Hello!

Ipswich Disabled Advice Bureau  has recently passed a milestone - the organization  is 50 years old!  

People with disabilities, those who care for them and their families have been on more of a roller coaster than most during the Covid-19 pandemic and then the cost of living crisis immediately afterwards.  It has hit them very hard financially as many are unable to work due to their disability, and others due to the lack of availability of suitable employment. 

We understand their situation as all of our Team have disabilities themselves, as do most of our Trustees  - so they have had similar lived experiences as our clients.

We provide free and confidential advice, information and support.  The number of people contacting us has increased and the number of issues that most clients come to us about has increased too.  We have continued to provide most of our services digitally - because most of our clients prefer this.  This surprised us at first,  but given the weather this past winter we can see why staying at home and having  conversation with somebody on the phone has been very preferable, when the alternative was to battle high winds and get drenched in the rain.  If requested, we are able to see some clients face-to-face.  

Whilst the number of people contacting us, over the past two years has increased, in common with other small charities, the cost of living crises affected us too.  Our running costs have increased by over 21% in the last two years, including the cost of the 2,000+  outgoing calls that we make each month when working with our clients and others who have contacted us. 

The funding we raise will be used to increase our resources and be able to spend a little bit more time with each individual client.  A single small issue, especially a financial one can be the catalyst for other problems and can affect health and well being.  

Financial stability underpins everything that we all do, and without it we become very anxious and think about little else - something that can result in participating addictive activity.  None of us like to admit to not being to cope with a situation and are always concerned that when we go for help, we might be taking up time that somebody with more 'important problems' needs.  

Chatting for a bit longer with each client,  could help us identify other issues that they are worried about whether financial or a need for some practical help - which is easy to access if you know where to go or who to contact.  It might include  school uniform, bus passes for people with disabilities under 60 years of age, help with shopping,  passing on recipes for cheap, nutritious meals, accessing help with learning IT skills which saves the cost of postage and give access to buying (and maybe selling) items on line, help in the garden….and the list goes on... 

So your help is very important in enabling us to help everyone who contacts us; help them to be able to manage their finances independently, and maintain their independence because they feel able to ask for help when they need it.