Sense Announce New £500 Cost of Living Fund

How to ACCESS £500 FUND

Click here to access the Sense Cost of Living Support Fund – which has been set up to award a one-off emergency grant of £500 to 1000 disabled households already using Sense services. The fund benefits disabled children and adults with complex disabilities who co-habit with their families, are on a low income or battling to pay for essentials. Sense has teamed up with anti-poverty charity Turn2Us and between them, they have provided half of the available grants.

This unprecedented move by Sense ties in with the unprecedented cos of food and energy in 2022, which has affected 72% of families with a disabled child or adult. Furthermore, over half of those families have admitted that they have borrowed or are borrowing money from friends and family.

Two in five people gave claimed they would have to go without food as a choice to try and save money, while over three quarters say they have been mentally affected by having to take these measures. Sense retrieved this information from over 1000 UK families with a disabled child or adult in their care.

The charity has also called on the UK government to act urgently to help people facing financial hardship: their petition has over 25,000 signatures.

Richard Kramer, Sense Chief Executive, said:

“Disabled people and their families have told us that they are frustrated by the lack of urgency from Government in tackling the cost-of-living crisis. Sense felt that we needed to step in and set up the fund to help people who are struggling now to pay for their essentials.

“We have already seen a huge demand for support, which reflects the massive cost-of-living challenges facing the individuals we support and their families. We know it will make a huge difference to those who receive it, but it’s not a long-term solution, and there are many more disabled people and families across the country that need support at this time.

“Everyone is affected by rising prices, but disabled households are one of the hardest hit because of their circumstances. Many are in poverty, less likely to be in full-time work and face higher costs for energy for essential equipment and the additional costs of disability. The next Prime Minister must recognise the impact this crisis is having on disabled households and provide long-term financial support.”

Jules Tompkins, Senior Programme Manager at Turn2us, added:

“For families living with a loved-one with complex disabilities, receiving a charitable grant can be a lifeline in helping them cope financially. Every day we hear from disabled people about the impact grants can have and we are pleased to be working with Sense to ensure disabled people and their families receive vital financial support as the cost of living continues to spiral. We know disabled people will be amongst those hardest hit by soaring costs. Therefore, it is crucial that in the longer-term, reforms are made to both our economy and social security system to stop the growing inequalities in our society, and to ensure people to have enough money to live on.”