Aim

Help fund advice at every food contact so families can claim benefits,reduce debt and regain control of money so they stop needing foodbanks

Our vision

At Narthex Sparkhill, our vision is simple: help people out of poverty, not just survive in it.
We support families across mnay of Birmingham’s communities where many households are juggling insecure housing, rising bills, debt, and barriers to accessing support.

For many people, food insecurity is the first sign of crisis. But food is rarely the real problem. The real issue is often unclaimed entitlements, debt pressure, fuel poverty, or not being able to access services in a language they understand.

That’s why we do things differently.

Why this matters in Birmingham

The biggest driver of food crisis is financial insecurity: households with not enough income, high bills, debt pressure and difficulty accessing the right support. Across Birmingham, many residents also face added barriers such as language, digital exclusion and unstable housing, which can shut people out of mainstream services.

Through hubs and community delivery points across the city, Narthex Sparkhill provides a trusted front door to financial wellbeing support - helping people claim what they’re entitled to, reduce debt, manage bills and resolve housing issues, so emergency food becomes temporary rather than ongoing.

That’s why our model matters: we don’t just respond to crisis - we help prevent it.

What we do (and what makes us different)

We run an integrated poverty alleviation service built around one principle:

Every food contact can also be a money support contact.

When someone comes to us for emergency food, we also offer Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to help them address why they’re in crisis. Our support includes:

• benefits checks and maximisation
• debt support and budgeting guidance
• energy advice and bill support
• housing options and homelessness prevention
  
  

Our team is multilingual, speaking community languages including Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Russian and Arabic helping remove barriers that can exclude people from mainstream services.

We measure success by people who stop needing emergency food - not by the amount of parcels distributed.

Quick impact snapshot

• 17,000+ households supported with food provision (2024–25)
• 1,900+ residents supported through advice-led intervention (Apr 24–Mar 25)
• £2.25m financial gains secured (benefits, debt relief, grants)
• 30–35% reduction in repeat dependency for engaged clients

What we’re raising money for

We’re raising £5,000 to help cover the core running costs that keep our advice-at-every-contact model available and consistent.

This funding will help cover:

• Advice worker time at food sessions (so support happens when people need it most)
• Follow-up casework and referrals (so issues don’t spiral back into crisis)
• Access support to remove barriers, including language support
• Essential day-to-day delivery costs that keep this service reliable week after week.

This is the backbone of financial wellbeing, helping people feel more secure and in control of their money.

Real stories (anonymised)

“I came for food and didn’t realise help was available. The advice worker helped me sort my benefits and now I can manage each month.” (Service user)

“I used to come here for support. Now I volunteer and help others find the right services. It’s changed my confidence completely.” (Volunteer)

“Narthex is trusted locally. Their model doesn’t just meet immediate need, it helps people stabilise and move forward.” (Partner)

Why your pledge matters even more (match funding)

If we’re accepted onto the Aviva Communities Fund, Aviva will match the first pledge made by each supporter to this project, up to £250 per person.

That means:

• £10 could become £20
• £25 could become £50
• £50 could become £100
• £250 could become £500

So the most powerful thing you can do is:

1. make your first pledge, and

2. share the page so new people pledge too.

Donation ladder

• £10 helps remove barriers to support (follow-up contact and access help)
• £25 funds a “Money MOT” triage session: benefits + debt + bill support
• £50 supports casework follow-up so families don’t fall back into crisis
• £100 contributes towards advice-at-contact delivery
• £250 helps fund specialist advice capacity (and is matchable up to the limit)

Thank you

Thank you for backing a model that turns emergency support into lasting change.
Your support helps families regain control of their finances and move from crisis towards stability and independence.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made