Wakefield Council commissioned a mapping project of poverty services to better understand the range of poverty support in the District and gather stakeholder insights. The project isn't reviewing service performance, and no new money is attached to this work.

Data was gathered between October and November 2022 using an online survey, interviews and stakeholder workshops.

43% of survey responses came from the VCSE sector, and we know this is an area of work that lots of our members engage with. Here is the range of poverty support provided:

We were pleased to see the VCSE sector's contribution recognised in the report, as 'community organisations' were reported to be the most common partner to deliver poverty support services.

Demand for poverty support services in the past 12 months had increased for 94% of respondents and 29% were planning to extend their service.

The key strengths reported includes:

• Successful partnerships across the system (e.g. housing, health, welfare, community) - enabling referrals and rapid mobilisation.
• Increasing access for different communities through community based outreach services (e.g. welfare advice).
• Supportive and holistic nature of services - reducing stigma.
• Targeted support, prevention focussed - working with at risk groups in ways to reduce future impact of poverty.
• Initiatives to deliver funds, grants and benefits - individual and organisational.
• Many positive services and programmes listed within the report.

While challenges include:

• Complexity, challenge in coordination, lack of an overall poverty strategy.
• Increased need = growing demand on poverty support services.
• Reductions in resources - funding cuts, reduced public donations, decreased staffing.
• Rising energy costs for organisations themselves.
• Unsustainability of crisis support - greater need for prevention focus.
• Food banks and food pantry model - balancing overall supply and demand.

The report concluded that:

• A lot of work excellent work is already taking place across Wakefield District to support people experiencing poverty, in a range of ways.
• There are generally good connections between services, providers and referral partners; further engagement with employers and the private business sector has been suggested.
• Networks for poverty support providers are valued and could be expanded to ensure wider representation of groups and services, particularly those representing groups which may currently be missing out on poverty support.
• A focus on the prevention of poverty, including long term actions to address the wider determinants of health is ultimately needed to alleviate pressure on immediate mitigation services.
• Factors that enable individuals and families to exit poverty could be further explored

Download the report and the key findings to read more.