Spotlight session NGN Centres for Warmth Programme (VCMA)
Centres for Warmth Development:
Previous stakeholder feedback had told us the following:
- Urgency of Cost-of-Living crisis – need to support customers in the here and now (Citizens Panel)
- Not just a sticking plaster but enduring support to break the cycle and avoid reliance on short term/crisis support (Citizens Panel)
- Concerns for the affordability of energy bills (Customer Perceptions research)
- More quality time is required with clients – must be a trusted source (CIVS workshop – Meeting demand, capacity and resilience)
Using these insights, we adopted Cadent's 'Centres for Warmth' (CFW) model, which was already tried and tested throughout their four networks (150+ centres opened). The centres provide a raft of services, tailored carefully to meet the specific needs of the local community, in a warm, safe space. The CFW model differs from the Warm Hubs model and focuses on providing immediate support to communities with crisis support needs in urban areas, and where deprivation levels are consistently high.
NGN’s Centre for Warmth concept was developed to enable community organisations to continue to do what they do best, in the heart of their communities. An established centre will act as a conduit for vulnerable people, to engage with trusted intermediaries i.e. this cohort may not go elsewhere, nor know how to access services which may benefit them.
It will ensure a holistic structured approach, tackling an immediate need to support fuel poor households, within a community setting. Centre users benefit from a combination of services, unique to the individual community, but all will include the following:
- Energy advice
- CO awareness and advice
- Income maximisation through benefit entitlement checks and managing debt
- Free or reduced cost food/clothing
- Fuel top up vouchers
- Links to other NGN funded partner information/assistance
In addition to the above, customers will be offered training, information, advice and services completely bespoke to their individual communities, as well as having access to a dedicated Centres for Warmth Co-ordinator
What we have done so far:
NGN have supported six centres to date within our network, with a vision to roll out further centres across our region by the end of GD2.
To identify the first six geographical locations, we used our social indicator / bespoke mapping to identify areas which were in numerous vulnerability categories. For the purposes of the first six, we omitted Cumbria and Northumberland, as there were two large ongoing projects in those areas at that time.
Committed spend to date:
The areas identified to focus on were:
Further online research was carried out in each identified area to highlight active community organisations and cross referenced with insights from our key stakeholders. We also looked to tie in where future planned maintenance works were being carried out by NGN.
Our first centre - Redcar Baptist Church Centre for Warmth:
Redcar town is made up of 6 wards, 4 of those sit within the bottom 10% on the government’s indices of multiple deprivation. The Baptist church sits within that area, so is well placed to act as a hub of support.
The needs in the town are complex and wide ranging, this combined with the limited resources and few charitable organisations operating in the town, means there is a huge gap to fill in terms of support:
- Fast ageing population
- Young people moving out of the town to find work opportunities which don’t exist locally
- High rates of suicide in the country per head of population
- ‘End Child Poverty Coalition’ research shows that the NE has the largest increase in child poverty (UK). 40% of children in Redcar/Cleveland classed as ‘growing up poor
- High asylum seeker and refugee communities to be housed
- Limited support for those arriving from traumatic situations
The centre is a warm welcoming place, safe environment for the local community to access. The services provided addressing local needs. Some of the services include:
- Redcar Community Grocery - (annual membership £5), residents can access this up to 5 times a week
- Range of courses, activities and clubs - MH first aid, job club, money management, budgeting, parent and toddler groups and asylum seeker drop ins etc.
- Common Ground Coffee Shop - Pay it Forward system, for those who are struggling to pay for food or drink, provide free soup in the warm space
- Bespoke focus – Elderly residents (isolation, food poverty) Children and families (growing up in poverty)
- The Welcome Project - helping asylum seekers and refugees build positive futures
With the VCMA funding that has been awarded to this centre, they are addressing their own local needs and can continue to support the local community and expand on existing services that are currently being delivered.
Next steps
We will follow a similar process as we did for the first six however, further utilise intelligence from Local Infrastructure Organisations (LIO’s), to assist with the identification of future centres. This will build a strategic partnership with LIO’s, who have strong links with their communities at a grass roots level.
We will use a slightly different, more robust mapping rationale and have broadened out the areas to the entire NGN region.
Mapping categories include:
- Fuel poverty
- Long term health conditions / disability
- % age 65+
- Median annual wages
- Benefits claimants
- % with no qualifications
Data has been considered from social indicator and bespoke mapping, which identified ranking for categories in the 26 geographical areas:
Plans for GD3
Our ambition is to continue rolling out the Centres for Warmth beyond GD2 and into GD3, subject to approval, and have therefore continued the planning of these in the Delivery Plan.
In GD2 we are targeting priority areas of deprivation first however, we know each of the 26 identified areas are large geographically and ideally, would benefit from multiple Centres for Warmth in each area.
These centres will ultimately make a real difference, become the eyes and ears of our entire network, which in turn will extend our reach into and knowledge of the communities we serve.
Each centre will be offered specific education, training, support and development opportunities and towards the end of their funding period, could take the opportunity to evolve into a Warm Hub. The aim is to have a centre that is set up to become sustainable and provide resilience and stability for the community.
