With illness and disability come additional expenses, so carers often find their expenditure going up at a time when their income is going down. 37% described their financial situation as ‘struggling to make ends meet’ (State of Caring 2018). Many carers struggle to identify or apply for the limited financial support available. VOCAL will provide 1-1 appointments, a regular Universal Credit drop-in, casework for complex issues such as appealing decisions and 6 awareness workshops. The grant will be spent on promotion (making use of our links with local practitioners and multicultural groups), interpreters, staff time, room hire and refreshments.
We support family carers who provide unpaid care to a partner, parent, relative or friend of any age managing a long term condition, disability, physical or mental health problem or addiction. In Edinburgh almost 47% carers considered that their caring role had affected their finances. (Survey 2017). Our project aims to support the financial well-being of unpaid carers in Leith in particular carers from the following groups BME, Eastern European, older carers and those with disabilities.
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation