Registered Charity 1161459
fuelbanks and families
We are a charity set up to help families with children living in Wandsworth who are struggling to pay their fuel bills. Families come to us through local foodbank centres. Many are unable to cook the food they collect or heat their homes. We want to change this.
66% of children growing up in poverty live in a family where at least one member works. Work does not provide a guaranteed route out of poverty.
Most of our families use prepaid meters. This helps to reduce the accumulation of debt but also leaves them facing higher energy costs than any other tariff. Prepayment meters also mean that families in financial crisis have no choice but to cut themselves off from energy usage. This can leave families without energy to heat water, cook food, put on their lights or even contact someone in an emergency.
Meters can also be used to cover arrears. This means that if a family has arrears on its meter and manages to top it up, the arrears are reduced, but the family is once again left without fuel.
How we help
Always with warmth, consideration and respect. We deliver immediate practical solutions to local families struggling with the challenges of poverty.
Relief
- We can repay debt on prepayment meters
- Credit on prepayment meters
- Power provisions for families, to enable them to cook food and heat their homes
Advice
- Specialist debt, benefits and housing support and advice
- Partner: Centre 70
Family Support Fund
- For children's educational needs (books, desks, school uniforms, school shoes, winter jackets...)
- To cover training costs for parents to advance employment opportunities
- Contact us for more information
There were 3.9 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2014-15. That’s 28 per cent of children, or 9 in a classroom of 30.
A fifth (21%) of people in working families in London are in poverty, higher than the rest of England and London a decade ago.
Fuel Poverty - Get Involved
We are looking for dedicated volunteers to help families in food and fuel crisis. You would be working alongside families who need support and gathering information to determine if they need immediate credit on a prepayment meter.
Contact us if you would like to get involved.
Please help, each and every penny you donate to this charity will go directly to the families that need it (We pay for ALL our own costs to make this happen).
