Manchester based charity aims to break financial taboos following grant from Independent Age
A closer look at the Wai Yin Society, and how they have used a £40,000 grant from Independent Age’s Cost-of-living Grants Fund to increase support for older people struggling with the cost of living.
Wai Yin Society was founded in 1988 to help Chinese women in the Manchester area, and over the years has expanded its support over 1000 men and women in Manchester’s wider ethnically diverse communities. Now they are helping to break the taboo and stigma of talking about poverty in Chinese culture.
Wai Yin was one of the 50 UK charities and community organisations to receive £40,000 from Independent Age as part of a Cost-of-living Grants Fund in 2022. The money came at a crucial time for the charity, which had lost other funding sources during the cost of living crisis. With the grant, Wai Yin has been able to increase the financial advice it offers older people struggling to make ends meet, helping them boost their income and save money on bills. In the UK, more than two million older people live below the poverty line, and at least one million more live with precarious finances.
The importance of this work has been highlighted in a recent YouGov poll, commissioned by Independent Age, showing the difficulties older people experience when having money problems. One in three (34%) older people in Manchester say the biggest barrier to seeking financial support from their family or friends is pride and a taboo around talking about money. The problem is made harder by the fact that many of the people supported by Wai Yin speak little English, if any. Therefore, being able to communicate fears over the complexities of the benefits system in their own language is extremely valuable.
Circle Steele, Chief Executive of Wai Yin Society, said this unwillingness to discuss finances was particularly prevalent in Chinese culture, and that there is a ‘cultural reluctance’ amongst many East Asia communities to admit they are living in poverty. To reach as many struggling older people as possible, Wai Yin calls its food parcels ‘lucky bags’ to reduce the stigma of receiving them.
Circle Steele, Chief Executive officer, Wai Yin, said:
“We are so thankful for the Independent Age grant. When we saw reduced funding we knew it would greatly affect people in our area. The cultural taboo of refusing to admit when bills cannot be paid or food bought makes it harder to provide the support, and we must help those who need us to trust us.
“Having more support staff changes the way we work for the better, and my future hopes for the charity now include more diverse resources and a belief that our clients won’t be afraid to share their issues or be reluctant to ask us for help.”
Dan Ellitts, Grants Consultant at Independent Age, said:
“We are incredibly proud to work with and fund some of the vital work Wai Yin Society has been doing as part of our Emergency Cost of Living Grants Fund. The cost of living crisis is having a devastating impact on many older people, pushing more older people into financial hardship and making life unbearable.
“Since its inception 35 years ago, Wai Yin has made an enormous impact on those facing financial hardship in Manchester, firstly with the Chinese community before it expanded its focus to help those in the ethnically diverse community as well. We hope that the grant empowers them to continue the great work they have been doing since the late 1980s.”
