Lighthouse Club 2019 Impact Report
Today the Lighthouse Club have published their fourth annual impact report which communicates to the industry, supporters and stakeholders, the impact that we are making and how we are helping to make a difference to our construction community.
The report details the huge increase in demand for their 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline services, the introduction of free wellbeing sessions, the success of a major national project to increase the number of mental health first aiders and the development of their Construction Industry Helpline App.
2019 saw the total spent on charitable services of £1.221 million which included £723,607 of charitable giving to families, £416,372 on education and training and £81,287 on health and safety innovation.
During the year, 2,615 cases were presented to their helpline, an increase of 57% on the previous year, 445 of these were from families requiring emergency financial aid and 2,170 were for support on a variety of wellbeing issues.
Despite the huge increase in the number of cases, the charity has demonstrated a 62% reduction in the average cost per case compared to 2018 due largely to the introduction of professional case workers.
Sarah Bolton, Head of Charitable Services said:
One of the key findings of the report was that 62% of emergency financial grants were to help pay for daily living costs including buying food, paying utility bills, and clearing rent arrears and debt.
With over 50% of the construction workforce either self-employed, agency workers or on zero hour contracts, many live from one pay day to another, which means that if things go wrong, the situation quickly spirals out of control.
To tackle the issue and address the clear need for better financial management, the charity has added a ‘Financial Management’ training session to their existing range of free wellbeing courses. These sessions will provide pro-active information, support and guidance to help prevent situations escalating to crisis point and will stand alongside their helpline app which already has a section dedicated to financial wellbeing.
The report also identifies that of the 209 cases reporting a death or bereavement, tragically, 21 of these were due to suicide, highlighting the urgent need for better proactive mental wellbeing support in the industry.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said:
Speaking of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the charity’s income for 2020, Bill Hill added: