Cost of Living Support Days

In response to our latest round of community consultation, GL11 Community Hub has launched a weekly Cost of Living Support Day. Every Wednesday, our Café is open 10am - 7pm. A warm space with £1 hot food all day, alongside support services, such as the food bank, debt, benefit or housing advice, employment support, digital access and wellbeing services. 

The GL11 area is the part of our District most affected by economic deprivation and the poorest health outcomes. 

As part of our ongoing Food Bank work we have also opened a Food Pantry. This new Community Pantry is open every Wednesday as part of our Cost of Living Support Day, and a £4 membership gives over £15 basket of food and toiletries. Evidence from similar Food Pantries shows the small payment helps overcome the barrier some people feel in seeking help with food poverty, who won't take a hand-out for whatever reason. 

But our ambition is to go much further.  

#WarmGL11 is the collective name of a support group, coordinated by GL11 Community Hub, who are joining together to help coordinate a community response to the Cost of Living Crisis in our area. The NHS, local churches, voluntary organisations, and representatives from parish councils are all taking part. 

 

An estimated 40% of households in Stroud District will find themselves in poverty this winter, including many who are in work but struggling. The aim of #WarmGL11 is to make sure that there are warm spaces in our communities, which are open every day of the week for people to access warmth, free or low-cost food, and get access to help and advice, across Cam & Dursley and the local villages, including Berkeley Vale, Sharpness and Wotton-under-Edge.
 
As many of these venues as possible will open to 7pm, to provide support to those in work but struggling.