The picturesque City of Bath and its surrounding area has an outer perception of affluence, however, two areas in Bath and North East Somerset rank within the most deprived of the whole country, making financial wellbeing a real concern for individuals and families living in these areas.

While some residents are beginning to see their ‘real’ wages grow after two tough years of living in an economic crisis, for many money continues to remain extremely tight. Many people in our community are experiencing real financial hardship and are struggling to cover the cost of essential items for themselves and their family.

The latest Strategic Evidence Base report for BaNES, published in March 2024, suggests that the cost-of-living crisis continues to have an impact locally. It estimates that 4,000 people in the region, including 1,500 children, fell into absolute poverty in 2022/23 and that 12% of households are experiencing fuel poverty, meaning they cannot afford to heat their homes in the colder months.

What is the Crisis Programme?

At St John’s Foundation, alongside our support of children and older adults in the community, our third key area of work is supporting people who have reached a point of crisis in their lives, and this is exactly what our Crisis Programme is designed to do.

Every year, hundreds of people apply for one-off financial aid to, for example, buy a fridge, or a bed; to pay an unmanageable utility bill; or to contribute to a one-off cost, such as a funeral. The range of applications from families and individuals is extensive and the impact of receiving funding when in crisis can be profound.

Last year, we assisted in a variety of impactful ways including providing funding to help a victim of serious domestic violence move on with their life, the purchase of a new television for a man with social anxiety and learning difficulties, counselling for a stressed mum with an autistic son, a range of funding to complete car repairs and the provision of funding for essential items for a young foster parent and baby.

Throughout 2023, we provided financial aid to 332 applicants and awarded a total of £203,000 to these individuals and families who needed support. These applicants included 170 individuals, 115 families with children under the age of 12, and the remaining 47 were families with older children or couples without dependents, all living within the B&NES region.

What do we expect this year?

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, since 2021 the government has provided and repeatedly extended funding to Local Authorities as part of its Household Support Fund. The Fund, which BaNES Council has distributed on a discretionary basis, is there to help residents manage rising costs such as utility bills, food and essential items, with significant cross over on the support offered by St John’s. This temporary funding stream has contributed to keeping the number of applications to St John’s Crisis Programme below the level seen before the pandemic.

However, there is uncertainty around whether the Household Support Fund will continue past September 2024. If it does not get continued, we would anticipate an increase in demand for our Crisis Programme in the autumn, particularly as we move into the winter months, when fuel poverty will once again be more keenly felt.

How can BaNES residents apply for financial aid?

The Crisis Programme aims to help residents cover the most essential needs, such as furniture, white goods, counselling and debt support, for example. The Programme also offers basic skills training to people who are not able to access training or education opportunities, to help them on the road to securing stable employment and pull themselves out of crisis.

The way the Programme works is through referral system from a long list of charities in the region that St John’s has partnered with. The list of partner charities can be found here. These referral charities submit an application and, where successful, the process of awarding funding is carried out quickly. Where a case is particularly urgent, a decision can be reached within hours.

After a successful application, the referring charity will be notified and arrangements are made to provide the support. To be eligible to apply, the individual or family must be living in the BaNES region with a monthly disposable income of less than £250 for a household with no dependent children, or £275 for a household with up to two dependent children, or £300 for a household with three or more dependent children.

Becky Tutton from the Crisis Programme team said “Often, pride prevents people from applying for funding from the programme, or they assume it’s not relevant to them. Sometimes, they think that because they work full-time or receive other support, they won’t qualify. We encourage everyone to contact us. We might be able to help, and if not, we can direct you to another service that can.”

If you would like more information about the Crisis Programme or to find out whether you are eligible to apply, or to talk about your situation ahead of an application, please call 01225 486400, or email grants@stjohnsbath.org.uk.