How community hubs help local people fight rising living costs

Shortly before lunchtime in a London community centre, older visitors chat over coffee and crosswords while young families drift in and out. Kitchen volunteers from the Real Junk Food Project prepare lunch at a “pay as you feel” cafe using food that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.

Conversations inside the Victorian East Twickenham Neighbourhood Association (ETNA) building range from financial advice to digital support, childcare and legal services; there are counselling drop-ins, self-help groups and yoga classes. These spaces offer financial respite by reducing the cost of accessing advice, support, care and essential services.

Jennifer says she comes to the centre “for the cafe, to meet friends and for company. The food helps me stretch my pension.” Another visitor adds that a volunteer “found out I was owed a benefit that I was unaware I had a right to claim. It’s been backdated.

United Kingdom, London

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