The cost of living crisis has impacted us all, and for St Martins it's a double whammy of making ends meet for the charity itself, plus helping people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The cost of living crisis could see a rise in homelessness as a result of soaring food prices, increased energy bills and rising inflation, warns the St Martins team.
Household budgets are squeezed across the country; everywhere you turn people are expressing their concern about the cost of living crisis.
As this crisis worsens, it will become even harder for people experiencing homelessness to make ends meet. St Martins equips the people they support as much as possible with the skills to live independently.
CEO Dr Jan Sheldon said: “We want to prevent homelessness wherever possible. Our services for people living in the community are designed to give them the best possible chance of maintaining their tenancies. Once a person moves on from St Martins’ services into a home of their own, it is crucial that they have the skills and experience to retain their accommodation and not slip back into homelessness.”

Top tips to save money

Shop and cook economically
The average adult eats 10 meals out of 21 alone every week. Sharing a nutritious meal increases wellbeing and a sense of community. Healthy meals are prepared in the kitchen at Under 1 Roof, St Martins’ learning and development centre, by people supported by the charity under the direction of a trained chef. By learning to cook, they develop confidence in the kitchen and knowledge about healthy choices and how to shop economically.
A cookbook has been compiled and distributed to people using St Martins’ services. The majority of recipes use cheap and readily available ingredients.
St Martins frequently signposts people to organisations such as The Feed that distribute food through community fridges and social supermarkets.
In addition, The Feed’s Nourish service provides hot evening meals in a safe indoor venue in Norwich city centre. It is for anyone without access to cooking facilities or food. This includes people sleeping rough and those in temporary accommodation.
Where St Martins supports food distribution, there is always specialist help on hand. This makes the difference and gets people engaged and into accommodation quickly. Giving food is the easy part; providing specialist support is critical to helping people to turn their lives around.

Buy second-hand
St Martins’ Donation Station charity shop at Anglia Square is stocked with clothes, shoes, homeware, books and games.
Items are sold to the public at a low cost using a ‘pay what you can afford’ model. The same items are also available to people experiencing homelessness for free – 241 clothing bundles were given out in the past year.
Items can be bought second-hand at a fraction of the cost new. Nicky King, the charity’s head of life skills, said: “We believe that everyone deserves to own high-quality clothes that make them feel great about themselves. We’ve had members of the public break down in tears in the shop when they realise they can pay what they can afford.”

Ways to save energy
Rising energy bills are having a huge impact on St Martins because of the cost of running more than 20 properties within its services.
Environmentally-friendly measures have been implemented to mitigate the impact as much as possible, including thermostats on water temperature, water restrictors on shower heads and energy-saving lightbulbs.
Solar panels have been fitted on the roof at Highwater House, and the charity’s hostel on Dibden Road has movement reaction lights in communal areas.
Most concerning is the impact on individuals as they leave St Martins’ services.
Homelessness reduction officer Kelly Seed said: “People are concerned. Usually when someone moves out of temporary accommodation into their own place, they are so excited about the new chapter in their life, but the overwhelming feeling now is of anxiety.
“They are asking ‘How am I going to pay the bills?’ Their monthly income, whether from benefits or employment, might just about cover their bills but leaves little or no money for food.”

Good money management
Learning to budget is an important life skill. A grant from Hopestead has funded tenancy courses, which cover key areas such as personal money management, as well as rights and responsibilities as a tenant.
Support workers provide assistance for people to claim the correct benefits and support them to set up bank accounts. Paperwork and automated phonelines can be challenging at the best of times, but when someone is suffering with poor mental health or struggling with literacy skills, this can be a further barrier to paying their bills in time and avoiding rent arrears.
This should be addressed at government level rather than the charity sector picking up the pieces as the default position. There is an acute need for more affordable housing, and the lack of suitable move-on accommodation remains one of St Martins’ biggest challenges.

For more information about St Martins, view the 50th anniversary supplement.