Making space for change: The power of person-led support

When someone experiencing poverty is overwhelmed, unheard, or unsure where to turn, what they need isn’t quick fixes or one-size-fits-all answers. They need someone to walk alongside them, listen without judgement, and take the time to understand what’s really going on. That’s exactly what our Outreach Pilot — funded in part by The National Lottery Community Fund — was designed to do.

​It builds on everything we already do well but goes deeper. It gives us the space to work more closely with people, to shape support around their priorities, and to help them take the next step towards improving their situations, however that looks for them. ​

Building trust, unlocking change

​When Ellie Whitfield joined our team as Outreach Support Worker last July, we knew the pilot had real potential. Initially set up to support 40 households over an 18-month period, the aim has always been to provide one-to-one support — offering practical help that reflects each person’s situation. 

Ellie’s role focuses on building trust, offering hands-on support, and helping people take those first, often difficult, steps towards better wellbeing. This includes people who have contacted us frequently, as well as those who are new to our service. ​

​Everyone Ellie supports has come through our Helpline. That’s where the conversation begins. The Helpline Team, through their existing relationships and knowledge of the challenges someone is facing, identifies when a person might benefit from more focused, one-to-one support. Ellie then works with them directly to explore what kind of support might help them improve their situation. 

She started by working with people already known to us through the helpline - those we’d built a relationship with over time but who weren’t able to move forward despite frequent contact.  The Helpline Team offer a great service but for some people, that support alone wasn’t enough.  

What people needed was a deeper kind of one-to-one support. Many were living in long-term poverty, but their challenges weren’t just financial - they were also navigating poor mental health, isolation, housing instability, and a lack of access to vital services. Some people had a sudden drop in income, and we wanted to offer one to one support quickly before they fell deeper into hardship. ​

Support that fits the person

That’s where the strength of the pilot really came through. It created space for personalised, flexible support - designed with each individual, not for them. So far, 27 people have been supported through the pilot programme. Each person’s situation is different, and so is the support. For some, it’s about reconnecting with healthcare services. For others, it’s navigating benefits, accessing debt advice, or finding ways to feel less isolated. The starting point is always the same: listening, asking what they want to improve, and working together on a realistic plan. 

Sometimes it’s helping someone apply for Pension Credit. Sometimes it’s unpicking why they’ve stopped engaging with their GP. Sometimes it’s sitting beside someone and opening letters they’ve been too anxious to face alone. Because change doesn’t start with a phone call, it starts with trust.​ ​

Small steps, real impact

When Ellie first met Annie*, one of the first people to be supported through our Outreach Pilot, she didn’t have a bank account. Not because she didn’t want one but because life had become so complex that sorting out ID, navigating forms and applying for help felt impossible.​

"I’d gone so long without proper help, I just stopped asking. But having someone actually listen, explain things, go through it all with me, I felt like I could breathe again. It was the first time in a long time I didn’t feel completely stuck. Now I’ve got a bank account, I’m sorting out my benefits, and I finally feel like things are moving in the right direction."

Annie, Outreach Pilot participant 

Together, they started small. A phone call to order the necessary ID documentation. A plan to visit the bank. A few weeks later, with her account finally open, things began to shift. Benefits could now be paid directly. She could apply for services and take steps towards housing stability. The daily stress of relying on others for cash, or going without, began to ease. 

It might not sound ground-breaking. But when you’ve been shut out of the system for years, and stuck in survival mode for so long, a small step like that can be a significant turning point.​  ​

A model that works

We’re not trying to “fix” people’s lives. That’s never been the goal. But what we can do is offer support that helps them feel more stable, more connected, and more able to take the next step. ​ ​

“This pilot has shown what’s possible when we take the time to listen and build support around people’s lives -- not just their problems. It’s a model that works because it’s rooted in trust and shaped by the people we’re walking alongside.” ​

Sam Gilchrist, Chief Executive, West Northumberland Food Bank 

​What we’ve learned is that the combination of trust, time and tailored support really does lead to better outcomes. And that when people feel heard and understood, they’re far more likely to engage, and to keep going. ​

*Names are changed to protect our recipients' identities.