Cor Coron onavir virus us and and Finan Financial ial Har Hards dship hip
Wha What t ha have ve we s e seen een so so far? ar? • Sharp increase in people who couldn’t afford food • Barrow Foodbank - 400% increase in demand in the early weeks • North Lakes Foodbank – 50% increase throughout lockdown • S outh Lakeland had 5 Foodbanks; now has 14 • Increased quantities food through FareS hare, informal food projects • Doubling of the number of benefit claimants • 7,000 to 14,500 “S tandard Claimants” for Universal Credit • Increase in “in work” claimants • 32% of Cumbria “employments” furloughed • Biggest increases in areas dependent upon tourism & hospitality • Lots of work to ensure that the immediate issues are dealt with • No obvious unmet need in the short term
Wha What t doe doesn sn’t ’t sho show w in in the the da data ta? • Not everyone is accessing the benefits system • Don’t know what they’re entitled to or how to access it • T oo proud to claim benefits (rural and urban areas) • Linking food parcels/ meals to wider support risks people not accessing food • Loss of income from the informal economy during lockdown • Cash in hand work – cleaning, building, etc • People are “storing up problems” • Calls to S upport Line are reducing in number, but are increasingly complex • Really complex problems may still be hidden without face to face support
“We might all be in the same storm but we’re not all in the same boat. It’s right that everyone caught in this storm has a lifeline within reach - one that can pull us out of danger when we need it most.”
“W “We’ e’re re not not all all in th in the e sam same e boa boat” • Existing inequalities have been exacerbated • Low income, insecure work, few qualifications • Disabilities, long term medical conditions, caring responsibilities • New vulnerabilities have been created • People unemployed for the first time • “S hielding” has affected many people in employment (and self employment) • S hift in the type of enquiries coming to Citizen’s Advice • There are many different aspects to “poverty” • Digital poverty & access to education • Rural poverty • Is there a widening gap? • Many people haven’t seen their income reduce
Wha What’s s on on the the hor horiz izon on?
Ov Over er the the sum summe mer? r? • Return to work - retail and hospitality • Many people back at work following from furlough, hours increased, etc • But also some redundancies announced • Debt problems likely to begin to come to the surface • Free overdrafts and payment holidays beginning to end • Debt collection restarting • Eviction hearings restarting • Loan sharks and scams • Conditionality beginning to return to benefits, recovery of overpayments • Shielding “paused” • Difficult decisions balancing work and health? • School holiday and “back to school” costs • Community support, including food projects, beginning to reduce
Thr Throu ough h Autum Autumn n & & Win Winter? er? • End of Furlough scheme • Full impact of the return of debt collection and eviction • Winter fuel costs • Brexit • Risk of local Coronavirus outbreaks or a “second wave” • Unwillingness to be tested or self-isolate if in insecure employment • Less job protection in local lockdowns? • End of uplift on Universal Credit (M arch 2021) • £1k pa basic • Up to £4k pa for some families
Wha What t ne next? xt? • Short term alleviation – practical support • Access to food • Benefits & debt advice • Digital access • Deeper structural issues • Spread across multi organisations and partnerships – a “wicked issue” • A system-wide “anti-poverty” strategy? • Health and Wellbeing Board/ Public Health Alliance • Other partnerships and wider partners • Developed with the people most directly affected • Poverty? Financial Hardship? Financial Resilience?
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