Sector needs immediate financial support
Charities are facing a “second tsunami of need” as the cost of living crisis crashes in hard on a sector already battered by the Covid pandemic.
A coalition 45 umbrella bodies – including the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) – is calling for urgent, “immediate financial support” to get voluntary groups through the crisis.
Demand on charities has never been greater, and will increase as the winter progresses and the reality of people being hit by a double-whammy of soaring inflation and rocketing energy bills kicks in.
The sector was just starting to pick itself up after its heroic – if draining – role during the Covid pandemic.
There are now fears that some organisations won’t make it through the new crisis, with drastic implications not just for staff but for the people they help – society’s most vulnerable.
To combat the on-rushing onslaught, SCVO has set up a crisis hub with information and advice on how to deal with the #RunningCostsCrisis.
A letter sent to all Westminster MPs by the coalition of 45 cross-UK umbrella bodies – representing tens of thousands of charities – was co-ordinated by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Among its demands are calls to ensure that charities, voluntary and community organisations are included in any plans to provide support to businesses.
The letter states that coping with the pandemic and drawing on reserves means that “many charities and voluntary organisations have little or nothing left to see them through this second tsunami of need.”
It adds: “We are also calling on the government to provide targeted financial support for those charities and voluntary organisations that are on the frontline of supporting people through this crisis, and to ensure that charities, voluntary and community organisations are included in any plans to provide support to businesses.”
“When people cannot afford to pay their bills, the consequences go far beyond whether they can keep their lights on at night, and charities and voluntary organisations of all shapes and sizes play an essential role in keeping people afloat in such challenging times.
“But charities and voluntary organisations are facing the same increases in fuel, energy and salary costs as any business, while their income drops as donors have to cancel direct debits and reduce their offers of goods.”
