People who experience poverty help shape policy

Sharon Cony shared her experiences of poverty and social housing to help form the plans

People with lived experienced of poverty have been using their stories to help a council form new policies.

Suffolk County Council commissioned the Tackling Poverty Together report in September 2022. The initiative is based on the Poverty Truth Commission model, which brings people with experience of financial hardship together with decision-makers in areas of civic life, such as councils, health professionals and police.

The authority said it hoped to use the recommendations in the report, which was produced by Healthwatch Suffolk, to shape future policy.

Sharon Cony, from Felixstowe, who contributed to the report, said: "This project is crucial for the future of people with needs."

The Reverend Sally Gaze and Romanian community worker Romeo Mustata spoke about the importance of volunteering

She added: "I've been through quite a lot of different situations. I've been a single mum, I've suffered [with] mental health, suffered physical disabilities, had problems with housing," she said.

The report, which was presented on Thursday at an event at Copdock Village Hall in Copdock, Ipswich, has made recommendations in three key areas:

• Housing: It highlighted issues with the online system for applying for social housing, authorities removing carpets at the end of a tenancy so the new occupants have to buy new ones and inconsistency across different housing providers

• Volunteering: It recommended the promotion of volunteering opportunities in the area and greater awareness that being a volunteer does not impact any benefits an individual might receive. Also the need to engage further with different communities, such as the Romanian community in Ipswich

• Community hub: It said a priority was the creation of a new community hub to support the area holistically. The report said: "This space should be inclusive, approachable, and safe, offering the public a central location to access various services"

Jay Hornsby was asked to be part of the initiative after he experienced homelessness and now runs his own outreach project

Jay Hornsby, who contributed to the report, was previously homeless and lived with addiction and mental health problems. He now runs Adventures in Outreach, which helps people who are sleeping on the streets around Suffolk.

"[Homelessness] is something that we can tackle together," he said.

"We've got to get information [about the support available] out there, so it's not just coming from services, but friends, neighbours and strangers.

"It's making sure that everyone has the knowledge, knows where to go, and everyone can access services fairly."

Community and civic partners involved in the project gathered at Copdock Village Hall for the launch of the report

Andy Yacoub, the CEO of Healthwatch Suffolk, said: "This is a milestone event, the next steps are really key.

"Gavin Talbot, [from Suffolk County Council] is going to be involved in the tackling poverty group which pre-existed before us, and they're going to be responsible for taking on the recommendations and making the change happen.

"We'll run another event [next year] to look back and see what has happened, what's changed, what has not changed, and then we take it on further."