The clocks have changed, the days are getting shorter, and winter is on the way.
Winter comes with it many things to get excited about, including a wide range of festivities! However, winter can be challenging for some people, particularly because of the increased cost of living. What follows is a range of useful resources to help make this winter somewhat brighter than the last.
We have already seen some improvements from last winter. For example, London’s Living Wage recently increased to £13.15, which will surely help many. But what can voluntary and community sector organisations focus on in order to be prepared for winter?
Winter Preparedness Report
The Greater London Authority and London Councils commissioned Social Life to explore how to improve winter for communities. The resulting report, Lessons from London’s Winter Provision, examines different support interventions from last winter. The interventions were designed to help London’s low-income households. This report evaluates and draws lessons from them in the hope that they can prepare us for the coming winter.
Regardless of what the report says, its existence alone is a lesson for all organisations in London. Evaluating our own successes and failures is important, especially for those providing for people in need of support.
Collaboration and coordination, something we have talked about in the past, was one of the things that seemed to work well. Good collaboration within and between sectors is crucial. Capacity and outreach was also excellent in some respects, such as the increased outreach that came with Warm Spaces. Warm Spaces are returning this winter and you can register your space here.
Some things that didn’t work as well were coordination and resourcing, as well as certain aspects of capacity and outreach including data sharing and impact tracking.
The report also comes with various recommendations. If you would like to read the report in full, you can do so here.
Winter Preparedness Workshop
Along with this report, the Greater London Authority and the London Communities Emergencies Partnership are facilitating a winter preparedness workshop for communities. The session will cover weather risks, the cost of living, among many other topics. Register online today.
Looking Forward
We know that winter can be a difficult time, but hopefully the information here has given some reasons to be more positive about the months ahead! The voluntary and community sector should take this as an opportunity to grow, improve, and help more people in the process.
More:
- London Plus cost of living documents
- London Plus October newsletter
- London’s Poverty Profile [Trust for London]
