People supported by Emmaus Preston learned how to budget better in readiness for moving into their own homes.
Emmaus Preston provides a long-term solution to homelessness. The charity provides a home and helps people with work experience, training and support with physical and mental wellbeing.
The Introduction to Personal Budgeting and Money Management open award was the latest in a series of courses delivered in partnership with Lancashire Adult Learning.
Community feedback
Beckie said: “The personal budgeting and money management course here was pretty good. I think I’ve learned how to budget a lot better with things. I can work on it.
“I save extra money each week, which I’ve done for months. It gets put to one side for me, so I don’t even notice that I’m saving.”
Soaring inflation and the ongoing cost of living crisis, combined with the removal of government support post-pandemic, saw nearly one million low income households state that they were expecting to face eviction in the winter, a Crisis survey found.
More than one in five debt issues taken to Citizens Advice were related to fuel bills, according to a Debt and Wellbeing Report for September 2022 to January 2023, published by the Office for National Statistics.
It found almost half of all adults with gas or electricity supplied to their homes, said they had found it very or somewhat difficult to afford their bills between January 25 and February 5 2023.
Budgeting tips
Lancashire Adult Learning teacher Claire Garner, shared three budgeting tips:
1. “Be aware of what is coming in and what is going out. Write it down and be really clear because you can often spend without thinking.
2. “If you’re in debt, seek debt advice. See what helps and if you can get it, add to that support to help get control of your money.
3. “Prioritise your needs and any wants. When you know what is going in and what is coming out, you can look at those things that are essential, and then you can prioritise wants.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness and would like to get support from Emmaus Preston, please self-refer or make a referral for someone else via our website.