{"id":1361,"date":"2023-11-30T11:34:25","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T11:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cymorthcymru.org.uk\/passion-and-determination-will-only-get-you-so-far-the-sector-needs-funding\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T12:34:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T12:34:59","slug":"passion-and-determination-will-only-get-you-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cymorthcymru.org.uk\/cy\/passion-and-determination-will-only-get-you-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion and determination will only get you so far: The sector needs funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have been Director at Cymorth Cymru since 2016, and the passion, dedication and creativity of our members has never failed to amaze me. It\u2019s an understatement to say that times have been challenging for the homelessness and housing support sector in the last decade, but services have always responded with grit, courage and determination, finding a way to ensure that people get the high-quality support they need.<\/span><\/h4>\n

But passion, grit, courage and determination can only get you so far. I speak to people every day who have worked in the housing support sector for ten, twenty, sometimes thirty years and they are all saying the same thing – what they\u2019re currently trying to navigate is more difficult than anything they have previously faced. Years of austerity have stripped services to the bone and the COVID-19 pandemic plus huge rises in inflation and the recent cost of living crisis has compounded this further. There is simply nothing left to give.<\/p>\n

In the summer, First Minister Mark Drakeford said that Wales is facing its worst financial situation since the start of devolution. Climate Change Minister Julie James has told us that she is arguing passionately around the Cabinet table for investment in homelessness services, but Ministers are facing incredibly difficult decisions. Our message is that failure to invest in the Housing Support Grant will lead to service collapse, and this will not only be felt by housing, but also health, social care and criminal justice.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t rhetoric, this is reality. In September we collected data from our members about the impact of this year\u2019s cash-flat Housing Support Grant budget and what this has meant for their services. The results are stark.<\/p>\n

The challenges facing services<\/h3>\n

The data shows that along with a rise in demand for services and greater complexity of support needs, costs have increased by an average of 11%. This has resulted in 75% of providers reporting that they are running services at a deficit and 52% are subsidising services this using their own reserves. Given the limited reserves that charities have, this is without question completely unsustainable.<\/p>\n

Our survey of members also looked at the likely impact of two scenarios:<\/p>\n