poverty

Dec

2021

Anna’s story: Fuel poverty and impossible choices

This Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, we are joining NEA and others to raise awareness of this multi-faceted and preventable issue. Highlighting the experience of Anna and her family, you can support us and make a difference to those who are unfairly trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.

“A national injustice”

According to the NEA, around four million UK households are in the grip of fuel poverty, unable to afford to heat their homes and live comfortably as they should. On top of that, rising energy bills and unforgiving weather conditions are hitting low-income households the hardest. We’ve seen this first-hand at Kineara with many of our families being left in impossible situations, like having to choose between heating their home, paying the bills, or feeding their children.

Anna’s story

Anna has lived for 13 years on the top floor of a 23-story building with poor insulation and broken central heating.

Trapped in a cycle of poverty, she pays £1400 a month for her flat so once that is paid there isn’t enough money to left cover the bills or get her heating fixed.

She has a two year old son who she tries to keep as comfortable as possible, but now that the winter has set in it is getting harder. He’s an active little boy and want to go out to the park, but how will she warm him up when she gets back home? With little money for activities or to take him to a café to keep warm for a while, Anna does what she can to keep the house warm enough while they stay inside.

I’ll go over to my friend’s house sometimes to warm up. If I could afford to, I would go to a café and sit inside to keep warm. But I don’t have any extra money to do that.

And sometimes that means being forced into making decisions that could risk her health and safety. At times, she has no other option than to put the oven on get some heat into the room while her son watches cartoons. Sometimes he’ll ask her to blow on his hands to keep them warm.

He’ll say “Mummy, please blow on my hands to keep them warm” like we are outside, except we’re sitting inside our living room… Sometimes I don’t have any other option than to turn on the oven, at least so my son can keep warm in the evening.

And when she can afford it, a hot bath can help. But even that can be unappealing. When she steps out into a cold room, her teeth start to chatter, and the only solution is to get into bed with a hot water bottle.

Donate to our appeal

With little money for phone credit, accessing services is really difficult and getting hold of the landlord to send engineer to repair the heating is near impossible. Each winter, the coldest months already have gone by before she has her concerns taken seriously.

Every winter I call and call to get someone to come and fix the heating, but the whole winter goes by before anything is done. I don’t have the money to pay for an engineer.

This winter, we want to help Anna to keep warm through the coldest months. No-one should the stark choices that she is having to make for herself and her son. We’re advocating for her to fix the disrepair in her home, but you could help her and others like her to cover some bills over the winter, keep the hot water on and their mobile phone topped up. Even a small amount can make a huge difference.

Donate what you can today!

To help us support more families over the winter, please donate to our winter appeal. All donations will go directly to families for essential items they need over the winter period.

Apr

2020

Relief and support during Covid-19: A list of links and resources

We’ve put together a list of webpages and resources where people can find up-to-date information and support while the UK is tackling the Coronavirus crisis. In particular, these links are for those people who may be living in precarious situations, facing financial hardship, housing insecurity, or mental health concerns. Follow the links below to find information on managing bills, dealing with landlords, and more.

We have also included resources for groups who may be at a higher risk of either illness or who are likely to become vulnerable during the lockdown period, which you can find below.

Last updated 31.01.21

Links to Government Covid-19 relief measures

The Government has issued a list of what it considered key workers at this time and therefore who has school eligibility at this time: Guidance for schools and education providers.

The Government’s full guidance for tenants, landlords, housing providers and local authorities can be found here. The current measures mean no-one (including private renters, social renters, property guardians, and people in TA) will face eviction for three months, and LHA rates have been increased to cover 30% of rent.

Turn2Us has a regularly updated webpage with guidance on all the new and existing benefits. This page also includes a benefits calculator and a list of grants available for people in financial hardship.

StepChange, the debt charity, also has advice about how to manage bills and debts during this time, with advice about what creditors and utility companies may do to help individuals unable to pay.

The government has promised that utility companies will not be allowed to disconnect credit meters at this time, and customers in financial distress will be supported by their energy company to look at options for reducing payments or debts. This link also includes advice for people with pre-pay meters, and a list of utility company helplines.

Several mobile and internet providers including Vodaphone, EE and O2 have agreed to protect vulnerable customers by removing broadband data caps, providing support to those who cannot meet their bills, and offer affordable packages.

And here is information about how parents and carers can access supermarket vouchers for children eligible for free school meals.

Guidance and support for specific groups

Renters

Measures to protect private renters were revised over the last week and may still change again, but for now Generation Rent has gathered the latest Government support packages that are available, and how to access them.

Shelter has regularly updated guidance for both renters and home owners about their rights and benefits during this time.

But there are calls for more to be done, and London Renters Union are calling for rent suspensions, in line with the mortgage holidays offered to homeowners. They also have drafted a template letter renters can use to negotiate rent holidays or decreases with their landlord.

Advice4Renters provides free or low-cost legal advice and representation from expert housing specialists.

Shelter’s free housing advice helpline 0808 800 4444 is open 8am-8pm on weekdays and 8am-5pm on weekends, 365 days a year.

BME groups

The Race Equality Foundation has guidance on how Covid-19 may impact black and minority ethnic people. While BME groups generally have a younger average age, risk factors like heart disease and diabetes are higher in African/Caribbean and South Asian groups. BME people are also more likely to be in key worker occupations and more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than white British people, and therefore potentially at higher risk of exposure to infection.

The Ubele Initiative have a dedicated Covid-19 support and resource page for BAME communities .You can also read Kineara’s case study with Ubele Initiative.

The GMCVO has put together this useful webpage of information, sources of support and resources for BAME communities.

The Indigo Trust has listed a number of organisations that it has funded to continue providing essential support to BME groups during Covid-19. You can read more about them and access further links here.

Doctors of The World  have published Covid-19 guidance for patients in a number of languages. The guidance is based on the government’s advice and health information and was produced in partnership with the British Red Cross, Migrant Help and Clear Voice. 

Askdoc have produced short videos translating NHS England Covid-19 advice in various languages. 

South Asian Health Foundation have a range of resources and links about Coronavirus in South Asian languages.

Europia is also working with Doctors of the World, providing them with translations of COVID-19 NHS Guidance into Bulgarian, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian and Lithuanian. 

Public Health England have information for migrants translated into different languages available to download.

The BAME Stream is offering FREE culturally appropriate bereavement support and is now taking referrals.

Victims of domestic abuse

Solace Women’s Aid, the Public interest Law Centre, and other specialist VAWG groups are concerned we will see a surge in violence in the home, as victims of abuse are unable to leave the home. They are calling for urgent action for domestic violence survivors during the lockdown, with a letter to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. They are also calling for refuges to receive ring fenced Coronavirus funding.

Solace Women’s Aid also offers a hub of resources for DV victims and survivors including free Covid-19 webinars and lists of safety measures if you are in an abusive relationship during Covid-19.

The government has launched the Ask for Ani (Action Needed Immediately) codeword scheme to enable victims of domestic abuse to access immediate help from the police or other support services, from the safety of their local shop, or pharmacy.

Safe Lives has a useful webpage for victims of domestic abuse. This includes a guide for staying safe during COVID-19, specialist joint-guidance for DV survivors

Surviving Economic Abuse offers helpful resources for survivors whilst self-isolating, as well as practical issues including benefits. There is also useful information for professionals working with victims and survivors of economic abuse.

The Women and Girls Network offers a range of online resources covering mental health and wellbeing, educational tools and translations.

Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) has information about your rights and options, including legal help and help with housing.

Women’s Aid is continuing to provide the Survivors’ Forum, an online resource for survivors of domestic abuse which can be accessed 24/7; live chat and email service.

Asylum seekers and refugees

The Home Office has pledged to stop evicting asylum seekers from government accommodation for a period of three months once their claim or appeal is decided. A decision will be made on Friday 3rd April about whether to suspend No Recourse to Public Funds policy.

Here is useful advice for supporting migrants and asylum seekers during the crisis, with additional helplines. And here is a petition calling for people being held in immigration detention to be released so they can have proper access to healthcare.

The Red Cross has put together a webpage with various support for refugees, asylum seekers or vulnerable migrants.

Women for Refugee Women are supporting refugee and asylum-seeking women during the pandemic, from women who been made homeless during the pandemic to women who do not have the money to feed their children. You can find out more and donate to their appeal here.

The Refugee Council, who has been calling on the government to protect people seeking asylum and refugees at risk, has a regularly updated webpage on ‘Changes to Asylum & Resettlement policy and practice in response to Covid-19’ 

Joint letter on protecting migrants from COVID-19: Asylum Matters, Liberty, Medact and others have signed a joint letter to the Home Secretary calling for specific measures to protect migrants and the general population from COVID-19. This includes calls for the suspension of all NHS charging and data-sharing for the purposes of immigration enforcement and the suspension of the ‘no recourse to public funds’ conditions to ensure everyone can access support. You can read the letter and add your name here.

Right to Remain has a regularly updated webpage on the Changes to the asylum and immigration processes due to Covid-19. You can find other resources for migrants and their advocates on the Migrant Information Hub.

Training 19/01/2021 (multiple dates): Trauma informed training on Housing Rights for Refugee and Migrant Women delivered by Baobab Women’s Project. The sessions will cover trauma-informed care, developing effective support services, migration and human rights, and housing. 

Training 27/01/2021, 18:00 – 20:00 GMT: Refugee Mental Health Training exploring psychosocial challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers, experiences of depression and intergenerational trauma. The session is psychiatry trainee and diasporic medical student who will be drawing on their own personal experiences. 

Children in temporary accommodation

The Lancet has written a short comment about how children in temporary accommodation are at high risk of exposure to Covid-19 and potential direct and indirect health impacts of isolating in overcrowded, shared or confined spaces.

Disabled people

Scope has lots of information for disabled people about support that is available at this time. And here is guidance for tackling isolation during a time of ‘physical distancing’ to keep us socially connected, from AbilityNet, a charity that aims to ensure IT is available to everyone regardless of ability, including older and disabled people.

Concerns have been raised by disabled rights organisations that emergency changes to the Care Act means that local authorities could suspend their duties and refuse people assessments and care.

Groups with accessibility needs

Translated audio guidance on COVID-19 has been updated by Doctors of the World.

People with mental illness

Rethink Mental Illness has put together questions and answers for people living with mental illness and those who care for them, including prescriptions and carer visits. The government also made emergency changes to the Mental Health Act last week, causing some concern that increased government powers will make it easier for people to be detained.

Rethink Mental Ilness has also produced this guidance on the Covid-19 vaccine for people living with mental health. Under current proposals, people diagnosed and livinlg with severe mental illness are classed as a priority group to receive the vaccine.

Mind has put together a webpage of information and tips to help you cope while the UK is tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. You can also call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 to take about mental health and where to get help near you.

Local Covid-19 mutual aid groups

Bexley

Bexley Borough Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group (Facebook group)

Covid 19 – Mutual Aid Bexley Support & Inspiration (Facebook group)

Isolation Help Bexley

Hackney

Hackney Covid 19 Mutual Aid (Facebook group)

The Boiler House N16

Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets Covid 19 Community Support (Facebook group)

Stepney Green mutual aid group (WhatsApp group)

Limehouse Aid (WhatsApp group)

Search for a mutual aid group in your area or for a friend in need: Covid Mutual Aid UK

Jul

2019

How self-determination can impact wellbeing

From poverty to income inequality, and rising mental health concerns to the housing crisis, many of the core challenges we face today stem from an economic system that maintains inequality and often hits the most vulnerable hardest. However, studies show that feeling engaged and in control of our lives can elevate our wellbeing and development, despite our circumstances.

Self-determination, which refers to the process by which a person feels in control and empowered over their own life, can significantly improve mental health and wellbeing, according to growing research.

Psychologists posit that self-determination can lead to more positive, sustainable outcomes, including in mental health and emotional wellbeing, resilience, and healthy social and psychological development. In fact, the capacity to make the right decisions for one’s wellbeing and feeling empowered to do so, can result in people leading longer, healthier and happier lives.

Alternatively, feeling a continued lack of self-control and uncertainty in our lives can have far-reaching consequences for our mental health and wellbeing, from the way we respond to and address challenges in our lives, to how we operate in our community and broader society.

At the individual level, people who feel they have lower control over their day-to-day lives are more likely to experience a chronic stress response; their ability to cope suffers and feelings of insecurity about the world often heighten. This stress response can lead to poorer mental and physical health, which are experienced at a greater rate by disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

Although the link between poorer health and socio-economic factors such as low income and educational inequality is well established, the ‘perceived’ lack of control on a micro or individual level, can too, lead to feelings of disempowerment, and in turn, poorer wellbeing outcomes. This is often marked by poorer mental health including depression and anxiety, which in turn, influences health damaging choices like smoking or increased alcohol consumption. Studies suggest that those who exercise control over their lives and make decisions in their best interest, even small day-to-day decisions, are more likely to cope better through stressful situations.

The impact of poverty and structural inequalities

A recent report by George Bangham at the Resolution Foundation suggests there’s more to life than economics, but that it still really matters. Crucially, the report identifies the need for safety, security and stability, particularly in housing and employment.

Bangham presents several examples highlighting the need for security in life, including housing tenure being strongly associated with higher wellbeing and that whilst a job may increase wellbeing, the well-being drop from losing a job is bigger than the wellbeing gain from getting into work.

Among its findings the report concludes: “The best prospects for policymakers targeting future increases in national wellbeing lie in raising job quality, raising incomes, particularly at the lower end, and policies to improve security in the housing market.”

Further studies show that poverty– which today may likely include continued low income and in-work poverty levels – has an impact on the brain and its development due to chronic stress causing toxicity. This, in turn, can impact decision making and cause a perceived lack of control over one’s life.

Notably, those who feel they have little control over their circumstances tend to find greater outer rewards in money and grades, while those who feel in control are motivated more by the inner sense of mastery and satisfaction, according to psychologist Richard deCharm. This highlights the causal nexus between poverty and a perceived lack of control, and those with a perceived lack of control finding greater reward in external conditions such as job and housing security or higher income.

Developing self-determination

With the proportion of people experiencing ‘deep poverty’ in London having increased in recent years and many workers still trapped in precarious jobs and insecure housing, we believe developing resilience and self-determination to address and work through the daily challenges is more important than ever.

Whilst there are things that we can’t change immediately like the socioeconomic context in which we live, there are things we can change. By focusing on what we can change including our responses to situations and the decisions we make, we can support our own wellbeing and positively impact those around us.

Having the right support is also key. Studies have demonstrated that having close friends and family has far-reaching benefits for your mental and physical health, whilst social isolation are loneliness lead to a greater risk of poorer mental health and wellbeing. On a broader level, while policy changes are essential, it is also important that vulnerable people have access to the right support. Findings from a landlords’ focus group conducted by Kineara, found that 80% of landlords believe their tenants would benefit from financial support and mediation, and 60% say their local council does not provide, or could provide further adequate support for tenants.

Holistic practice means understanding how these things intersect; using a holistic, strength-based, person-centred support enables Kineara’s practitioners to meet the needs of the individual or family and build on their strengths to maintain positive outcomes. By working 1:1 starting with where people are and working towards goals that individuals and families choose and aspire to achieve themselves, the tailored approach recognises the importance of strengthening the individual, the family unit and the community, whilst also taking their socio-economic situation into consideration.

Director of Kineara, Maria Morgan, adds: “We know that homelessness can affect someone’s mental health, we know that poverty can affect someone’s mental health, we understand that. So, it’s important for us to recognise those things because it can be a barrier for someone moving on, finding a job, it can be a barrier in so many ways. There’s nothing stronger than recognising and accepting where you are to move forward.”

Developing a level of self-determination is vital for self-development. Being able to guide the course of your life, despite the circumstances, takes focus, proactivity, self-confidence and a willingness to work through adversity. Recognising that you and only you have the power to change where you are in life: mentally, emotionally and practically, is a constant pursuit and a powerful tool for change.

May

2019

Selected as a member of the London Housing Panel!

30 May 2019

We are excited to announce that we’ve been selected to be a member of the London Housing Panel, which will bring together voluntary and community-led organisations to engage with housing issues facing London.

Delivered by Trust for London and the Mayor of London, panel members will come together to explore a wide range of housing issues and perspectives from homelessness to the private rented sector, low-income Londoners to social housing; and to help influence policy pledges and priorities.

The panel is comprised of 15 London-based organisations – from homelessness to equalities groups – providing services, representation or carrying out advocacy work in relation to housing. These include Generation Rent, Homeless link, Solace Women’s Aid and other important members.

Director of panel member Kineara, Maria Morgan, said: “We are very excited to be part of this important new initiative, which brings community representation into housing policy decision making. We look forward to working with the London Housing Panel and the Mayor towards inclusive housing policies for all Londoners.”

As we’ve delivered our housing services, our core focus has been in supporting vulnerable people to sustain tenancies and avoid eviction. Through holistic and tailored support, our experienced practitioners work closely with families and individuals facing challenges times and/or with multi-complex needs. We’ve recently launched our new Rent Support Programme Plus (RSP+), based on our proven model of holistic and intensive practice that has seen a 92% success rate of preventing evictions for social housing tenants – find out more about our work and impact on our website.

We are looking forward to sharing our experiences within housing and working collaboratively with other organisations on housing related issues. As an organisation, one of our aims is to influence wider policy on housing, welfare and other social issues that impact the communities we work with; we believe this is a great opportunity for us to help influence policy pledges and priorities by providing our expertise.

Read the full press release.

Find out more about our housing services.

This Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, we are joining NEA and others to raise awareness of this multi-faceted and preventable issue. Highlighting the experience of Anna and her family, you can support us and make a difference to those who are unfairly trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty.

The impact of poverty and structural inequalities

Developing self-determination

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