Campaigns: Guarantee our Essentials
Siobhán is part of a campaign from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust calling for an Essentials Guarantee within Universal Credit. The Essentials Guarantee would embed in the social security system a principle that at a minimum Universal Credit should protect people from going without essentials.
The Women’s Regional Consortium have signed a cross-sector Open Letter addressed to Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to “urgently set out a plan to help provide immediate relief to families struggling with hardship, as well as commit to developing a serious and ambitious strategy to build a future where everyone can afford the essentials, and no one needs a food bank to survive.” This letter will be published at the end of June.
You can read more about the campaign here.
Campaigns: Coalition of Carers
Siobhán continues to attend regular meetings of the Coalition of Carers which is chaired by Carers NI. The Coalition is made up of a number of organisations all working to highlight the key issues that carers are facing across Northern Ireland.
As part of Carer’s Week Siobhán attended the launch of a Carers’ Rights Charter in Stormont and spoke to politicians who attended about the research work of the Consortium and our recent research paper on Women, Unpaid Care and Employment.
Campaigns: Cost of Living 24
Siobhán is part of a coalition of organisations led by Inspire Wellbeing NI who have come together to host a one-stop shop service for the many impacts of the Cost-of-Living Crisis. The Cost of Living 24 campaign aims to make navigating community and voluntary services easy, local and accessible, thanks to a dedicated webpage and freephone number. The partnership provides information and advice on a range of subjects: benefits and entitlements, fuel and child poverty, affordable childcare and
housing. It also signposts to foodbanks in towns and cities throughout Northern Ireland.
Cost of Living 24 offers support and information via: Webpage: (Or search ‘Community Wellbeing Cost of Living 24’)
Freephone: 0808 189 0036 Webchat: www.communitywellbeing.info
An article was featured in Belfast Live on this new campaign featuring Atlas Women’s Centre and the important work they do helping women and communities in the Cost of Living Crisis. You can read the article here: ‘We save lives and change lives’ – Lisburn women’s centre a ‘lifeline’ for families during cost of living crisis – Belfast Live
Campaigns: Cliff Edge
Siobhán continues to attend meetings of the Cliff Edge Coalition Working Group which is working to strengthen the existing mitigations package for Northern Ireland.
As part of the Cliff Edge Working Group, Siobhán presented to the Communities Committee on the Cliff Edge Key Ask to resolve the five-week wait in Universal Credit. Siobhán detailed statistics from Consortium research into Universal Credit which showed the impact of the five-week wait on women and highlighted the need for increased awareness/investment in the Universal Credit Contingency Fund which provides grants to help people in Northern Ireland get through the five-week wait.
You can watch the Cliff Edge evidence to the Communities Committee here (from 2:25mins):
