Looking to the future
According to the Office for National Statistics, 94% of adults in Great Britain reported an increase in their cost of living in January-February 2023. – House of Commons Library
When we meet with charities, their testimonies are peppered with sometimes harrowing anecdotes of individuals in need. These powerful accounts always provide a strong argument for support and elicits an emotional need as a funder to help. However, it’s in the data that the full picture emerges. In the same way that one hot day does not prove climate change, one tale of despair does not prove a crisis, so we need to look to the data.
Part of our ethos is working closely with local charities and organisations to get a full understanding on how we can help and work together to deliver solutions. Recently, we asked these charities to provide some statistics so we can get an idea of what this coming year is going to look like. Last year we saw a large increase in people seeking support due to Cost of the Living Crisis, but what does the rest of 2023 hold?
Citizens Advice cost of living data dashboard
With these concerning levels of people in need of support, charity expenditure has skyrocketed, and funding for these charities is of greater need.
The next graph is from West Berkshire Homeless and shows their expenditure for the same periods in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Note the marked increase in the orange for December 22 through to February 2023 which shows an 80% increase year on year.
Another graph, this time from West Berkshire CAB which shows the cumulative level of support that has been provided with energy bills over the last three years. January and February are matching 2022 so far but CAB expect this to massively increase later this year.
Over the last year, Greenham Trust has been funding these charities and others through the emergency appeal created in a response to this need. However, this demand is ever increasing, with predictions for 2023 rising higher still.
Newbury Community Resource Centre who run the Essential Household Goods Scheme, sent us this graph of applicants for the last couple of years. Again, you can see a huge rise in the number of people that need help to purchase household goods like cookers, fridges and beds along with their prediction for 2023/4.
