Redefining ‘the most vulnerable’ and the power of community connections
In the weeks before Christmas, our team carried out 47 interviews with individuals in our first 2 locations (Neath, South Wales and Nelson, Lancashire). In synthesising our learnings, we have already started to identify themes — here are some of our thoughts around the impacts of community connectedness and a new definition of vulnerability.
Time and time again we were hearing polarising perspectives from people in the same small town. Those who beamed with pride about community initiatives and the strengths of the people within them, and those who repeatedly told us there was ‘no hope’.
Exploring why led us to the following themes:
Being connected and valued within support networks brings awareness and optimism
It may not surprise you to hear that how connected you are within your community can create very different/disparate experiences of the community. Being connected and valued in these local support networks seems to bring two main things: awareness of local opportunities and optimism for the future.
It’s clear that one of the best ways to know about what’s going on and available in your community, is to be an active part of it. As we asked a number of interviewees about their town, they started to beam and gush about all of the incredible networks, opportunities and support groups available for people in the town. We regularly heard ‘there is something for everyone’. We explored how people find out about all these different networks, and ‘word of mouth’ was shared unanimously. This is not the first time we’ve heard this — (see our earlier blog on word of mouth from the support line discovery). It appears that without these initial contacts there are very few opportunities to uncover the breadth of the local support networks available.
“I’m not sure where people would go to in the community without contacts” — Local food cooperative organiser
We spoke to an NHS psychologist based in a Nelson practice, whose role is to offer support in mild to medium mental health challenges and signpost individuals towards support and activities in the community. When starting her role, she identified the gatekeepers to the community and, in a cascade of conversations, was referred to more and more in the community. This seems like a logical approach, using local knowledge, but it also seems to be one of the only reliable ways to understand what’s current and available locally and is common across both towns.
It was those same connected individuals who looked upon their town with shining optimism.
It’s not that they couldn’t see the challenges locally, but they felt empowered and motivated to create that change, and trusted that growth was happening. What’s interesting about this is not only how impactful feeling heard and part of the community networks can be, but also what doors that opens for you in times of need.
So, what happens when you don’t have those existing relationships and connections built?
If you don’t know… you really don’t know…
Our conversations have made it clear that when in need, people turn to a trusted voice. And what counts as that trusted voice? For some it was a family member as we were told by a gentleman who turned to his sister for advice on cash assistance at the beginning of the pandemic, for others its local organisations. But regardless who it is, if you don’t know who or where to reach out to first, then you have little hope of navigating the sometimes tangled and opaque pathway to assistance.
In contrast to the pride and optimism shared above, we were often told within the same town that there are no services or community opportunities at all. The people we heard this from were those who didn’t report to be part of any local groups and whose social network was more insular. It was clear that the local opportunities are there, but finding out about them isn’t easy if you don’t know the right people. Without this link into the wider community, not only do you not know what’s available to you, but you also don’t know where to start in accessing it which can be frustrating, undignified and lonely.
Redefining the most vulnerable
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, if I were to ask you to describe to me demographics of individuals you consider to be more vulnerable you may have described those with complex health conditions those on low or unstable income, those who are digitally excluded perhaps? Exploring the towns of Neath and Nelson has highlighted another group of individuals who are experiencing extreme hardship at the moment. It’s a category you may not have considered.
This is an entirely new group of people in crisis who have never needed support and now don’t know where to turn to. These may be individuals who have lived comfortably and happily within their social networks, could even potentially be categorised as middle class. People whose life pre-march 2020 was significantly less intertwined with the community due to commitments at work and with family. These are individuals and families who often don’t meet the outlined criteria for people in need of support, and because of this, also aren’t on lists of outreach organisations.
I’ll walk you through the example of ‘free school meals’ which was highlighted to us in Nelson. We have regularly seen the challenges of free school meals discussed in the headlines for the past 12 months, but what interviewees explained to us was that, whilst the initiative plays a crucial part in supporting families who were already eligible, there’s another group of children going hungry without help. These are families who are having to stay home for weeks at a time due to Covid-19 exposures at school. Where parents are unable to work from home, employers are unable to pay full wages for time off. This leads to families having multiple weeks without income, adding significant pressure and making it difficult to meet the family’s basic needs. The person we were discussing this with was unaware of anywhere else that could support her and simply stated frustration at how the service is being seen as a ‘saviour,’ when many more children are going hungry who fall through the eligibility net.
This poses the questions of how do we support these individuals and families? It’s unlikely they’ve had to navigate support from groups or charities before, and its less likely that their trusted support networks have had to either. So how do they find out who can support them? The council website has been mentioned a few times…but these individuals are less likely to make it through the criteria that funding and charity organisations have to distribute resources in the best way possible. Our research so far echoes stories we heard during our support line discovery clearly showing that there is a new category or persona of individuals who needs to be considered. Their lack of knowledge, familiarity with support services, and limited eligibility could make them just as vulnerable as the traditionally ‘vulnerable’ groups.
It leaves us asking how could all individuals have, at a minimum, a trusted starting point when seeking support? How could we increase awareness of community opportunities across all people in a local area, not only those who are ‘traditionally’ vulnerable to ensure there is support for everyone in need of a hand?
