How We Help
Our Approach
Creating circles of support to promote flourishing families and individuals
Tackling the root causes and drivers of financial hardship
Campaigning and influencing change incorporating the voice of our community
Our main areas of work
Prevention |
Policy |
Long-term Support |
Emergency Aid
We empower local people to rebuild their lives by providing practical help, from debt/budgeting advice and cookery classes to court appeals and eviction support. We also extend beyond our financial services by helping clients reconnect with the community and regain stability.
Proactively preventing future financial hardship through education and connecting people to tailored support systems.
We know that there are wider factors that lead to financial hardship. So, our
Community Engagement Team have founded various projects that focus on preventing people from falling into crisis in the first place, equipping people with the tools they need to manage their finances and improve their futures. - including:
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cookery lessons to teach healthy meals on a budget
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financial literacy in schools
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financial skills education in prisons
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holistic support offering a befriending scheme to reintegrate a client in the community
Advocating for change through influencing and local campaigning, and collectively developing policy to tackle issues facing our local community.
Closely linked to Prevention is our Policy work, where we use community involvement to amplify the voice of lived experience in Haverhill and surrounding areas, in order to influence policy changes. Our Engagement and Advocacy Lead, along with an invaluable group of
Community Organising volunteers, takes the voice of our clients and the community to district and county wide arenas, and works with partners to create circles of support for the wider community - including:
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Organising community focus groups to find out the greatest local needs and guide our focus
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Attending and/or founding county-wide poverty groups
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Influencing town/county councils
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Meetings with the West Suffolk MP to amplify local needs
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Campaigning alongside Trussell for national changes to UC
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Local campaigns around increasing/ improving MH provision
...and many more.
Alleviating financial hardship through income maximisation and debt advice.
We aim to get to the root of the issue. A person may come to us asking for food or help with gas and electricity, and we will help. But this is often a symptom of a deeper underlying or complex set of problems. On a person-by-person basis, together with the individual, we conduct a full financial assessment to begin the process of understanding the real need. Then we help get things under control. However long it takes, we will work with the person to get them back on their feet.
We help with a wide range of situations, and our services include:
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debt & budgeting advice
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debt management plans
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help with application forms for benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Provision etc
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housing applications
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advocating with creditors
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self-help & information
...and much more besides.
Emergency Aid
Providing immediate short-term support to financial crisis.
Our emergency aid is often an entry-point for anyone who needs our help, and we are proud that our foodbank is a part of the Trussell network. We help people who are in crisis, and then work with them to understand their unique situation, giving them the best ongoing support to ensure they don't fall back into crisis.
The emergency support we provide includes:
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emergency food aid
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providing fuel and supermarket vouchers
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allocating funded client aid
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support with threatened eviction
The Three P's
We're working with people, partners, schools and government bodies to help relieve and prevent financial hardship in Haverhill and surrounding areas through the Three 'P's; Prevention, Policy, and Pounds in Pockets.