Energy costs, food prices and bills are all rising and many of us are worried about our finances and future.
Help and advice is available from local services and organisations and Coventry City Council has launched a new microsite to make sure that information is readily available for anyone who needs support.
Click this link to launch an easy read leaflet containing useful information about support available in Coventry – ranging from where to get help with energy and water bills, to help with essentials, internet access, benefits support and mental health services.
The ‘24 Days of Cost of Living Support’ advent calendar forms the first part of the campaign this Christmas, offering a tip a day to keep costs down at this difficult time.
Download the calendar here or see the image below here on our website. Also available on our social media channels – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – during December.
Visit the council’s cost of living and wellbeing support pages by following this link.
The support includes a search option to find warm welcome spaces near you that are free to use throughout the day to access information, take part in activities, connect with other support or simply get warm and have a chat.
The council pages also cover:
- Help to reduce outgoings
- Money advice
- Paying rent
- Help with council tax
- Support if you’re struggling
- Support for your school
- Plus the latest news and advice.
If you’re struggling financially or are concerned about the future, getting help early can make a difference. From help with bills, food, school uniform, other household essentials, to mental health support, please don’t feel you have to face the cost of living crisis alone.
Coventry Poverty Alliance
Alongside our membership of Coventry City Council’s ‘One Coventry: Cost of Living Forum’, Grapevine co-founded Coventry Poverty Alliance with Central England Law Centre in March 2022.
The Alliance now consists of 160 people representing organisations spanning the voluntary sector, community groups, Coventry City Council and people with first-hand experience, all of whom work with people locked in a cycle of poverty.
Built on this frontline commitment to prevent some of the suffering poverty causes and get ahead of some of the problems people face, the group is collaborating to deepen understanding of the harm poverty is doing in Coventry, of what is already happening and ways we can partner to become more effective.
Our meeting in October was attended by organisations including Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, Foleshill Women’s Training, Arty Folks, Groundwork, University of Warwick, Kairos, Bare Necessities, St Francis and St Giles churches, Strike A Light, Age UK, CV Life, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash and many more.
The Alliance next meets on Tuesday 13 December at 10am.
If you have ideas around volunteering, transport and travel as barriers to getting help, improving translation and interpreter services, the need to better equip frontline workers, or anything else we could collaborate on to get help to those who need it most, please get in touch to join the Alliance.
Follow @CoventryCC and #InThisTogether on Twitter until Christmas Eve (24 December) for cost of living tips, ideas and signposting to support.