Cost of Living Toolkit
I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.Psalm 140.12
Almost a quarter of people in Wales live in poverty, and Llandaff covers some of the most deprived parts of Wales, with 6 of the 10 most deprived within the Diocese of Llansdaff. The South Wales Valleys are areas of particular need, with over half of working age adults out of work.
As Christians we are called to help those in need, and to practice and embody our faith through loving service and the pursuit of justice.
On this page
Hunger
Food Banks play a significant role in supporting families in poverty - in the last year food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided more than 2.1 million food parcels to people across the UK. You can find a map of all the Trussell Trust food banks here: www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank
However to access a food bank you usually need a voucher issued by care professionals such as a health visitor. Fortunately there are a variety of other schemes that churches and Ministry Areas can utilize to provide food at low or no cost to their community.
Social Supermarkets and Pantries
Social supermarkets and community pantries enable families to do their weekly shop for a small fee (e.g. of £5), but receive shopping worth up to 6 times more - saving roughly £1,000 over the course of a year. These social supermarkets and pantries help support individuals who can't or won't access provision from a food bank, offer greater freedom of choice when shopping, and help reduce food waste by acquiring short-dated or unsuitable stock from local supermarkets and suppliers.
Social supermarkets and pantries can be independently set-up and run, such as Christ Church Spitalfields in London, or part of larger networks across the UK. Your Local Pantry is an example of a UK-wide network your church or community could partner with. Members pay a small subscription of a few pounds a week, and in return can choose groceries worth many times more.
You can find more information on Your Local Pantry on their website: www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk
Help in the Holidays
The school holidays can be a difficult time for many people, whether that's with food, isolation, or keeping children enriched. Up to 3 million children across the UK are at risk of going hungry over the school holidays. Here is how you can help.
Take a look at the Help in the Holidays Toolkit with Interactive Map.
Big Bocs Bwyd
As a Ministry Area you can partner with Big Bocs Bwyd - a schools project, providing ‘pay as you feel’ shops on school sites as well as children's activites. There are number of Big Bocs Bwyd projects already within the diocese, including in Barry, Cardiff, Bridgend, Maesteg and Brackla.
You can find much more information on Big Bocs Bwyd project, including videos of successful Big Bocs Bwyds in school across South Wales, on their website: www.bigbocsbwyd.co.uk
Christians Against Poverty
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) provides free debt help and local community groups offering free, church run local services that provide practical and emotional support to those struggling.
Money Course
Volunteers from Ministry Areas are trained by CAP to become CAP Money Coaches, who in turn are able to run the free course that teaches budgeting skills in their churches.
CAP Money costs either a one-off fee of £15 per volunteer trained as a CAP Money Coach, with additional fees for resources through the CAP Money online shop, or a monthly fee of £20 to train 3 CAP Money Coaches, an allowance for resources of up to £70 a year, and free bolt-ons to offer the courses tailored for kids, youth and students. The diocese can support Ministry Areas with these costs.
Job Clubs
To run a Job Club, Ministry Areas need to recruit at Job Club Manger who can work or volunteer for 6 to 8 hours a week (which can be spread across the week and split between volunteers). A couple of volunteers will also be needed to assist the Job Club Manager to run the group, and require regular access to a room for training and a computer with internet access and a printer.
CAP in-turn provide training and ongoing support, including materials to run their eight-week interactive course designed to be an easy and effective way to practically equip members, in a supportive environment that boosts confidence and morale, showing God's love in a relevant, impactful and transformative way.
This project requires a monthly partnership contribution of £60 a month, but the diocese will support with these costs.
Life Skills
Building on the principles of the CAP Money Course, CAP Life Skills gives people the confidence and decision making skills they need to survive on a low income. To run Life Skills, Ministry Areas will need to recruit a Life Skills Manager who can work or volunteer for 8 to 10 hours a week (which can be spread across the week and split between volunteers) and two more volunteers. CAP will provide training, materials and ongoing support for Ministry Areas.
This project requires a monthly partnership contribution of £60 a month, but the diocese will support with these costs.
Debt Centres
CAP Debt Centres provide debt counselling to lift people out of debt and poverty. Ministry Areas will need to recruit a Debt Centre Manager who can work a minimum of 16 hours a week and volunteers. CAP will provide training and support and do all the debt counselling centrallyallowing Centre Managers to focus on supporting clients spiritually and practically and won’t have to worry about all the financial and legal knowledge.
The cost is around £600 per month, in addition to the salary of the Centre Manager if not a voluntary position. The diocese has identified four gaps in provision where we feel Debt Centres would be best deployed - Cardiff (particularly the South Cardiff or Gabalfa and Tremorfa Ministry Areas), the Merthyr Tydfil Ministry Area, the Pontypridd Ministry Area and the Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr Ministry Area. If you're from those Ministry Areas please do get in touch.
You can find much more information on CAP, their projects, and the significant impact they have across the UK, on their website: www.capuk.org
Period Poverty
Period poverty is the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints. More than a third of women and girls aged 14-21 in the UK struggled to afford or access period products during the Coronavirus pandemic, and as the cost of living crisis worsens, these figures are only likely to increase. Church can play a huge role in eradication period poverty in Wales, by providing period products, free of charge, at churches, church halls and other sites across our Ministry Areas.
Hey Girls is an incredible charity that supports community organisations to do just that, by providing ethically sourced, organic and cruelty free period products to give out for free. Products should be made available to all, in a discrete way, with no pretext, obligation or barriers.
You can find more information on Hey Girls on their website: www.heygirls.co.uk
The team at St Winifred's, Penrhiwceiber, have been partnering with Hey Girls for a few years to support those in need in their community, where it has been a huge success:
Baby Basics
Baby Basics is a volunteer-led project providing much needed essentials and equipment to those mothers and families who are unable to provide these items for themselves; such as teenage mums, people seeking asylum, and women fleeing domestic abuse.
Working with midwives, health visitors, and other professional groups , Baby Basics aims to provide support directly where it is most needed by providing a ‘Moses Basket’ of clothing, toiletries, and essential baby equipment to new mothers, as well as offering larger equipment such as prams and cots where it is needed.
There are currently three Baby Basics sites within the diocese: Coastlands Family Church, Barry, St Winifred's, Penrhiwceiber, and St Mary's, Port Talbot.
Contact these centres directly if you're interested in collecting and donating items - a list of what's needed and the condition required can be found online at www.baby-basics.org.uk/how-to-get-involved/giving-supplies
You can find more information on Baby Basics on their website: www.baby-basics.org.uk
Advocacy
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.Proverbs 31.8-9
We believe that when we speak together, we can use our voice bring about real change at a political level – whether over devolved matters in the Senedd or UK-wide at Westminster.
The current cost of living crisis has a complex array of causes, and there are no simple solutions. However, the diocese feels much more can be done to support those likely to face difficulty in the coming months.
Benefits
We are joining The Trussell Trust's call on the UK Government to urgently increase benefit payments by at least 7% to keep pace with inflation and, in the longer term, to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to make sure everyone has enough money in their pockets to prevent destitution. You can sign the Trussell Trusts petition online at https://action.trusselltrust.org/Cost-of-living-petition
Living Wage
With our partners at Citizens Cymru, the Diocese of Llandaff has been supporting the Living Wage Campaign across Wales which has so far lifted over 260,000 people in the UK out of working poverty. If you're Ministry Area is interested in getting involved in the campaign, you can email Citizen Cymru's Community Organiser, Richard Weaver, at richard.weaver@citizenswales.org.uk
Write to your MP/MS
Writing to your Member of Parliament or your Member of the Senedd/Aelodau o'r Senedd is a simple but effective tool to get your voice heard, and together we can boost that voice and make a real difference to people's lives. You can find the contact details of your MP and MS/AS here: https://www.writetothem.com/
Talking About Poverty
The Bible tells us many stories of poverty and Jesus and his disciples helping the poor. But talking about poverty in the UK today can still be a difficult subject and we should be particularly sensitive when talking to a congregation which will inevitably have members of varying living situations and lifestyles. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has a comprehensive 'Framing Toolkit' for talking about poverty to any audience.
Point of Contact
If you would like more information or assistance in any of these areas, please contact the Diocesan Senior Outreach Officer, Christoph Auckland, at
Prayer
Almighty and most merciful God,
We hold before you all for whom life is difficult.
Those who must chose between eating or heating,
those who fear starvation or eviction,
those who go without so their children do not.
Open our eyes to their struggle,
open our ears to their needs,
and open our hearts to respond.
May we never forget that what we do to the least in the world,
we do to you.
Unite us all in your work of mercy and service,
mobilise us to help all of those struggling in our communities,
and empower us to fight for justice against poverty and oppression.
Grant these things, Father, for the love of your Son Jesus Christ,
who dwelt alongside us in the difficulty and mess of our human lives.
Amen