When I first joined Equal Lives in 2005 as a 19-year-old Office Assistant, I never imagined how much this organisation would shape not only my career but also my understanding of the barriers Disabled people face every day. Over the past two decades, I’ve been proud to help our clients overcome the challenges they face and witnessed the transformative impact of our work.
Equal Lives is a user-led Disabled persons’ organisation working across Norfolk and Suffolk. For over 20 years, we’ve provided a range of services, including information and advice, advocacy, campaigning, Direct Payment and Payroll Services, and Shopmobility.
Last year our advice team tackled over 880 issues, ranging from welfare benefits and finances to social care, housing, and workplace accessibility.
Funding challenges
However, the landscape for providing services has grown increasingly difficult. In 2022, Equal Lives joined a partnership of local advice organisations to secure local authority funding for our advice service. While we were successful, the funding has been reduced significantly, leaving our advice team smaller than ever. We’ve had to make tough decisions, such as discontinuing welfare benefit appeal representation and form filling, even though we know this support is critical for many of our clients.
The uncertainty of local government funding makes it hard to plan long-term. Short-term contracts don’t provide the stability we need to grow and innovate. We’ve sought alternative funding from grants and trusts, but these are often short-term or restricted to specific projects. It’s challenging to secure multi-year grants that cover core costs like salaries. Without reliable funding, our advice service faces a precarious future − potentially leading to staff restructuring or even closure of it.
Supporting independent lives
We know that our services have an enormously positive impact on people across Norfolk and Suffolk. We believe in supporting people to empower themselves to live independent lives. Equal Lives works to the Social Model of Disability, which focuses on removing barriers in society that disable people. Importantly, we allow people to self-refer to our services without requiring a ‘proof’ of disability, ensuring accessibility for everyone who needs help.
Transformative impact
Feedback from our clients reflects the value of this approach. In our latest surveys, 100% said they would recommend our service to others, 100% found the information and advice helpful and 94% said talking with an adviser positively impacted their wellbeing.
As one client told us, “I am really grateful to Equal Lives and would not have managed to complete my Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment and a household budget without them. I would have just continued struggling rather than realising there was help out there for me.” This feedback shows how vital our services are to the community.
Working at Equal Lives I’ve seen first-hand the power of advice and advocacy in transforming lives. Sadly, I’ve also seen how much demand there is for what we offer.
Equal Lives exists to give Disabled people a voice, independence, choice and control over their lives.
Knowing that we are making a difference, whether it’s helping someone access the financial support they need, navigate accessibility challenges, or feel heard and understood, motivates me every day and I’m proud to be part of this.
