Going it alone
Cost-of-living crisis cuts low-income people off from their family and friends
· 61% of TBBT’s members have cut back the time they spend with family and friends
· A further 8% have stopped seeing them at all
· Over half of respondents have less than £50 to live on each month once rent and energy bills are paid
· Cost-of-living crisis causing social isolation and loneliness
The continued cost-of-living crisis is more than a choice between heating and eating. It’s forcing families into the kind of social isolation witnessed during the pandemic.
6,600 members took part in The Bread and Butter Thing’s annual survey and more than three quarters said that rises in the cost of living are driving them apart from family and friends. After paying the rent and their energy bills, over half have less than £50 left at the end of month and over a third of them are barely breaking even. That’s before thinking about essentials such as food, personal hygiene or cleaning products.
Whether the barriers are the expense of the transport, the price of fuel to put in the car, or the cost of cake and a cuppa, 77% of TBBT members are more marginalised than ever as living costs continue to spiral.
As a result, 61% of members are seeing friends and family less often than they were in the summer and 8% have stopped seeing them entirely. More than half of them are going longer than a week without seeing their loved ones.
This is in stark contrast to research undertaken by DCMS (published in February 2023) in which 71% of the UK population is seeing friends and family in person at least once a week[i]. It asked: Would you say you do the following with your friends/family once a week or more:
Mark Game, CEO, The Bread and Butter Thing said: “Our members have hardly anything left for their food budget so it’s no wonder that they are increasingly isolated from their loved ones. After paying the rent and their energy bills, over half have less than £50 left at the end of month and over a third of them are barely breaking even. There is a tragic inevitably that those worst off are the most isolated and therefore the most susceptible to loneliness and the issues that arise from it.
“As a result, we’re focusing on the work beyond food – such as launching our Warm Hubs and increasing our wraparound services to help support members in making every penny count. We’re also continuing to grow and spread the benefits of TBBT’s affordable food service, putting money back in people’s pockets through saving on their food budgets.
“There is an increasing recognition amongst stakeholders that by investing in projects like The Bread and Butter Thing - an affordable food service that supports people with additional expertise and the capacity to come together as a community – can have lasting and transformative impacts on individuals and their families.”
As one Stobhill Hub Member observed:
“TBBT has allowed me to use my heating, given me people to chat to when feeling lonely, and given us treats I wouldn’t usually be able to afford.”
These results are announced as TBBT publishes its annual impact report which shows that TBBT members collectively saved £4.8m on their food budgets by shopping with TBBT in 2022, and the charity redistributed over 12 million meals worth of food.
TBBT’s impact is much more than fiscal. It’s social too. Over half TBBT’s members have met new people and made new friends through their weekly visits to their TBBT hub.
St Catherine’s Hub Member said:
“TBBT has given me access to low-cost, high-quality food (nutritionally and monetarily). It has helped me feel less uncomfortable about struggling with rising living costs through seeing and speaking with others in similar struggles. It has given me a new place to visit for socialising and getting me out of the house, in an environment where I feel safe, comfortable and welcomed. It has improved my mental and physical health.”
These figures also go some way to explaining the popularity and success of TBBT’s Warm Hubs project, launched in the autumn of 2022 in conjunction with more than 40 community partners. These spaces offer a warm welcome to people struggling to fire up the heating at home plus the chance to meet friends for a hot drink and a natter. In the six months since opening, there have been almost 16,000 visits to TBBT’s Warm Hubs. They’ve been so positively received that they are now evolving into permanent weekly social spaces.
Naomi Wright, Hub Leader, Westy Community Centre:
“The demand for food support locally just keeps growing and TBBT is making a big difference. We’ve hosted a Warm Hub too and it’s been lovely having members come early for a chat and the chance to meet and make friends. There’s a great sense of the community coming together each week."
Mark Game, concluded: “The economic challenges that we have all faced this year have forced many people to withdraw socially and isolate themselves from the people they love. The Bread and Butter Thing aims to do more than feed people – our hubs become a local focal point and the catalyst for friendships and community spirit, helping to improve the health and happiness of our members.”
The full impact report is available here: Impact Report
Notes
This data taken from 2022 Annual Member Survey which was completed in December 2022 by more than 6,600 members from across 81 hubs across the north of England.