Somerset Crisis Fund

Our Agents work with people who find themselves in situations no-one should be in – without food, heating, basic essentials or at a life-changing moment in their lives, but poverty is preventing them from moving forward.

People in crisis.

The Crisis Fund allows agents to access funds to pay for things to get people OUT of crisis & help make their lives instantly better. This is NOT cash donations given to individuals.

We are in desperate need of funds for the Crisis Fund as the unprecedented demand during and after the pandemic has depleted the resource. Please donate – every £ helps!

Donate to the cause

The Somerset Crisis Fund helps people in need, and makes a real difference to lives.

There are many ways you can donate:

Text CRISIS to 70580 to donate £10 Click HERE to donate to the Somerset Crisis Fund via Local Giving Click HERE to donate while you shop on Amazon – link your account to Amazon Smile! Click HERE to sign up to the West Somerset Lottery – every ticket you buy donates to us!

Alternatively, you can donate to specific Somerset Districts:

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How have we helped?

Here are just a few examples of how our agents have helped people with the crisis fund

Crisis Fund Example 1

A young man hadn’t eaten in three days & couldn’t afford the bus fare to a job interview 20 miles away. Our Agents were able (with the crisis fund) to provide basic nourishment & buy him a bus ticket. He got the job, and was able to apply for social housing nearby.

Crisis Fund Example 2

A young father with severe mobility issues had been confined to the downstairs of his home and had been sleeping in a chair in his living room for over 6 months as his stair lift was broken. In all this time he had been unable to access the shower, take part in his very young children’s bedtime routine, or sleep upstairs with his wife and this had put a real strain on their relationship. Using the crisis fund, our agent was able to arrange for the stair lift to be repaired and assist in setting up a service plan for future repairs which transformed his and his family’s life.

Crisis Fund Example 3

A young couple, unemployment due to severe ill-health, had been unable to afford oil and so had no heating during a bitterly cold winter, meaning their young baby had to stay with the grandparents due to the freezing conditions in the home. The Village Agent used the crisis fund helped pay for the oil tank to be filled up and enabled the family to be reunited with their young baby in time for Christmas.

Other examples of how the Crisis Fund has been used:

  • To buy 2 mattress protectors for a carer who was supporting their loved one with nighttime incontinence
  • To support a family with funeral costs after their teenage son died in a road accident
  • To buy children’s clothes for a family who had recently lost Dad to cancer
  • To buy half a tank of oil for a lady with a chronic health condition who was struggling to heat her home
  • Paying to PAT test and move a donated Fridge Freezer to a family in need
  • To buy a washing machine for a carer who is struggling to keep up with washing demands
  • To buy food and drink for a client who had been struggling to get shopping during the lockdown. The Agent went shopping for the client to ensure she could eat and drink until the food bank was open