Community Pop-Ins

Key Lessons

• Pop-ins resulted in increased social connections and reduced loneliness. Workers felt that the events were successful in bringing people together, with many attendees keen to come to future community events.
• It was felt that many people who sought help through the pop-ins, may not have done so in another environment. The pop-ins allowed people to speak more freely about cost of living challenges and seek support, such as through a conversation with a Community Worker while heating up soup. Or, seeing their neighbours ask about fuel vouchers, encouraged others to do so too.
• Engaging with communities this way helped to maximise household income through initiating benefit checks and fuel vouchers. Through connections and signposting community groups to the Household Hardship Fund, approximately 45 households were paid up to £200 to help over the winter.
• The events can be a catalyst for new community led activity as groups recognise the need for this type of informal opportunity. Some attendees have mentioned that they plan to start their own social group as they have realised the benefits of these events.
• Community Workers are aware that some people do not attend these events as they view them just being for people on low-incomes, there is clearly still stigma around poverty.

Feeding Back the Results

While there are no results to feed back with this form of community engagement, there is always valuable learning, which is used to inform future work with communities.

The Community Development team review the pop-ins after each winter. Statistics and feedback are analysed, including attendance levels, number of benefit checks completed, referrals to other agencies, such as Adult Learning or CAB. The team also look at the issues and needs raised, the conversations with communities, what elements worked well and not so well. This is then used to inform future work of the service with communities.