Every day we receive emails from care workers in crisis who are struggling financially or mentally with various issues. In 2021 we supported 1121 care workers paying out £611,000 worth of grants.
One of our connections referred The Care Workers Charity on for support, stating they had gotten a call from a terrified care worker who was going to be evicted from her home. Miss B is originally from Europe and has worked in the residential care industry in the UK for some time. Miss B requested a salary advance from her manager but was told it was not feasible. She was living in a hostel and had asked her friends and relatives for a loan so she could pay her rent, but no one was able to assist her.
Miss B was contacted by a member of the Grants team, who spoke with her about her situation and assisted her in going online to complete an application form for a Crisis Grant. They also discussed what evidence she would need to submit with her claim, which included a letter of support from her employer.
Miss B told the Grants team that she has been attempting to get out of the hostel and into something more pleasant, such as a shared house or something alike. However, to do so, she would need financial stability and the assurance that she would be able to keep up with her rental payments on time, which is something she couldn’t accomplish because of her present financial difficulties.
The Grants team then discussed her situation and decided on the best course of action; she was awarded a £500 grant to ease the immediate threat of eviction, as well as assistance in locating alternative housing; once that has been found, the second part of her grant will be used to pay a deposit for the room.
The Grants team assisted her by contacting the local authority to check if she qualified for a no-guarantor room rental programme. When they discovered that the local authority did, they arranged up a call with a member of the local authority’s staff and the care worker.
The team then moved on to seek their contacts in the area whether they knew of any suitable accommodations for Miss B.
The team went on to continue working with Miss B until she was ready to move out of her hostel and into a local room.
We receive applications like this one everyday and there are so many care workers who still need support.
We would like to thank our supporters and sponsors, funders, trusts and foundations and the fundraisers who continue to make it possible to provide a significant amount of support to care workers. The funding helps to prevent evictions, clothe and feed children, provide support to care workers who are at breaking point, and enable those at risk of domestic abuse to move away from their abusers. It funds funerals, provides a financial safety net to care workers who are in financial crisis and trains mental health first aiders to support care workers in their organisations.
www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk
