Charities invite Local Residents to Cost-of-Living Fair as Families Struggle to Access Support Amidst Crisis.
As the cost-of-living crisis continues, Action for Children Young Carers service along with Clanrye Group are coming together on 6th October, to provide a one-stop-shop event to offer vital support and information for Carers and others impacted in the community.
Action for Children and Clanrye Group are inviting local carers or families struggling with the rise in costs to come along on 6th October to Banbridge Leisure Centre from 10am-12pm.
Along with Action for Children and Clanrye Group, charities and community groups including Links Counselling Service, Housing Rights, and Action Mental Health, will join together at the ‘Supporting Carers Through the Cost-of-Living Crisis’ fair to provide advice and support for local families being impacted by the rise in energy and home heating prices, as well as soaring food costs. The fair at Banbridge Leisure Centre will bring a variety of local charities together to help families understand the support that is available to them.
Some organisations there on the day:
· Links Counselling Service
· Southern Regional College
· Housing Rights
· Stepping Stones NI
· ABC Seniors Network
· Future Proof Banbridge
· Action Mental Health
· Belfast Central Mission
· Inspire
And many more.
The fair comes at a vital time for local residents, as temperatures are expected to drop in the winter months, while energy costs continue to soar. Action for Children explain they are supporting more and more working families with the basics as they struggle to afford necessities.
Jude Younger, Family Support Practitioner at Action for Children Young Carers service said, “We want to provide all carers with an opportunity to have all the resources and support services in one place to make it easier for those people to access help and advice. It’s not just the single parent families or the unemployed families that are struggling now, it’s the families where both parents are working.”
Sheena McMullen, Campaigns, Advocacy and Policy Advisor at Action for Children said, “Young carers and their families are often invisible and the financial and health pressures they’re facing in the current context are at an all-time high. Government inaction is not helping, and, in some ways, this is an event we wish we didn’t have to organise. But for many families, finding what support they can access and where it is, is often difficult, which is why we are bringing together a range of voluntary and community organisations together in one place.
“Collaboration and working together is an important value for Action for Children, and it’s clear we need more of it at the top levels as well as at the grassroots to get through this Winter.”
As many households in the area struggle with the current climate, Action for Children explained that carers specifically are struggling, as many require more electric than most to power vital equipment for the person they care for within the home. Over 8,500 young people in Northern Ireland currently take on an unpaid caring role, impacting their education, well-being, and career.
While the Cost-of-Living Fair was organised with carers in mind, it is open to all, and advice and support will be offered to anyone struggling with the current climate.
If you would like more information on the support services available in your area, contact our Young Carers or Young Adult Carers team on 02890460500 or email youngcarers@actionforchildren.org.uk.
Recap of key details:-
Location: Banbridge Leisure Centre
Date: 6th October 2022
Time: 10am – 12pm
About Action for Children:
Action for Children protects and supports vulnerable children and young people by providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. With 447 services across the UK, in schools and online, in 2021/22 they helped 671,275 children, young people and families.
actionforchildren.org.uk
http://www.youth.ie/sites/youth.ie/files/CrossroadsSurvivalGuideforyoungcarers.pdf
