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Financial Inclusion
In partnership with Community Advice
Our Financial Inclusion project is part of a broader strategic aim to end the need for Antrim Foodbank by supporting local people to address the underlying causes of financial crisis.
Community Advice Antrim & Newtownabbey advisors are on hand at our sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday each week.
In 2021, Antrim Foodbank, in partnership with Community Advice, ran a pilot at one of our distribution centres to facilitate on-site welfare advice service. The high demand of client up-take on the welfare service provided evidence that this on-site service was a necessity within the community.
As part of the Trussell Trust network of food banks, Antrim Foodbank has secured a grant for our Financial Inclusion project for the next two years.
Our project will provide holistic support to ensure that those in financial crisis or facing destitution receive assistance to maximise their income, minimise debt and prevent the need for repeat visits to the food bank where possible.
Community Advice will provide a welfare advisor at three of our drop-in sessions and take advice from a fourth session. They will organise follow-up appointments, provide training for food bank staff, and deliver workshops for service users on topics promoting money management/welfare benefits.
The welfare advisor will also be responsible for training volunteers to have a greater understanding of the value of financial inclusion work, improve confidence in understanding need and connecting people with the Financial Inclusion welfare adviser, and liaise with the adviser to provide support for vulnerable service users to ensure their engagement. Connect service users with other support organisations to improve mental health and well-being.
Our Financial Inclusion project aims to help put money in people’s pockets and restore dignity to those in our community facing destitution.