Cost of living crisis - Update 2023

We are campaigning for changes to help us all through the cost of living crisis.

Here is our research on the crisis as things are in Brighton and Hove at the end of Winter 2023.

Report and summary

Here is a presentation of our updated research on the Cost of Living (CoL) crisis in Brighton and Hove:

We surveyed advisers and frontline workers who are part of our partnership work, about the impacts of supporting people through this crisis.

Thank you to all our Volunteer Advisers, staff and to all our clients and colleagues for their part in this research into the ongoing crisis.

Here is our Survey Report from the frontlines:

What our data shows

Energy help demand has grown massively since last summer and is the biggest Cost of Living issue clients come to us with
Disabled people, single people and single parents and those living in social housing are the clients most likely to ask us for Cost of Living help
Energy help and housing advice are the fastest growing issues
Private renting tenants are in a crisis of unaffordability in our city and we are more dependent on private rented accommodation than other cities

Who has been most affected by this crisis?

Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions
Single parents (but even couples with children are now beginning to be adversely affected by the crisis)
Single adults
Social housing tenants

Frontline advisers in our charity and our partner charities surveyed told us:

“We are now at the point where, for the majority of our clients with deficit budgets, there is no answer to resolve them, no more money to be found, no costs that can be cut. I am finding I am having to tell people more often that they are already doing everything they can and yet the budget is still not balancing. We are increasingly providing ‘sticking plasters’ e.g. food bank referrals rather than there being practical long term solutions.”
“Clients’ cases are becoming more complex and often their situation more desperate. This all has an impact on my wellbeing particularly when I am working more hours than I should as I do not want someone vulnerable to be let down by my inability to manage my caseload. “
80% of our workforce are far more stressed than they were during the pandemic

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