Tackling Hardship

In response to the increasing cost of living crisis the following information has been collated from partner agencies, illustrating the range of measures in place to support local people who may be struggling to cope with spiralling costs.

The report also outlines support being provided at a community level.

1 Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)

The NIHE currently provides a number of services to help to address hardship amongst its customers. The organisation has recently launched its ‘Making Your Money Work’ service which aims to provide a comprehensive support service to those tenants experiencing financial hardship. The MYMW service offers the following support services;

• Household budgeting and benefits advice
• Referral to Advice NI for specialised debt advice
• Referral to an appropriate Floating Support service
• Referral to DfC’s ‘Make the Call’ service

NIHE also has specialised advisors within its structure including Financial Inclusion Managers. The FIMs provide specialist advice and assistance to customers particularly in relation to benefit entitlement and income maximisation.

Patch Managers have developed the skills to identify and address hardship as early as possible. Patch Mangers will complete a Benefit and Budgeting Calculation (subject to the tenant consenting) at sign-up. This will provide an opportunity to maximise benefit uptake and to also address any financial concerns which may result in a referral to a Financial Inclusion Manager (internal) or to an independent debt advisor such as Advice NI (external).

Patch Managers will also seek to identify other support needs (e.g. addiction, domestic violence) and will signpost to our Floating Support providers.

A Tenancy Sustainment Officer (TSO) covers the Lisburn Castlereagh area and provides additional advice and support for those tenants experiencing more complex issues. The TSO has developed strong working partnerships with a number of local support agencies, in particular local food bank providers, and the Lisburn YMCA Housing Support service which has been funded through the NIHE Sustaining Tenancy Fund.

More recently NIHE has established a link with Ark Housing as they are providing a Floating Support service throughout Belfast Region. A referral process is in place for suitable customers.

2 Education Authority NI

Parents can apply for Free School Meals (FSM) and Uniform Grants directly through the Education Authority website:

www.eani.org.uk/financial-help/free-school-meals-uniform-grants

Email:  mealsanduniform@eani.org.uk                           Tel: 028 9041 8044  

3 Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council

Hardship Funding Programme

Grant Aid Programme to support constituted/legally governed groups to support communities facing hardship – www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/community

This may include opening facilities for longer, provision of sustenance and resources.

Incorporated into the scheme is a Community Planting Programme for constituted community groups to apply for materials to grow and supply perishable goods to their community. This will also involve training from LCCC Parks staff for groups and members of the public whilst linking groups to key partner organisations to look at meal planning and food waste.

Support for Pilot Social Supermarket Initiative with Lisburn Food Bank (SSM)

The Social Supermarket provides support to individuals in food poverty with an 8 week wrap around programme, through providing budgeting courses, resilience building, wellbeing sessions and sign posting service for additional support.

Christmas Toy Reuse Scheme

Residents have access to low cost pre-loved toys through the scheme which is delivered in partnership with local reuse charity Habitat ReStore, Lisburn.

Upskilling Talks

Waste Reduction & Reuse – The impact of our throwaway lifestyles with tips on how to reduce our waste and transition towards reusable and sustainable options.

Textiles – The environmental impact of textiles, with tips to extend the use of textiles (including mending techniques) and encourage a more sustainable wardrobe.

Tackling Food Waste and Saving Money – focusing on forward planning, cooking methods and food storage. The aim to help the average family save around £83 per month with simple steps which also minimise food waste. 

Food & Garden Waste – how to reduce the amount of food waste you generate, how/what can be recycled in the brown bin and the compost making.

The Council also gives away free treated firewood which is administered through local churches.

4 Department for Communities

Through the Supporting People Group within the Department for Communities a number of support services are available including Child Maintenance Services, Make the Call, Disability and Pensions. The following links provide key information that were published recently.

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/dfc-supports-and-advice-services

Cost of Living support                  www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/cost-living-payments

Make the Call Service                     www.nidirect.gov.uk/contacts/make-call-service

5 SEHSCT

Family Support Hub

Families who are referred to the family support hub are not referred specifically for hardship issues however if this issue is identified or raised by a family the Family Support Workers will then signpost families to local food banks, debt advice services e.g. CAP and Debt Advice NI, Advice NI and also support them to manage their budgets.

Providers have access to a limited charitable fund budget within their own organisations. They offer Tesco vouchers for families in food poverty which are provided alongside signposting to food banks to support with the longer term need. They have reported there is an emerging need of more families struggling to afford essentials with the cost of living increases. Families are also provided support with electricity top ups. The providers’ observation is that families are asking for this help more frequently. Moving forward into the winter months the providers anticipate an increasing need for financial support in terms of electricity and oil.

Caring Communities Safe & Well

This service is people over 65 who are lonely or isolated. On initial assessment service users who identify hardship as an issue are signposted to advice services. Those who may be eligible to apply for Carers Allowance are given information on this and details of help that is available to complete the application.

Winter Warmer Packs are distributed on an annual basis (funded by the Public Health Agency) to older people, who meet the criteria for these.

Nutrition

The Trust Health Improvement Dietitians offer free training to staff or volunteers from community, voluntary and statutory organisations  in  a range of community nutrition education programmes such as Cook It!, Food Values, I Can Cook It and  Making the Most of Your Slow Cooker. These programmes focus on cooking skills whilst promoting healthy eating on a budget.

The Dietitians also contribute to a regional Public Health Dietitians YouTube channel that has webinars, short videos and recipe videos on a range of nutrition topics including a saving money on your food shop webinar and 5 short videos on ‘shop, cook and save’: https://www.youtube.com/@publichealthdietitians9636/playlists       

Sure Start

The services and programmes are open to families of children under 4 years, including antenatal, living within the SureStart catchment area. Many SureStart projects link in with local food banks to refer and distribute food hampers if required. They work with the PHA to provide families who meet a certain criteria with a winter warmer pack in addition to supporting local pre-school providers with funding toward fruit and vegetables. As SureStart projects work in partnership with local voluntary, community and statutory agencies, they may refer into cost-of-living funds or signpost on financial issues, debt and benefit advice etc.

SEHSCT also hosts the Livewell (staff health & wellbeing site) site which provides information for SE Trust staff on financial help such as managing money, energy efficiency and cost of living advice and provides signposting to other organisations such as Advice NI.

6 SERC

The College Hardship Fund is designed to provide financial support to learners experiencing exceptional financial difficulty with the costs associated with learning. The hardship fund can assist with the cost of fees, travel, books and materials and additional living or childcare costs. Funding for this is provided to the College by the Department for the Economy.

The SU (Students Union) drop in services runs weekly across all campuses. This service engages with students to signpost them to internal and external support to address issues and hardship. Clinics are held with internal support services and external partners such as MACs housing.

Period Poverty: The aim of this scheme is to make period care accessible and free. As the cost-of-living crisis escalates, more people are struggling to afford period products. Lack of access to appropriate period care can often mean days missed at college or using inappropriate alternatives. The scheme was launched in May 2022 and was made possible by funding from the Department for Education. SERC SU has developed a partnership with ‘Hey Girls’, choosing to purchase products through their ‘buy one, donate one’ scheme. This approach has ensured that like for like products have been donated and made available through local community foodbanks and other organisations so that benefits are shared across the community. 

The ‘Suited and Booted’ initiative is run by the Enterprise and Environment team at SERC. This project provides pre-loved suits, dresses, shoes and formal interview attire to students for free, enabling them to attend job or other interviews with no additional costs.

The ‘Step up to Success’ education course is a part-time course for adults returning to education. This course is a SERC College initiative as part of widening access and participation. The course offers adults, who may be experiencing hardship or have been out of education for a time, an opportunity to return with no financial barrier.

7 PSNI

The Multi-Agency Support Hub (MASH) provides signposting to agencies supporting people in need. PSNI officers also review calls from the public to identify those who would benefit from other services available across Lisburn and Castlereagh.

If a family is identified as being in need of food, our support hub makes contact with the food bank. Referrals have also been made to St Vincent de Paul re oil fills, etc.

8 Libraries NI

Libraries NI is not a grant making or awarding body and so cannot provide direct assistance in the way that some other organisations can. Consequently, the role libraries can play in the context of the cost of living crisis is a more nuanced one.

The main contribution of libraries is that they are located in communities right across Northern Ireland, they are free to members of the public wishing to use them and there are a range of services, activities and resources that are available to assist with education, learning, Digital exclusion, literacy, reading, loneliness and social isolation.

Since May 2024, The Executive Office has partnered with Libraries NI to provide sanitary products free of charge to anyone who needs them. The five libraries in the Lisburn & Castlereagh council area are Lisburn, Dundonald, Moira, Newtownbreda and Carryduff.

Opening hours for libraries vary and details are available on the Libraries NI website www.librariesni.org.uk

Libraries within the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council area:

• Lisburn City Library
• Carryduff Library
• Dundonald Library
• Moira Library
• Newtownbreda Library

There is also a Mobile Library servicing the more rural areas of the council area  and a Homecall Service providing a library service to people who are isolated at home.

Library services are free at point of service. Library buildings are warm, welcoming and inclusive spaces for everyone to enjoy – a place to spend time in.

A range of events, activities and resources are available to local communities across the network of 96 libraries in Northern Ireland.  These include:

• Free to borrow books, periodicals, comics and graphic novels and a range of reading materials
• Access to daily and local newspapers
• Access to heritage resources
• free online resources including eBooks, audio books, e-Newspapers and         e-Magazines all of which can be accessed from home
• Study spaces and spaces to work from
• Free access to computers and the internet
• Free WiFi
• A programme of core events and activities that contribute  to language development for children (Rhythm and Rhyme), combatting loneliness and social isolation  for adults (Tea and Newspapers, Knit and Natter)
• Digital learning programmes, including family history session and shopping online
• Digital support to save money on line, including Scamwise and giving people the skills to make  on line savings
• Access to information and signposting,  Libraries are in the heart of the community and can promote services, give advice on what is available in the community and are regarded as trusted sources of information
• Reading groups, author visits, creative writing

Storytelling and ‘Yarnspinning’ sessions (Children and Adults) with Libraries NI Storyteller in Residence.

9 Community and Voluntary Support

• Lisburn Food Bank provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in crisis. Lisburn Food Bank is part of a nationwide network of food banks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.         Tel: 07756 965868     Email: team@lisburnfoodbank.org           

• Ballymacash Community Centre                                                           
• Local people can help themselves to fresh vegetables from the community garden. Tel: 028 9252 8067                                                              Email: valeriedouglas@ballymacashregenerationnetwork.com         
• Resurgam (based at Laganview Enterprise Centre in Old Warren).       People can help themselves to fresh produce and food from the community fridge, which was recently established at the centre.
• The Hygiene Bank provides products to anyone who can’t afford personal or cleaning products. Hygiene Bank in Moira, which launched during the height of the pandemic, partners with Boots in Moira and Lisburn. Volunteers collect essential supplies for personal hygiene, as well as household cleaning products and nappies, which they pass on to community groups to help those in need locally. Email: moira@thehygienebank.com

The Resurgam Trust and Atlas Women’s Centre also distribute products to people who may not be eligible to use the food banks.

School Uniform Banks (SUB)

They have been helping provide quality uniform garments for children in the local area. The banks provide quality pre-loved, or donated new, local school uniforms, boots, shoes, trainers, plimsolls, school bags and stationery.

Trinity Methodist Church in Lisburn is open on Monday and Friday mornings from 9am-11.30am. Email: bookings@trinitylisburn.com or Tel: 028 9260 5335.

Hope Church in Hillsborough is open every Monday during the summer holidays from 10am-12 noon and 6.30pm-8pm. Tel: 028 9268 2751 or email: info@hopechurchni.org

• St Vincent De Paul at St Patrick’s Church in Lisburn is a valuable resource for helping anyone in the community and can offer assistance with benefits, fuel vouchers, advice, and vital support. Tel: 028 9035 1561                www.svp.ie/get-help
• Lisburn Debt Management Centre – Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a UK charity working with over 800 affiliated churches to deliver debt help, budgeting guidance, and support to find work, life skills groups and more. https:capuk.org   
• ATLAS Womens’ Centre provides an affordable café and the centre will be used over the winter as a warm space where people can come and treat themselves to a cuppa. The crèche facility is only 50p to cover snacks.       Tel: 028 9260 5806   Email: info@atlaswomenscentre.co.uk
• Community Advice Lisburn Castlereagh (CALC) provides free, confidential and impartial advice on benefits, debt, employment, housing, immigration and consumer affairs. Tel: 028 9266 2251        Email: calc@calcni.com

• Repair Café Carryduff and Repair Café Moira (launching in October) are independent volunteer-led groups offering local residents the opportunity to extend the life of their belongings, reduce the amount of waste thrown away, while engaging with others in a friendly and safe environment. While donations are welcomed to help cover running costs and insurance, it is not a transactional service.  Details of upcoming repair events, and volunteering opportunities can be found via social media. 

Repair Café Carryduff:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088016416091

Repair Café Moira: https://www.facebook.com/moiracommunity