Preventing poverty and increasing employability in Bridlington

Reducing inequality on the east coast

The Hinge Centre is a locally run Bridlington charity providing a wide range of support including benefit and welfare support, a job club, after school clubs, holiday clubs, art therapy, independent living, community support and resettlement support. It is well established in the second most deprived area of East Yorkshire, the heart of the Havenfield Estate in Bridlington.

The main beneficiaries are residents of Bridlington who are marginalized, isolated and vulnerable due to deprivation, poverty and discrimination.

Supporting local people

Bridlington has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic due to a history of decline in the coastal seaside town, with a lack of investment leading to generations already relying on benefits and those in employment having insecure, seasonal and part-time opportunities largely in the hospitality sector, which has been decimated by the pandemic. The YO16 4AU area, in which The Hinge is based, has 56% of individuals experiencing some form of deprivation and ranks in the 1st decile on all domains of deprivation.

The Hinge supports a vast array of people; travellers, lone parent families, unemployed/NEET, the homeless community, those living with disabilities and substance misuse and people with multiple complex needs such as mental ill health and learning disabilities.

Their community Support Worker provides a job club, personal development and independent living skills.

In 2020 1,131 appointments took place to help people with welfare and benefit support securing £659,144.75 in benefit appeals for individuals.

Demand and referrals for these kind of services is huge.

The Hinge applied for funding to continue to employ a Support Worker to achieve their three key priorities:

• Good jobs and economic growth: Supporting young people to access services to improve their employability, maintain housing stability and assist them to identify and apply for work opportunities.
• No poverty: Preventing young people becoming homeless through financial instability and helping them find a route out of poverty. Providing a community shop and food bank services to those suffering the most extreme hardship.
• Reduced inequalities: Having ICT and other facilities (such as washing machine, shower) to allow service users to search for work, access services, to be clean, fed and safe in order to attend meetings, interviews and to reduce the stigma associated with poverty.