emotionally and practically to  to become financially independent.  Providing families with knowledge, information and emotional and practical support  to  manage their bills and debt. This leading to families keeping their homes, feeding their children, reducing stress, improving mental health and increasing finances.

How do we aim to support families:

1. One to one home visiting support. Home-Start will visit families at home,  listen to the needs of the family with an aim to build trust, confidence and skills to  empower parents to achieve positive financial, lasting changes. 

"Home-Start came to my home and for the first time I actually felt someone was listening to me."

Home-Start knows each family is unique. Home visits start with listening and understanding, and then along with the family, creating a plan to support financial change.  Visits are weekly, each visit lasts for 2 hours, with a 3 - 6 months duration. To start the process of support, depending on need and location, a mentor will be matched, the mentor will help parents to strengthen skills, knowledge and guide them to positive changes.

Examples of the journey of support

• Open and address unopened bills- this can often be a barrier as families are unable to face the stress. We will provide a home visiting mentor, provide emotional and practical support to face bills one at a time. Support is given to how debt can be managed.
• Showing families how to check any benefits they maybe entitled to, using calculation tools.
• Often it is necessary to top up electric to enable change to take place, we can provide this.
• Mentor positive saving strategies such as how to shop on a budget and batch cook.
• Supporting families to stay afloat by showing them how to apply for local grants. 
• Create and manage realistic household budgets.
• Explain to  families how to  access food banks and essential supplies to bridge difficult times.
• Show families how to navigate housing instability and apply for support.
• Assist families to connect with debt management and financial advice services.
• Provide pre loved baby and children clothes and support families.
• Show families how to apply for local grants to purchase items that could save them money long term, such as a washing machine, instead of renting one.

2. Community Groups

We aim to run a 12 week family groups across our delivery area, led by experienced staff and supported by trained volunteers. At each group as well as peer parent support, child activities at Home-Start provide families with weekly  information and guidance to empower and upskill families to  increase financial wellbeing and become more energy efficient. This is through advice, support and practical measures.  Staff have received training on energy saving measures and have knowledge of our local community services who can further assist.  Energy Saving professionals are invited to groups so families have the opportunities to build local knowledge, this includes local councillors who can advise on Council tax savings.

We also  aim to provide 3 x  10 am - 3 pm cookery workshops for children /parents to build skills in cooking from scratch rather than buying ready meals. A qualified chef runs the workshops and provides tips on freezing food and cost savings. We also provide slow cookers and air fryers as cost saving cooking utensils.

Examples of information we provide is:

• Income maximisation advice and information, to help uncover new income sources or write off debt.
• Energy efficiency advice and information, to help use less energy at home
• Practical, warm and energy efficient items e.g. draught excluders, slow cookers.

Feedback from our groups:

" Home-Start CJC was a life saver, they helped me when I needed help and I am now back on my feet. It has made a big difference to my life"

Our Impact on Financial Wellbeing

Our support helps families build the skills and confidence to manage their finances and improve their overall wellbeing. We see measurable progress in areas such as:

• Household budgeting and debt management
• Accessing financial and housing support services
• Improved mental health and emotional resilience
• Stronger family routines and relationships
• Increased community connection and resource use
• Improved wellbeing of children

Each family we support co-creates a personalised action plan, reviewed regularly to track progress. On average, families show improvement in 5.6 outcome areas (out of ten), with many reporting increased confidence in managing their finances and planning for the future.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Demand for our services is high. With your support, we can continue to reach more families and give more children the chance to thrive.

Home-visiting costs for co-ordinator and volunteer mentor for 30  families 

£7,500

12 sessions workshop for 20 families 9 hall hire, staff, beverages)                                                    £1,500

Cookery workshop x 20 children x 3   ( hall hire, food, chef)                                                                     £1,000

How you can help

There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:

1. Make a donation

Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.

2. Spread the word

Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

3. Volunteer with us

If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch through the ‘Contact’ section using the subject "I want to volunteer my time or expertise" on our project page.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made