- info@meath.org.uk
- 01483 415095
As the cost of living and fuel crisis become a permanent feature in national newspaper headlines, Lee Bennett, CEO explains what these concerning issues mean for the charity.
“I know that so many of our families and supporters will be keen to know that, our Fundraising, Finance and Maintenance teams in particular have been very busy behind the scenes as a direct response to the cost of living crisis. I hope that by sharing the work we are doing to mitigate against the challenges we are facing, you will feel assured that we are doing all that we can and equally that you can see how your support can make a genuine difference to us all at The Meath”.
As you may already be aware, we work hard to raise vital fundraised income to bridge the gap between what is received in statutory funding and what we require to maintain the quality of life that the vulnerable people we support deserve. This funding gap was previously a concerning £700,000 and the gap is now widening due to the increased cost of living. The Meath is facing a very serious escalation in costs expected to be an additional £600,000, which is made up principally as follows:
How Is This Affecting The Meath?
Our dedicated and committed care staff are facing a serious impact on their already stretched living standards. To help support front line staff through a period of increased cost of living and also improve staff recruitment and retention, we have issued a second pay increase to many front-line staff at The Meath, without additional statutory funding support.
How Are We Helping Ourselves?
We are taking measures to ensure that we run The Meath as fuel efficiently as possible, this will however only marginally mitigate against the spiralling cost of living.
We have a Fundraising Team whose role it is to raise voluntary income from Trusts, Foundations, individual donors, community supporters and from fundraising events. They do this to help us cover the non-statutory costs incurred by The Meath. It costs £7.7m per annum to keep The Meath operational which equates to over £20k per day. We receive funding of £7m from care packages which should cover the cost of care, housing, food and heating. While the cost of living rises and care packages remain at the same level, it is a harsh reality that fundraising is needed to bridge the increasing gap if we are to maintain the level of service on offer for the people we support.
The people we support have much to contend with, in addition to living with complex epilepsy and associated disabilities, many residents live with chronic pain and degenerative conditions. The Meath believes that everyone deserves to fulfil their potential, to stay as physically mobile and mentally agile as possible, to minimise pain and maximise independence. We are therefore committed to providing the very best possible care and quality of life for the people we support.
What Can You Do To Help?
