Paul*, a 37-year-old single dad, lives in Essex with his six children aged between four and 16. Working a part-time job in sales, Paul does his best to make sure his children have what they need but he struggles to make ends meet as the cost of essentials like gas, electric, and food continue to soar.
“It can be hard to tell people that you’re struggling”
“Life’s never dull with six kids!”, says Paul. “Every day feels like a mission – it starts with getting all the kids up early and ready for school.
“It’s important to me that my kids have what they need, and I’d like to make sure they have the things they want, but that’s hard to achieve when you’re struggling to make ends meet.
“I work part time – it’s really important to me that I set an example to my kids, and they see that it’s important to work and pay your way if you can. It’s also important for my mental health – I need to make sure I don’t go downhill as there’s no one else to look after the kids.
“What is an absolute priority for me is that the house is warm and there’s hot water, so the kids are clean,” he says. “Gas and electric are something that I’ve seen double in price. It’s really hard trying to cover those costs when there’s no extra money coming in for it.”
Gas and electric are something that I’ve seen double in price. It’s really hard trying to cover those costs when there’s no extra money coming in for it.
Paul
“Food costs have got more and more expensive and that’s tough when you’re trying to provide healthy meals with fresh food. There have been quite a few times I’ve gone without meals to make sure the kids have what they need.
“I do go to the foodbank weekly for things like tins. I worried about going there at first but now I’ve just accepted that in order to feed my family properly, I have to. I don’t feel embarrassed anymore.
“I met Sammi from Barnardo’s a couple of years ago. She has really helped us out. It can be hard to tell people that you’re struggling because you worry they might judge you or think you’re not trying hard enough. But I felt comfortable telling Sammi about how it was. At the time, my kids were sleeping on old mattresses on the floor; I just didn’t have any spare money for new beds or new mattresses. We desperately needed some help.”
“Barnardo’s really helped to get us through a tough time”
“Sammi said she could help to get us new mattresses which was incredible. Six new mattresses!” Paul says.
“I can’t tell you what it meant to the kids, having somewhere comfortable to get a good night’s sleep. I guess most people take having a warm bed for granted. I can tell you, getting that sorted for the kids has made such a big difference to our lives.
I can’t tell you what it meant to the kids, having somewhere comfortable to get a good night’s sleep.
Paul
“There’s always something to pay for – like new school uniforms. It’s not just every autumn when they go back to school – they start needing the next size up in March. Then there’s the extra things. Last year, one of my kids wanted to go on a school trip. Of course I want them to go but there’s no extra money to pay for it straight away. It was £300 which seemed impossible at first but I did my best to make it happen. It took me a whole year to save and then pay for.
“I think it’s fair to say life will continue to be tough financially, but we are all really grateful to Barnardo’s for supporting us. Their kindness and the way they have helped us is something we won’t forget. Barnardo’s really helped to get us through a tough time.”
*Name has been changed to protect the identities of the families we help
Working in partnership with Barnardo’s, HCRG Care Group is commissioned to deliver improved outcomes for families with the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service.
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