Financial Inclusion Project 2022-2025

In 2022 we started a project with the Trussell Trust, alongside Stockton and District Advice and Information Service (SDAIS), called the Financial Inclusion Project to help support people in Billingham and Stockton.

The aim of the project was to connect our clients to a Financial Inclusion Welfare Adviser. They would provide specialist advice and knowledge to address the cause of their crisis and help to maximise their financial gains.

Providing emergency food is only a sticking plaster…by improving a person’s financial position they are less likely to need to use the foodbank. 

The project initially ran for 3 years until April 2025.

Due to the success of the project and the positive outcomes, the Financial Inclusion Project will now continue with a full-time specialist adviser.

The headlines

• The Financial Inclusion Project has worked with more than 900 new clients over 3 years
• The project has seen a total sum of £1.5 million in financial gains for clients
• With the help of the SDAIS Debt Referral Team, the project has helped to manage more than £800K of client debt
• The project has consistently exceeded targets year on year
• It has helped to support local people out of crisis and reduced foodbank usage by 30%
• We now employ a full-time Financial Inclusion Adviser who solely supports our foodbank clients

Read the report

Click the link below to read the full report on our website, including examples of client case studies*

*please note that names have been changed to protect client confidentiality.

Financial Inclusion Project report: 2022-2025

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