Last year our community was met with another challenge, the cost of living crisis, while still dealing with the impact of coronavirus.
We quickly provided a one-off fuel payment to our beneficiaries and paid additional cost of living grants. The benchmark (Joseph Rowntree) we use to assess financial circumstances increased by 18 – 26% and we increased our monthly grants payments in line with this. We also continue to provide holistic support to meet the needs of our community.
While mental health support made up the majority reason people came to us (up by 15% from the previous year), requests for financial support doubled in quarter four (compared to quarter three) and this is only expected to continue over the coming year.
Thank you for enabling us to continue to be here for people in need in the architectural community
Make a donationIncluding children, spouses and other dependants of beneficiaries.
individuals
are now financially independent because of our holistic support.
(plus their dependants) were given financial help during the year.
We funded
of therapy through Anxiety UK.
annual income by a total of £95,000
were provided with first step legal advice through Law Express
Student hardship fund pilot scheme
In 2022 we carried out a pilot financial assistance scheme: The ABS Student Hardship Fund aimed at reducing financial barriers for those who may be unable to complete their studies due to a sudden loss or reduction income. This was not based on educational or academic merit and intended to complement, rather than replace, existing funds available.
We were able to offer £12,400 to 12 students from 7 Universities across the UK.
We are currently evaluating this and hoping to continue offering it in the future.
Income & Expenditure:
Income totalling
Expenditure totalling
Direct financial help given:
Totalling £995,306
given in monthly grants
Regular monthly grants are given to help with living expenses.
given in one-off grants
These are one off payments given to cover essential costs.
