Rising Cost Of Living
The Rising Cost of Living
The people we support at Changing Lives are among the most acutely affected by the rising cost of living. We are committed to ensuring the people who access our services get the help they need.
The Priced Out Report 2022
This report shines a light on the devastating impact of the rising cost of living on the people who access our services, many of whom have existing vulnerabilities including lasting experiences of poverty, discrimination and trauma.
What we're doing
At Changing Lives, our priorities are to:
Offer practical support to people in our services who are affected by the rising cost of living.
Review our own services, especially our accommodation services, to ensure we are doing all we can to reduce costs for people we support.
Raise our voice and influence change to help people in our services who are affected by the rising cost of living.
If you are worried about the rising cost of living, you can seek support below, and find out more about the services we provide that you could benefit from via our Find Support page.
Find Support
MoneyHelper (https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en)
MoneyHelper joins up money and pensions guidance to make it quicker and easier to find the right help. MoneyHelper brings together the support and services of three government-backed financial guidance providers: the Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise.
MoneyHelper provides a range of practical advice to help with the rising cost of living, available here: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/way-forward. Alternatively, you can contact their helpline on 0800 138 7777.
Citizens Advice (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/)
Citizens Advice and its network of local charities offer confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
If you live in England, you can contact the Citizens Advice Adviceline on 0800 144 8848. Alternatively, you can search for your local Citizens Advice team here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/search-for-your-local-citizens-advice/
Citizens Advice offer practical advice with the rising cost of living here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/if-youre-struggling-with-living-costs/
StepChange (https://www.stepchange.org)
StepChange offers free debt advice and practical support to support people with their debt problems. You can call their advice line on 0800 138 1111 or access online advice here: https://www.stepchange.org/contact-us.aspx#helpline
StepChange has created a guide for coping with the rising cost of living, which can be accessed here: https://www.stepchange.org/how-we-help/rising-cost-of-living.aspx
Write to your MP
Please help to raise awareness of the rising cost of living on the people we support by writing to your MP. Download our guide and template and also see two example letters below:
Example Letter 1
Example Letter 2
Unsure of your local MP?
You can search for who your local MP is currently at the UK Parliament Website: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP