Response to the cost of living crisis

As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, many of the people we serve are facing increasingly impossible choices, between food, heating, and basic essentials. AMURT UK is responding with practical, compassionate support that goes beyond meals.

In addition to serving hot, nutritious food every week, we’ve created a specialist team of trained volunteers to provide a signposting service at our meal distributions. This service connects individuals to further support with benefits, housing, healthcare, immigration, and legal advice, ensuring that no one feels alone in navigating complex systems.

In 2025 we refined our signposting model, concentrating sessions at our Salvation Army Warm Space Hub in Lower Clapton where demand was strongest and most consistent – a vital lifeline for those navigating extreme hardship. This resulted in 56 focused sessions supporting 183 service users which is more than in 2024, despite fewer sessions, demonstrating the value of a more targeted approach.

We also collaborate closely with two specialist health centres, Greenhouse GP Surgery and Health E1, which provide medical care for the homeless and vulnerable, as well as support with housing and benefits.

For those sleeping rough or struggling to heat their homes, the winter months are especially brutal. In response, we’ve distributed vital cold-weather gear to help people stay safe and warm.

In 2025, we provided:

• * 311 winter clothes items
• * 34 sleeping bags

Thanks to the generosity of Wrap-Up London and other partners, these essential items reached those most at risk of hypothermia and exposure.

At AMURT UK, we believe that meeting immediate needs must be paired with longer-term support, dignity, and human connection. Together, we’re building a stronger safety net – one warm meal, one conversation, one act of kindness at a time.