Right now, it’s easy to feel like whatever we do isn’t enough. It’s time to take a breath

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been keeping a keen eye on staff wellbeing. The virus and media and officials kept all of us mindful of protecting our physical health but it was pretty clear that if people’s financial wellbeing took a tumble, their mental wellness would not be far behind. We needed to mitigate the risk of the emotional burden on staff of suddenly escalating rates of disclosures that could have easily got too much. At the same time, though, we were thankful not to be on the same frontline as health and care sector staff; their own health at risk but caring for those most at risk, and coping with loss after loss.

While the nation deals with an altogether different sense of loss, many are thinking back to those no longer with us. And while, for many, the danger has passed, another threat creeps across the poorest ends of our communities. Beneath the headlines of rocketing prices and soaring inflation, households are bracing themselves for self-imposed lockdowns. Windows and doors are being sealed, not to keep germs out but to keep heat in. 

Advisors and support workers supporting people in financial hardship, you are not alone

Clean Slate ran a webinar earlier this month for the Money and Pensions Service Cymru. It was well attended and although we were there to talk about ways to help struggling families, conversations turned to how hard things are. Attendees reported feeling like whatever we do, it’s just not going to be enough. It feels bad for people who turned to us all and bad for us, not able to fix things. On top of that, we’re feeling the pinch ourselves with exorbitant energy prices and inflation pushing up other costs too.

In our presentation, I described the role Quids in! plays in helping readers feel less isolated. I mentioned one who told us that reading the magazine made her feel less alone. Knowing her situation was not unique inspired her to seek help and she was now on her way towards dealing with the debts she’d been saddled with after her husband walked out on her and her kids.

There is no vaccine for poverty, just political decisions to be made

What I didn’t expect was for the webinar to play the same role for those attending. Advisors and support workers supporting people in financial hardship, you are not alone. Our frontline support workers reaching out to provide money advice and guidance to people are themselves exposed but doing their best to minimise exposure to those who are even more vulnerable. They too have rocketing bills to pay and even if matching wages to inflation would solve the problem, the sector just doesn’t have that resource. Staff struggle to fill the car just as much as the people they’re helping.

Unlike with the virus, communities are divided along economic lines even if each day we all take another step towards hardship. Nor are there headline announcements on ways to limit the risk or simple three-phrase heuristics to make us feel safer. There is no vaccine for poverty, just political decisions to be made.
 
There is currently no light at the end of the tunnel for advisors helping people in financial hardship. All we can (and must) do is double-down and get our jobs done. There will be no clapping on doorsteps for this work but leaders in the sector must remind staff we do not expect them to be superhuman. We cannot fix the unfixable, we can only do what we can do within limited resources. That includes our own capacity – our time, our knowhow and our emotional capacity – to be there for people. 

I often say Clean Slate wants to catch people when their wheels are wobbling but before they come off. In all honestly, perhaps all we might be able to do is tighten the nuts and bolts. The full suspension re-fit is going to have to wait. It snags violently against the grain to lower our expectations on ourselves but we have to gasp for air and catch our breath before moving onto the next person who’s not sure how they’ll keep food on the table.

Take care everyone. This goes for you. Yes, you.