The grant will be used to support the charity’s £15+ project which aims to build the financial resilience and improve the wellbeing of people living in the city. The project has a simple core objective, to improve the finances of beneficiaries by a minimum of £15 a week. It will provide wide ranging support to empower people to transform their lives, with a strong focus on with hard-to-reach groups who have historically struggled to access mainstream support services.
Participants in the project will be offered a personalised package of support including income maximisation checks, help to claim eligible benefits, debt management and budgeting. They will also be given guidance on switching utilities, and how to access energy efficiency measures and grants for home insulation and energy discount schemes. Coaching will be provided to help people change their attitudes towards money and improve financial literacy. The project will also offer employability support with opportunities to develop skills through work placements and volunteering to get people into paid work.
Sharon McAsey, Project Manager at the Zinthiya Trust said: There are significant areas of deprivation in Leicester, social mobility rates in the city are the sixth worst in the UK and 39% of children are living in poverty. There is also a large population of people for whom English is not their first language; they struggle to access mainstream services and are being left behind creating massive inequality in our community.
Our experience has shown that everyone experiences poverty differently; whether it’s due to family pressures, physical and mental health problems, domestic abuse, a reliance on benefits or working on low income. One dimensional solutions are not effective and an intensive, holistic approach is required to ensure the poorest in our community do not fall even further behind financially.
The £15+ project has a measurable, easy to understand goal which has proved extremely successful in pilot trials. It will help improve people’s financial literacy by equipping them with financial management skills that will last a lifetime. This increased knowledge will increase their ability to live independently and lead fulfilling lives, improve emotional wellbeing and reduce stress related problems. It will also help reduce isolation and ensure people are not excluded from society simply due to insufficient disposable income to attend an event or meet a friend for coffee.
Over the next 12 months, the grant funding from Cadent Foundation will enable the Zinthiya Trust to provide both online and in person support through referrals and a programme of drop-in sessions and group events at locations across the city.
Sharon added: We are extremely grateful to the Cadent Foundation for this generous grant. It will allow us to help people in some of Leicester’s most deprived communities transform their lives.
Julia Dwyer, Director of the Cadent Foundation, said: This is a wonderful initiative focused on tackling challenges with practical solutions. We’re delighted to be able to support the Zinthiya Trust to help people in vulnerable situations become financially stronger and more resilient in the longer term – giving them the opportunity to take back control of their lives.
The aim of the Cadent Foundation is to create meaningful change and this project fits the bill perfectly. Not only will it directly benefit those taking part, the results will also have a positive impact on local support services and the wider community in Leicester.
