“Our focus for this project are .. residents with long-term conditions from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”

The current cost of living crisis is having a detrimental impact upon so many people’s lives. Our own experiences mean we’re very enthused to partner with Impact on Urban Health to run a Cost of Living & Multiple Long-Term Condition (MLTC) project.

This pertinent project will find the lived experiences of financial precarity and increases in the cost of living for people at high risk and/or living with MLTCs in Lambeth and Southwark.

We’re collaborating with Impact on Urban Health, a Guy's & St Thomas' charitable foundation, which focusses on improving overall health and gaining a better understanding of how inequality impacts residents' health within inner city areas.

The project consists of a minimum of 35 interviews, 2-3 focus groups and a creative output session. The creative output will look at the best way to present the results of the project to the community. This will allow them to be heard and to participate fully as part of the project.

Discovering these connections lets us explore different methods of disseminating our research by rethinking it. Making it accessible for not only the institutions but, the community as well. The Community Researchers involved in the project comprise both senior and trainee researchers, adding a balance to the team with a good support network plus on-project training. We feel it's important to upskill the community to become better equipped.

We also know it’s vital to give community members opportunities so, we provide these and give them a voice. This also makes them a part of the ins and outs of the project. We empower and motivate our CRs to grow as individuals and speak openly about their lived experiences. Their issues and concerns are real, thus must be part of future solutions. Expressing themselves in this way can also be therapeutic.

Our focus for this project are Lambeth and Southwark residents with long-term conditions from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. This particular group of residents often goes unheard due to the perception of what people with disability or conditions look like, as well as their ethnicity.

The Economics Observatory reported: “Rising prices are having a disproportionately negative impact on people with disabilities: their living costs are typically higher and they are often excluded from full economic participation, particularly employment. Benefits offer limited support as they are falling behind the cost of living.”

This shows the impact of the cost of living crisis can affect residents much deeper than we realise as able-bodied people often forget about all of the barriers faced by those with conditions/disabilities.

We are currently planning the focus groups for this project, where we will discover much more about the prevalent concerns indicated in the interview stage. We are also really excited to begin planning for our creative output session.

If you're interested in getting involved, or have questions, please send a message via our contact form to: Raquel Caires Januario.

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References

• Economics Observatory; How is the cost of living crisis affecting disabled people in the UK?