OUR IMPACT 2018 OUR IMPACT Every day UNISON’s charity makes a positive difference to thousands of members’ lives. Our mission: • To be an invaluable service for UNISON members • To provide quality advice, information and assistance • To offer fj nancial support to those Thank you You have suffering unexpected hardship very much lifted a huge for coming to • To deliver services that are relevant amount my rescue and quick to respond of stress from me
OUR IMPACT 2018 PROVIDING SUPPORT WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST In 2018 every working day we helped improve the lives of members through: I had so many thoughts • Rapid response to requests for help in my head I couldn’t sleep at night. There for you • Help and support which gave me the confidence to is compassionate, discreet, talk about my fears. I am bespoke and personal stronger as a result • Quality of life grants • One-off grants to help with unanticipated and unaffordable expenditure I just wanted to say Thank you so much • Help in securing state bene fj ts and thank you and unison for the for the assistance. assistance from other charities financial support that you You have proven have given to me. It will take me wrong as I was • Wellbeing and respite grants some of the stress away thinking there is no • Face to face support through from my current situation help out there our branch welfare of fj cer contacts
OUR IMPACT 2018 MANY MEMBERS FACED MORE THAN ONE CHALLENGE I just wanted to take the time In recent years, There for You have to say how grateful I am that seen an increase in the complexity you have been able to help me of needs faced by members. during this really difficult time in • Poor or inadequate housing my personal life. When I heard that you were able to pay the bond and • Low income and debt month rent for my new property • Financial and work insecurity I was overwhelmed as this is my escape route for me • Relationship problems and my children. I cannot • Mental health dif fj culties I wanted to thank you thank you enough for everything you did • Need help accessing services to support my financial • Bereavement assistance application. I made the final remaining • Loneliness and isolation payment so that means my fathers funeral bill is now settled which is a huge relief
OUR IMPACT 2018 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE £458,914 given in financial support 2,984 100% applications received of emergency crisis grants considered within 24 hours 90% 2,600 of those helped were grant payments of working age
OUR IMPACT 2018 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Hundreds struggled to pay their priority commitments and other essentials £46,880 £87,640 helped ensure many members had a roof paid towards fuel costs* over their head £92,000 £16,778 prevented action being taken for non-payment helped pay for basic everyday essentials of council tax * Excluding grants paid through Winter Fuel Programme
OUR IMPACT 2018 The number of working homeless has doubled since 2013 Source: Shelter Many find themselves Level of fuel poverty priced out of their is highest in the private local area due rented sector to soaring rents Source: Annual Fuel Poverty Report 2018 Source: Shelter Council tax arrears rose to £944m in 2017-18 Source: LGA
OUR IMPACT 2018 MANY WERE HELPED IN OTHER WAYS 286 I’m just writing to thank you for sending me the £50 school uniform Essential household items, grant. This money means SO MUCH property repairs and property to me and receiving £10 more than adaptations I hoped for brought a tear to my eye, seriously. I think it’s wonderful that you are helping low income, single 876 parents like me and your help is much appreciated Members on low income received a Winter Fuel Grant 809 Children were helped to return to school after the summer break wearing the correct uniform
OUR IMPACT 2018 WHERE APPLICATIONS CAME FROM Scotland: 310 Northern Ireland: 263 England: 2,245 Wales/ Cymru: 166 Eastern – 163 East Midlands – 208 Greater London – 229 Northern – 274 North West – 478 South East – 148 South West – 155 West Midlands – 226 Yorkshire & Humberside – 364
OUR IMPACT 2018 ADVICE & SUPPORT I would like to thank you for the support that was extended to us during this difficult time. It was nice to know that someone out there can hear my cry and offer 2,300 a helping hand. We appreciate the money, the fridge and also above all the follow up calls since my application, to make sure members received advice on that everything is alright debt, benefit entitlement, housing rights, signposting and more 2,406 I have no words to describe how much I am grateful for your support. I need to say that I have members used our online experienced the great customer benefits calculator to check service from all your staff involved their benefit entitlement in helping me during this difficult time. I appreciate the professional approach 1,000 + of your representatives in both written and verbal communication and can highly recommend your service to anyone helped by simply having a branch welfare officer to talk to
OUR IMPACT 2018 INVESTING IN OUR VOLUNTEERS 300+ 79 New branch welfare officers took branch welfare branch welfare part in some form of training officers completed officer handbook their induction training Tempo was 120+ 17 dynamic and Facilitators were motivating brilliant and branch welfare officers completed the encouraged attended the national seminar new ‘Introduction everyone’s to Benefits’ training participation Content was Great handouts excellent, very that I can keep relevant and and will refer to up to date
OUR IMPACT 2018 RESOURCES AND PUBLICITY MATERIAL NEW FOR 2018 • There for You information booklet • Newsletter template • New range of information guides • Powerpoint presentation
OUR IMPACT 2018 ONE MEMBER’S STORY SARAH’S STORY Sarah was diagnosed with breast Within a matter of weeks, Sarah: cancer last year and underwent a • Learnt that her application for fj nancial assistance mastectomy. Unfortunately, there had been successful were complications post-surgery and she was off work for a • Received a payment of over £700 to help meet all considerably longer period than her essential expenditure including heating costs was originally expected. When she • Had all the information she needed to apply for the learnt that her pay was about to various bene fj ts she was entitled to stop Sarah contacted her branch welfare officer and asked for help... • Was referred to UNISON Debtline and received advice and guidance for arranging token payments to creditors • Took delivery of a new washing machine as hers was broken and she was struggling to do any washing by hand
OUR IMPACT 2018 FUNDRAISING LEGACY INCOME: Thank you for my £115,000 grant of £600 which I so much appreciate. The charity There for you is doing a brilliant job INVESTMENT INCOME: £245,013 I can’t thank you enough for what the charity has done for me. It has really helped me out in so many ways and at long last, I feel I can now focus on rebuilding my life after what has been a very UNISON LOTTERY: turbulent and distressing eighteen months or so (in particular being £102,635 homeless for the past few months)
JUST SOME OF OUR PLANS FOR 2019 • Increase the number of members helped • Introduce online applications • Continue to raise awareness • Re-launch wellbeing breaks programme • Add to the training opportunities for branch welfare officers • Grow our range of online resources and training tools • Develop our fundraising activities including legacy giving
WE COULDN’T ACHIEVE ANYTHING WITHOUT YOU We should all be very proud of what we do and the difference we make together We gratefully acknowledge The hard work of our the support given by • Staff • UNISON • Branch welfare of fj cers • UNISON branch network • Regional welfare committees and • Our partners others who volunteer their time
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