Having a place to call home, which is warm and with readily available food, is something many of us take for granted. Yet for the most vulnerable in our county this may be unaffordable. Food insecurity, keeping warm and having stable housing continue to be a huge challenge for some Oxfordshire residents.

We are dedicated to raising awareness and funds around this issue. Could you or your business join us in stepping up to this challenge?

Although the cost-of-living crisis has eased for some, the lack of affordability of other essentials such as fuel and food is still affecting many households, adding to the squeeze on household finances. Energy bills are expected to increase by 9% in October 2024 (BBC News, 2024), whilst alongside this Oxford residents spend even more of their income on rent than those in London. Those on the lowest incomes are also burdened with historic debt, eating into savings and putting them at risk of homelessness, affecting children and families.

The Living Essentials Fund will make grants to grassroots charitable organisations working to help the most disadvantaged in our county who are struggling to afford the basics for living a stable and safe life. We will fund charitable organisations that are helping people with unaffordable essentials such as homelessness, food insecurity and warmth as well as debt advice. Work to be funded will deliver one or more of these outcomes:

• Preventative solutions that help individuals build financial stability
• Support for community resilience, including mitigating summer heat or autumn/winter cold
• Basic services for those in crisis to prevent them slipping into greater need
• Schemes that improve home comfort and efficiency and address housing insecurity.

The grants round opened in September 2024 and is now closed, having received around £400k in applications. Grants will be made in December 2024 to support charitable groups through the critical winter months.

Grants to these organisations will deliver help where it is needed most, supporting the smallest charities to continue their critical work. OCF believes that by investing in the smallest organisations, many of which are run by volunteers and have no capacity for their own fundraising, we will be making the biggest impact with the funds we have available.

Our generous donors and other funding partners are stepping up to support this fund. By working in partnership and pooling funds we are able to have a bigger impact together.

Our ambition is now to raise £400,000 in total to meet the demand we know is there for this funding.