KATE'S KITCHEN 

To enable them to continue to offer free hot nutritious meals twice per week; food parcels and one to one support to vulnerable and isolated individuals/families. They will support 150 individuals.

Detailed description not provided.

This group will use the funding to continue providing support, social activities, and food for vulnerable and isolated individuals in the Annandale & Eskdale to help reduce social isolation and ....more

This group will use the funding to continue providing support, social activities, and food for vulnerable and isolated individuals in the Annandale & Eskdale to help reduce social isolation and support people to take back control of their lives. Over the next three years, the project will work with 600 people, supported by 60 volunteers.

the organisation's running costs

WHAT/HOW/WHO Since the inception of Universal Credit (UC) in Dumfries and Galloway in May this year, we have saw a huge increase in numbers of service users coming to Kate's Kitchen for support in ....more

WHAT/HOW/WHO Since the inception of Universal Credit (UC) in Dumfries and Galloway in May this year, we have saw a huge increase in numbers of service users coming to Kate's Kitchen for support in accessing their benefits online and meeting the job centre requirements to ensure receipt of their Universal Credit benefit. Evidence from Citizens Advice Service (CAS) network and elsewhere indicates the incidence of rent arrears to be far higher amongst tenants receiving Universal Credit. Housing Associations across the UK report that 73% of tenants on Universal Credit are in arrears, compared to 29% of others. CAS recommendations for action to help reduce the problem include "action to fix issues associated with UC". We at Kate's Kitchen aim to provide a new service "Positive Transitions" to address the difficulties our service user's experience when applying for Universal Credit. On attending job centre appointments individuals are being told they need to apply online for their Universal Credit benefit. Service User's tell us the Job Centre are unable to help them to apply. This fills our service user's with dread and come to Kate's Kitchen for support. Currently our 2 part-time support workers deliver sessions on the floor with regards to benefits, debt and housing advice. They also attend appointments with service user's. However the implementation of Universal Credit is new to us all and we will employ a part-time support worker with Universal Credit experience 12 hours per week to:- * Deliver one to one sessions with service users in Annan to support them in making applications on Tuesdays and Thursdays our service days. * Deliver same sessions in our Outreach areas as required * Deliver "Making Digital Universal Credit Application" training sessions There are many aspects involved in making successful applications for Universal Credit which involves initial applications, uploading documents and essential information and adhering to job centre's commitments. We at Kate's Kitchen have a computer suite of 6 laptops which we will use for this project. The new support worker will take the sessions upstairs in our computer suite in order to give individual time and the ability to concentrate on the applications. We will offer this new service to our own service user's but also the wider community of Annan and our outreach service areas within Annandale and Eskdale. These being Langholm, Gretna, Moffat, Beattock, Lockerbie and Ecclefechan. Every Tuesday and Thursday our service days our new support worker will be available in the computer suite to support service user's in applying and adhering to their job centre commitments. We will also advertise the service locally in Annan and anyone will be able to make an appointment for support. We will do this in partnership with our local citizen's advice service and local job centre. We have always had a close working relationship with both and look forward to further partnership working when both organisations will refer eligible individuals to us. We have a very good relationship with both organisations and meet regularly to review mutual clients. WHY / WHERE The idea for this project has come from our service users who are now being asked to apply online. Our current support worker brought to light that more and more individuals are coming from job centre and citizen's advice asking for support to apply online. Online will be the only way individuals can make a claim and this will be the only way claimants can contact the DWP. Lack of understanding of the benefit, lack of internet access and the claimants lack of knowledge "online" makes our service users vulnerable to sanctions or worse, their claim is closed. Our service users need ongoing support not only with the initial claim. They are also required to upload sick lines and other documents to provide evidence as requested to enable them to receive their benefit payments. Due to claimants having to wait around 6 weeks before their first payment of universal credit, they may also need assistance to claim an "advanced payment" due to financial hardship. However, this is a loan which needs to be repaid, usually by deducting the agreed repayment amount from subsequent payments. This has an ongoing effect on budgeting. Our new service will address welfare reform as we seek to make a huge impact in tackling benefit issues, sanctioning and benefit delays, by supporting individuals facing crisis to learn skills to enable them to comply with the Job Centre Plus's criteria. This will alleviate poverty and social inequality and promote social inclusion. Our database monitoring system also evidences the need for such a project. Indeed, in the last year our support sessions have doubled to 360. Unemployment in Annan is at its worst. The shock decision in June this year to close Young's Seafood Pinney's of Annan has meant the loss of 450 jobs, meaning more and more families using our services. Our food parcel distribution numbers have already doubled this year and we expect it to increase further as people await their benefits. Some employees were on zero hour contracts meaning they have to wait at least 6 weeks until they receive any benefits. Many intergenerational families worked here for years. According to the 2016 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, Annan is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the region of Dumfries and Galloway ranked at 2687 in the lowest 50% for rural areas. It also came 900th for deprivation out of the 6000 places in Scotland that were analysed. The results are based on levels of employment, health, income, education, housing, crime as well as geographical access. Many households are facing deep seated poverty and deprivation. Coupled with the rural challenges we face, contributes significantly to the number of families and individuals suffering poverty. 22.7% of the people in our region who are income deprived live in Annan. However, Kate's Kitchen services go some way in addressing these problems including our hot food service, our support sessions and our foodbank. The proposed new service "Positive Transitions" will compliment what we are already providing in addressing welfare reform allowing our service users to grow in confidence in using computers to meet their job centre commitments relating to Universal Credit. This is a unique project and no other similar service exists. In the project year we will:- * Support 50 service users to access their benefit entitlements * Deliver 12 Digital Universal Credit Awareness training sessions * Improve confidence and self-esteem of 50 service users * Reduce isolation and feelings of hopelessness of 50 individuals Many of our service user's suffer extreme depression and anxiety about applying for benefits and one individual recently told us "If it hadn't been for my support worker at Kate's Kitchen I think I'd not be here today". One other service user told me "they wouldn't accept birth certificates as evidence of my 3 children only Kirsty my worker was able to tell me what I needed to do". Evidence from our database and what people are telling us evidences the need for this project. Having received Anti-Poverty funding this year Kate's Kitchen is now delivering Pop-Up Kitchens through its Outreach Project. This means we are able to engage with service user's in more rural areas in Annandale and Eskdale. Transport is few and far between many of the outlying local areas. Service users are in both food and fuel poverty and being able to access our Outreach services at the Pop-Up's is invaluable to them. We will also deliver the Universal Credit Support to our service users in these hard to reach outlying rural areas. Part of the new worker's role will be to engage with people in rural areas to support them in accessing Universal Credit. We are working closely with our partners who are providing the venues for our Outreach Project free of charge. These include to date Langholm Parish Church Hall, Gretna Scout Hall, Lockerbie and Moffat Town Halls and Ecclefechan Village Hall. If successful, the CCRF funding will allow us to increase our capacity to deal with the current issues people are facing due to the impact of Welfare Reform, causing income, fuel and food poverty and feelings of hopelessness. The ultimate aim of the project is to ensure service users can successfully access Universal Credit online, thus enabling them to become more resilient and take control of their own lives. They will make the transition from being digitally challenged to digital inclusion opening up a whole new world. They will also address their benefits issues and have peace of mind and no longer a fear of poverty.

This group based in Annan will expand their gardening project, and increase the amount of fruit and vegetables they distribute.

Kates Kitchen is a unique project in the Dumfries and Galloway region, local officials say there is nothing else like it in the region, because we combine the provision of free hot food in our unique ....more

Kates Kitchen is a unique project in the Dumfries and Galloway region, local officials say there is nothing else like it in the region, because we combine the provision of free hot food in our unique cafe, with the 'support work' element of the project. Whilst people are receiving a hot meal the support worker gets along side then and finds out how they came to be in the position they are in, with a friendly informal manner. From this the client has the choice to receive support to tackle issues they face or they can come back to the worker in their own time if they choose to do so. In addition clients are encouraged to volunteer and take part in training, increasing their choices and chances of life, their confidence and esteem and reduces isolation. At present our part time worker is overwhelmed with the demand for her attention and we would like to increase our opening days from 3 to 5 and employ a support worker for a further 2 days. In addition we are working to encouraging clients to be part of the menu planning, food sourcing, budgeting and preparation of the food we offer. This in turn enables choice, dignity and learning of new skills building confidence and a sense of value which in turn will be transferable to life and work. With the increased hours of support we can offer we believe we can continue to make significant change in the lives of those who are suffering from the negative effects of welfare reform and support them to meet the requirements of form filling, online recording and job search as well as moving forward to more positive destinations and out of crisis and taking back the control of their lives.

This funding will be used to secure and develop the group's work over the next three years. It will support people in their recovery from a range of issues such as depression and loneliness helping ....more

This funding will be used to secure and develop the group's work over the next three years. It will support people in their recovery from a range of issues such as depression and loneliness helping them to take back control of their lives. People will also be able to access a free healthy hot meal three days per week whilst accessing support.

the organisation's running costs