Around ten-percent of West Midlands households are living in fuel poverty and this number will rise due to the Covid-19 pandemic
West Midlands-based sustainable housing organisation SHAP is asking for help to bring their visionary plans into action to support those living in fuel poverty. SHAP’s first-ever Crowdfunder campaign is reaching out to 50,000 people, asking them to give as little as one pound.
The purpose of the Crowdfunder is to raise bridging funds to enable their ‘Warm Homes Save Lives’ fuel poverty alleviation proposals – already well-developed by SHAP’s Fuel Poverty Working Group – to be transformed into a live, adopted Implementation Plan to lift hundreds of thousands of West Midlands households out of fuel poverty.
This high level of fuel poverty persists despite decades of investment to reduce numbers. Fuel poverty blights lives and communities, pulls the economy down and contributes to continuing cycles of financial hardship and health inequalities. In the SHAP proposals, synergies with the health, social care, energy system transformation, and construction and skills agenda have all been recognised in the implementation model – influencing positive outcomes and impact as we build back better post-Covid.
This Crowdfunder-supported work will be co-ordinated by SHAP’s West Midlands Fuel Poverty Working Group – formed of leaders and experts in the region’s sustainable housing sector – and will enable SHAP to progress fuel poverty plans with local authorities, housing and health agencies, universities and the supply chain.
The key aim is to demonstrate to central government that SHAP’s fuel poverty plans are ready for adoption and implementation by devolved authorities, potentially releasing up to £150m of central funds over three years, helping lift households out of fuel poverty, improve residents’ well-being and create much-needed new jobs and skills in the sustainable housing sector.
SHAP’s co-ordinator Rosemary Coyne says “The potential to help is enormous. Every £1 counts! SHAP is asking people to donate if they can and to share, share, share this campaign widely around their friends and contacts.”
Rosemary Coyne, SHAP Co-ordinator
This crucial work will contribute significantly to lifting around 304,000* West Midlands households out of fuel poverty, and help the region build back better post-Covid – tackling the effects of climate change and creating a scalable implementation model for other regions to take up.
Further information for editors
Fuel poverty is not a single issue with a single solution. Factors leading to fuel poverty are complex – SHAP’s ‘Warm Homes Save Lives‘ proposals recognise this and are designed to get – and keep – people out of fuel poverty.
£50k Crowdfunder bridge-funding will enable the West Midlands Fuel Poverty Working Group to bring about the practical implementation of the proposals, working with local authorities, not-for-profits and the supply chain in a variety of ways:
- Local Authorities: develop role as local leaders in addressing fuel poverty: (£15k);
- Supply chain: helping kick start the local economy (£10k);
- Health, wellbeing, social care and third-sector agencies: effective working and integration (£15K);
- Universities: assessing impact (£5k);
- Housing associations: role and opportunity development (£5k).
* based on latest available annual BEIS sub-regional fuel poverty statistics for 2017, used for the calculation for the West Midlands region.
Useful links
SHAP Press contact: Rosemary Coyne: fuelpoverty@shap.uk.com
Alternative contact: Sophie Lock: admin@shap.uk.com
Crowdfunder appeal: https://bit.ly/FuelPovtyCrowdFunder
Read: ‘Warm Homes Save Lives’ proposals
SHAP on Twitter: @SHAPwestmids
#FuelPoverty #SustainableHousing #BuildBackBetter #GreenEconomy #LocalSupplyChain #PostCovid #NewGreenSkills #EnergyEfficiency #Retrofit
SHAP on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Tackling the growing fuel poverty crisis – latest Press Release, issued by Midlands Economic Forum.
