Imagine 20%. One in five. Does it seem like a lot? I suppose it depends on the context. How about 20% of the UK population? I bet that seems like quite a lot. Well, 20% of the UK population were reported to be in poverty between 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, 25% of the North East population were in poverty. With almost 700,000 people in one corner of the country suffering in poverty, what is really being done to try and help those people? 

PACT House is an organisation local to the North East which provides support to a variety of people in need. Having spoken to PACT House, I found out exactly what they do and how they provide to the community. Supporting over 250 people each week, including those in food and fuel poverty, and those attending mental health support and advice sessions, they attempt to make a safe space for people to share peer support and socialise. In order to support this, they also have open access wifi and use of computers to aid those searching for jobs. 

This organisation is driven by the people suffering due to events like the cost of living crisis, as well as struggles commonly faced such as poor mental health, domestic violence, addiction, undiagnosed conditions such as ADHD and autism, and homelessness. With the constant threat of people who are already suffering from these issues feeling isolated and alone, they attempt to combat these issues whilst providing support in different forms, such as offering use of their washing machine, dryer and shower, and offering a number of different methods of support such as advice, guidance, support and much more. 

However, they can’t run on their own. PACT House are reliant on support like their valuable volunteers, grant funding, donations of food, toiletries and cleaning products as well and support from local people. Without this, I believe that a large number of people in the North East would be suffering a lot more than there already are. 

However, PACT House offers much more than support for those in need, as they also help a large variety of people build self esteem with their sessions and their opportunities for volunteering. They place a large amount of trust in their volunteers, many of whom have their own sets of keys for the building and so can open up the building at any time for anyone’s needs. 

As they are open 7 days a week, PACT House is always available to help anyone who needs or wants it. They are always welcoming to everybody, whether they are in need of financial support, advice, or simply just want to spend some time there. 

So, upon reflection, is there something you could do to support an organisation like this? Could you give money, resources, or even just some time? Maybe, with more support like this, we could turn 25% into something much less.