Residents and families facing severe financial hardship are the most vulnerable throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone in Islington. Our lives and daily routines have changed dramatically overnight and we’ve all had to adapt to the ‘new normal’.
But residents and families facing severe financial hardship are the most vulnerable throughout this crisis.
Some of the money raised through the Islington Giving Crisis Fund has gone directly to people in need of food or help with fuel bills via the London Borough of Islington’s Residents Support Scheme (RSS), a local welfare fund managed by Islington Council and administered by the Cripplegate Foundation.
Here are just a few examples of how the Islington Giving Crisis Fund has helped people at this critical moment in their lives.
Tough times for single parent families
Lone parent families make up a significant proportion of the least well-off in our society, and it’s all too easy to go from ‘just coping’ to ‘going under’, with even small changes in income.
One mother said, “I work at a hotel part time. Colleagues have been told to work in one that is still open for key workers that are staying there … I have 4 children and think it’s risky. I also suffer from anxiety so being outside while this Coronavirus is out there is scary for me if I still go to work.” The woman had been forced to ask her family for food to help her out.
This story is not unusual. Another mother of three young people had her working hours reduced due to the crisis and couldn’t make ends meet, and another (a freelance childminder) suddenly found herself without access to the governments furlough scheme money, and no other means to survive. “l’m very anxious on how I’m going to provide for my family and keep up with my bills,” she said.
All three of these women were quickly given emergency food and fuel vouchers, as well as advise on how to apply for the most relevant benefits.
Find out more about the RSS
If you are working with residents who could benefit from the RSS, but you are not using the scheme, please contact Anne Shewring anne.shewring@cripplegate.org.uk.
