Giving back the power to our families

As a charity that supports families we are well placed to see the effects of the cost of living crisis.?What most people are not able to see though is the hidden impacts of this crisis.?

It is not just about being able to afford the electricity bill.?It is the knock on effects to a family that are just as concerning.?The effects on mental health, on feelings of isolation, anxiety and stress.?More concerning still is the impact it has on the children.?One mum recently told us of how she no longer wanted to take the children out to play in the park, because she didn’t want them to get their clothes dirty as she couldn’t afford to run the washing machine, while another mum said she had to bathe her baby in cold water because they didn’t have enough money for gas.?Not surprisingly food bank referrals have also increased and we are noticing parents going without so that they can feed their children.?

Our role at Home-Start has always been about supporting our families and empowering them to cope with situations. Because of this, our focus is not on how awful things are, but on how we can truly help our families at this time.

And we’re doing just that!?

We are ensuring our weekly groups are ‘warm spaces’ for families, and are delighted to be launching new groups in January to help increase our capacity to reach parents too.?

We have launched our first Slow Cooker group, providing parents with the resources they need to make nutritious and cost effective meals for the whole family. The recipes are now available on our website so everyone can access them.

We have run Energy and Cost of Living Advice training?for our staff and volunteers to ensure they have the latest information and access to the right support – information which we are happily sharing with our partners and is on our website here: Resources | Home-Start Oxford (homestartoxford.org.uk)

We’ve been part of community cost of living events so that we can help answer questions and provide information to those that need us.?

This Christmas we even launched an online Advent Calendar, providing free or low-cost ideas to help families enjoy festive activities but without the price tag that normally goes with it.

What is important is that we are giving back the power to our families. We are equipping them with the tools they need.?

We have been able to once more adapt our services to suit the current needs of our families.?

We have decades of experience doing it.?We have always been and will continue to be, there for families.?

We can make a difference for families who need us.?

For more information on our work or how you could support us, please visit our website: www.homestartoxford.org.uk