10 years of Big Help Project - Support Services
It’s the second week of our #TBT series looking back at the history of the Big Help Project for our 10-year anniversary. This week is dedicated to our support services!
The Big Help launched in 2011 to provide emergency food parcels to people in Knowsley who are experiencing food crisis. It soon became apparent that food crisis is a symptom of the wider issue of poverty; and that the foodbank only offers a short-term solution. To truly support our clients, we have to help tackle the issues that cause people and families to be in poverty and unable to afford food in the first place. This led to the creation of the support services of the Big Help Project.
The main issues that cause people to need to turn to a foodbank are: low income, unemployment, and debt. In 2012-13, the Big Help launched it’s support services: the employability and financial inclusion teams. These teams aim to maximise the income of people and families experiencing deprivation, and empower them to take back control of their lives and overcome the cycle of poverty.
Poverty can bring with it feelings of helplessness, embarrassment, and can affect people’s confidence in their ability to turn things around. Our teams are there to support people and help them to regain their confidence and strengthen their skills to find employment, and take back control of their circumstances. Not only do our support services help people break from the cycle of poverty, but they ensure that no one feels alone in this struggle to do so. By helping clients to maximise their incomes, control their debts, and find employment; our clients are able to regain control of their finances and begin to break away from the restraints of financial struggle.
9 years later- our support services are still running and working with people in the community today. Our employability team now also runs a scheme where clothes are provided for job interviews, to clients who cannot afford them. This would not be possible without the generous support of the public! By helping individuals and families strengthen their financial income and take control of their debts, we hope to help them find their confidence, independence, and make a real difference to their lives! We are not only here to support, but to empower people. No one deserves to live a life of poverty and deprivation. By working together, we can make a real change.
If you’re struggling to find employment, please get in touch or call 0151 482 6089 to speak to our employability team.
Pictured is one of our previous members of the employability team back in 2013.
17 JUNE 2021