The next talk in our monthly Joy in Enough series will look at how the cost of living crisis is affecting churches and charities, and how this undermines the ‘social safety net’ that they provide. We are pleased to be welcoming Hannah Rich to deliver this talk.
The talk is online, on Wednesday 15th February 2023, from 7.30pm
Hannah is a senior researcher at Theos think tank, focussing on faith groups, social action and economic insecurity. She will be speaking about the findings of her latest report, A Torn Safety Net, which explores how the cost of living crisis is affecting faith groups and charities as well as households and individuals.
In a recent article here on Joy in Enough, Hannah wrote: “The collective impact of household insecurity is beginning to show in whole communities. It is no longer a crisis only of individual circumstances, but a systemic problem, reflected in the fraying fabric of civil society and faith groups. These institutions form a vital part of the safety net, offering security and material support to millions of people, but are themselves becoming less secure. The places we might typically turn for support during crises are not immune from this permacrisis.”
“The cost of living crisis, coming on the back of the pandemic and a decade of cuts to public services, is clearly having a severe impact on organisations as well as households, with grave consequences for their ability to step in and support people. Inflation is raising the cost of basic groceries, which in turn means higher costs and reduced donations for projects like food banks and community meals. In addition, soaring energy prices are hitting community spaces, which until recently faced uncapped bills to heat and light their buildings. Coupled with this, the pandemic and its impact on volunteering patterns and financial donations is still being felt. In short, the safety net is tearing. We argue in this report that this constitutes a ‘social recession’ and this is reaching a critical point.”
We hope you’ll be able to join us to explore this important topic that affects all of us. And don’t forget that you can view the archive of Joy in Enough talks here, including last month’s talk from Anna Rowlands on Catholic social teaching.
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