A charity in Frome helping residents in poverty says it is experiencing higher demand, with an increase in rough sleepers and families struggling to access food vouchers.
Senior coordinator of Fair Frome Lenka Grimes, which runs the town’s food bank and Community Pantry among other projects, raised concerns at the Full Council meeting on 22nd April.
She said, “I am led to believe that Somerset has the third highest number of rough sleepers in the country at the moment. It is having a particular impact on us. It is daily. We are having people coming in for showers, hanging out, people with severe mental health issues. It is a real issue.”
Lenka also raised concerns for many families in Frome who have struggled to access free school meal holiday vouchers over the Easter holidays. She said a recent change in the system means families whose children receive free school meals now have to apply for the vouchers rather than receiving them automatically.
Lenka said the new process had made it difficult for people to access the support they needed. She said, “People now have to apply for them through Citizens Advice and provide evidence, which includes photo ID, which a lot of people don’t have, so it’s quite difficult to access for a lot of people. This has led to more demand on our services.
“It’s becoming really difficult. We are also struggling for donations of food currently, with the uncertainty and rising costs.”
Fair Frome is based at Unit 7, Longacre, Marston Trading Estate. It also runs a Food at Five service, which provides a hot meal for residents three days a week at the Key Centre.
Pictured: Fair Frome team l-r: Nick McCulloch, Rebecca Harrison and Lenka Grimes
