Our response to the cost of living crisis

This Giving Tuesday, we’re reflecting on the current cost of living crisis that is affecting so many of the people and communities we work with, and on our role in supporting communities through it.

We are a place-based charity, so everything we do is about making Oxford a better place for everyone who lives here. We focus on tackling inequality around education, health and opportunity. We do this through volunteering programmes, which include one-to-one English language support for Oxford residents who don’t have English as their first language, and getting Oxford University students tutoring local children who are at risk of not achieving their potential. We also collaborate with residents, local authorities and agencies in disadvantaged areas of Oxford to bring about positive change — for example, working with local parents and professionals to make sure the early help system is meeting the needs of families.

We played a key role in coordinating the community response to the covid-19 pandemic in Oxford. Through that work, we learned a lot about crisis response, and the importance of resilience. The best responses to crises are those that are led and delivered by people within the community. Local people know what’s needed, what will work in their community, and how to mobilise people and resources to make a difference — which means that their solutions are more appropriate, more sustainable, more efficient — and ultimately more effective.

That’s why our work focuses on supporting local communities to tackle challenges themselves. We work with people in areas of Oxford experiencing some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country. We facilitate community-led solutions by supporting local people to develop the skills and confidence, make connections, and access the resources to put their ideas into action. Some of these projects address the cost of living crisis directly — for example, through our Parent Power programme, we supported parents to set up and run a food bank at their children’s school. Other projects and programmes tackle other challenges and inequalities beyond everyday survival — for example around health and access to education and training opportunities. We do this work as part of a wider network of great organisations in the Oxford community who are tackling the everyday challenges of the cost of living crisis, like food and energy poverty (including Oxford Mutual Aid, the OX4 Food Crew, Oxford Community Action, and many others).

At Oxford Hub, we are not changing what we do to face the cost of living crisis — because the crisis makes what we do even more important. More than ever, we need resilient communities where people have the tools to work together to make things better. The cost of living crisis will be experienced most acutely by communities already facing disadvantage — so tackling inequality remains a key priority. And in the face of a bleak winter to come, people need hope — something that we can nurture by providing opportunities and support for people to realise their own power to bring about change, whether that’s setting up a friendly peer support group, building a campaign to make the local leisure centre more accessible, or improving their family’s health by experiencing the joy of cycling through puddles together.

As it’s Giving Tuesday, we wanted to take a moment to…

• thank our amazing members for everything that you’re already contributing to building a better Oxford
• recognise our brilliant colleagues and partner organisations across the city who are working on the frontline of the cost of living crisis
• and, if you’re not already involved, to invite you to be part of what we do.