The cost of living remains a widespread challenge for many households. Essential costs, such as food and energy, are still high and put stress on household budgets, especially for those on lower incomes. At Abri, we’re committed to providing meaningful support where it's needed most.
For three years running, we’ve sought our customers’ feedback through a cost of living survey. Although the results can be tough to hear, they help us tailor our services to better meet our customers’ needs. We carried out our most recent survey in November 2024.
How we can help
Abri means shelter, and our purpose is to ensure all our customers have a safe and warm place to call home. Our cost of living steering group, a cross-departmental group of colleagues, works together to assess how well our current support measures are helping. They identify areas where we can improve our services and share ideas to better assist our customers with financial challenges.
Our tenancy support teams offer practical assistance to help customers stay secure in their homes, providing advice on welfare benefits, budgeting, and more. In 2023/2024, there were 9,548 referrals to our tenancy support service, and we helped customers secure more than £6.3 million in unclaimed benefits.
Online resources
We understand that it’s not always easy to ask for help, which is why we regularly update our online customer support hub that empowers our customers to access practical advice on household budgeting, reducing energy usage, and accessing financial support; all on their own terms.
In the community
Our approach isn’t one size fits all – we know that each community is different. That’s where our regional model comes into play. Using insight from internal and external sources, we gain a deeper understanding of the needs of each area, allowing us to better allocate resources and develop support initiatives. Even more targeted than our regions, we've pinpointed the communities that could benefit from additional Abri support – known as our community investment zones – and have worked with local customers and stakeholders to design and implement support that will benefit them the most.
Our community cafés, including the Round About Café in Southampton and Café 1759 in Whitehill & Bordon, are vital hubs for affordable food and social connection. These spaces not only serve meals at a low cost, but are also home to pantries that provide food at a fraction of supermarket prices, helping to reduce food waste. In total, our Abri run pantries have nearly 900 members, and we also support pantries run by partner organisations.
Through our community fund, we provide grants to local projects that offer practical cost of living and wellbeing support. We’ve recently funded the Driven Forward Community Fridge, which helps families in Windsor by redistributing extra food that would otherwise go to waste. In Mansbridge, Coach4U organised summer events for children and Buzz Action Foundation in Amesbury now offers youth clubs for socially isolated young people. Last year we granted £90,000 in funding.
In July we launched our refreshed employment support offer: available to every Abri customer across our geography, it helps customers gain employment or improve their job prospects. Last year, we supported 264 people into employment or better job opportunities, empowering them to manage their finances more effectively in the face of rising living costs.
Here are some more examples of how we’re supporting:
- Low energy cookery courses: Running this winter in Bracknell and Windsor, these courses teach customers how to prepare delicious, budget-friendly meals while providing them with new low-energy appliances to take home.
- Energy saving roadshow: In collaboration with Bracknell Forest Council, we hosted an event at Priestwood Methodist Church, covering everything from financial winter support to preventing damp and mould. Attendees received warm packs, energy-saving bulbs, and blankets, thanks to First Days Children's Charity, along with guidance from Citizens Advice East Berkshire.
- Water saving scheme: We partnered with Wessex Water to help customers manage expensive water bills, promoting sustainable practices that benefit both customers and the environment.
Social value
Social value isn’t just an integral part of our procurement process, it’s a key way that we support our communities, too. We encourage our partners to secure wider benefits for the community, directly addressing rising living costs. For example, our pantry at Round About Café, supported by a £4,000 grant from Claranet, has provided essential food resources to 246 members, with 84% reporting savings that help ease their financial burdens.
Looking ahead
As we face the ongoing challenges posed by the cost of living crisis, our commitment to supporting our customers remains steadfast. We will continue to listen, adapt, and innovate our services to ensure they meet the needs of our communities. By providing financial support, boosting our customers’ employability, and fostering community connections, we aim to empower our customers to thrive, not just survive.