A Surviving Winter grant of £200, distributed through our partners at Citizens Advice East Dorset and Purbeck, enables people living in fuel poverty to switch the heating on during cold weather.
It can also be used to buy smaller items to help vulnerable people keep warm.
Energy Team Manager Dan Fancy said the people he and his team advise are often suffering health conditions and trapped in a spiral of debt caused by rising prices. “People choosing between heating and eating is actually a lot more common than you’d think,” he said.
“The poverty we see in Dorset in this day and age is quite shocking. We’ve got people who are not eating and staying in freezing cold homes that are having an adverse effect on their physical health, let alone their mental health.”
It’s not uncommon to speak to clients at the end of their tether, including in extreme cases, having suicidal thoughts
He said he and his team talk to people worn down by the stress of not being able to afford their heating and being chased for multiple debts. “It’s the not knowing where your next week’s food is going to come from and wondering whether your benefit money will immediately be taken out by a bill,” he said. “The stress of it all, combined with physical toll it’s taking, is heart-breaking.
“It’s not uncommon to speak to clients at the end of their tether, including in extreme cases, having suicidal thoughts.”
The £200 Surviving Winter grant helps alleviate the stress, said Dan. “It’s the difference between putting the heating on over winter or not for quite a lot of people,” he said.
“When we explain to people about the extra support via the Surviving Winter Grant you can hear the relief in their voices. Suddenly they can then start focusing on other issues, so it makes a massive difference.”