By Sarah Kramer and Claudia Abbott
The cost of living crisis has affected over 45 million people nationwide, putting hard-working families into tight situations when it comes to affording their livelihood.
Local charities are taking the lead in stepping in where the government has not, helping people with everything from heating bills to foodbank items to period products.
St. Giles, a charity based on Holloway Road, provides support to people who have been affected by the crisis. Its volunteers are working tirelessly to provide people with laptops, PPE, and funding for courses, helping to ease the burden of inflation.
This is especially important as the cost of living rose to an all-time high of 11.1 percent at the end of last year, the highest jump in 41 years, according to parliament, although it has since gone down to 10.7 percent.
Food parcels for the hungry
St. Giles trust also has a pantry which puts together food parcels at a discounted cost for people who can’t afford to buy it at their usual supermarkets.
An employee from the charity who didn’t want to give his name said: ”We exist to support people to find employment, training, and educational opportunities.
“However, we know that there are other barriers that stop people from finding these other opportunities, one being finances especially during the cost of living crisis.”
The charity not only gives out necessities but also helps people get back on their feet, supplying laptops to students and work gear to people who need specific clothes for work.
Increase in homelessness
Another charity who aims to end homelessness and put a stop to the cost of living crisis, Crisis, provides support to people who struggle to afford housing, education, and work.
Crisis provides homeless people with opportunities based on their needs, whether it be helping them gain work experience or finding somewhere for them to live.
On its website, Crisis says: “Right now, the cost of living crisis risks pushing thousands of people who are already at the financial brink into homelessness.”
Period poverty during the crisis
Nikki Iyayi, 28, is operations assistant at Bloody Good Period, which provides period products to those who can’t afford it; especially as prices are rising.
Iyayi said: “Periods are taboo, and period poverty even more so, is a secret. Many people who can’t afford period products don’t talk about it because they don’t feel like they can.
“Talk about it. Move the conversation forward,” she told a panel discussion on the cost-of-living crisis at London Metropolitan University yesterday.
In 2022, Bloody Good Period distributed 119.4k packs of period products to people around the country. She said the number of organisations asking for help is going up as more and more people are affected by the cost of living crisis.
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