Big Lottery Fund

BIG is one of many funders that contributed to an exploration of the Young Foundation’s ambitious review of the current state of material and psychological needs in Britain, and how they interrelate.

Consideration of ‘need’ has often focused on material needs – such as health care, housing and income. But that focus tends to ignore a wide range of psychological needs that can emerge, for instance, as people face changes in their lives, deal with mental illness or find themselves isolated and lonely.

The study was launched in late 2009 and has inspired new understanding of and debates about the nature of need in Britain. It is made up of a main report and a number of publications that focus on specific aspects of need and individual and organisational responses.

The key recommendations for funders in the report are:

1. Support organisations that provide preparation, bridges and support for people going through difficult transitions.
2. Back projects that tackle isolation.
3. Support projects that provide people with access to services, and in particular services that help deal with people’s needs holistically.
4. Support projects that help people to cope with shocks and to become more resilient.
5. Use the concept of well-being to help rethink welfare provision.
6. Support provision of both new and old necessities.

Links:

• Sinking and swimming: understanding Britain’s unmet needs (Main report)
• Summary of the main report
• Weathering the storm: negotiating transitions in Britain today
• Exploring household resilience in Teesside
• Helping or hindering: meeting young people’s needs in Bedford
• Stuck on London’s hard shoulder: social needs in a fast moving city
• Rough nights: the growing dangers of working at night