Many do not know where to get help
Targeted support for Scotland’s most vulnerable during the pandemic is being called for by the British Red Cross.
It comes as a new report shows that more than a third of Scots are not confident they would know where to get the financial help they need.
With stay-at-home restrictions in Scotland continuing, the charity is calling on the Scottish Government to roll out emotional support and keep support bubbles for single person households, as well as ensure investment in Self-Isolation Support Grants and the Scottish Welfare Fund reaches those most at risk.
The report The Longest Year: Life under local restrictions explores the experiences of people living under local Covid-19 restrictions in the UK, including participants living under Level Four rules in Glasgow.
The Red Cross identifies two groups hardest hit by the pandemic: the ‘newly vulnerable’, and those who are now ‘on the brink’ because Covid has exacerbated existing challenges they faced.
It finds the ‘newly vulnerable’ group consists of people who haven’t needed to ask for help before – are unsure where to access support and are put off by stigma and the belief that, with so many struggling right now, they should be able to cope on their own.
The second group who are now ‘on the brink’ were just about coping before the pandemic, and now face impossible choices between paying their bills, getting food to last the week or buying clothes for their children.
Marie Hayes, director for Scotland at the British Red Cross said: “It’s deeply worrying that so many people don’t know where to turn to for help. We know that across Scotland there are many people who are now either on the brink or have become newly vulnerable as a result of the pandemic.
“The Scottish Government has shown a welcome commitment to expanding emergency financial support for people self-isolating in the past week and it’s now vital that this reaches those most at risk.
“As well as ensuring emergency financial support exists for people in the long term, it’s key that people can access the emotional assistance they need and we hope ministers will consider embedding this in the new and existing social security it provides.”
The report found people often don’t know where to turn to for help, despite many people trusting the Scottish Government on their rules and messaging surrounding the pandemic, a significant group felt unable to keep up to date with frequent changes to restrictions. Many people were also facing emotional pressures under lockdown and felt unable to talk about the problems they were facing.
Jeff Creswell, 33 from Glasgow, is just one of the people facing life on the brink. In 2019 he was running a restaurant, but he lost control of it after living on just three hours a day of sleep. He lost his job, and after splitting up with his long-term partner, he found himself homeless, unemployed and living in a hostel, thousands of pounds in debt.
Jeff was determined to get back on his feet. He got a job in a café and found a flat. And then the pandemic hit. Jeff lost his job and was thrown back into limbo. He wasn’t eligible for Scottish welfare, having exhausted the number of cash grants he could apply for while he was homeless.
“No food, no gas, no electricity,” he remembers. It was “One thing after another.”
That’s when Jeff came across the British Red Cross support line.
“It was the British Red Cross that helped me out,” Jeff says. “It was the only free number that came up.”
“They gave me a card with £120 on it. I was able to use it to get credit and phone my electric supplier. The Red Cross loaded my gas and electric up with £60 on each. They gave me a food parcel as well.”
The organisation is calling for the Scottish Government to ensure a package of mental health, emotional and practical support is offered by default alongside emergency Covid-19 assistance and in new benefits delivered by Social Security Scotland.
It also calls for continuing support bubbles for single person households.
