Whilst housing, food and fuel costs continue to increase sharply, for the poorest fifth of households, growth in income is not keeping pace. The income inequality gap is widening, the number of households struggling with unmanageable personal debt is increasing; new working patterns disadvantage the low paid.

The long-term impact of the pandemic combined with the cost-of-living crisis is economically and emotionally devasting for a very high number of households, already on low income, who find themselves unable to cover essential living costs and make ends meet

REBUILDING LIVES is a unique early intervention, PREVENTATIVE approach which empowers vulnerable people to address the underlying causes of their crisis and rebuild a healthier, wealthier, happier future.

The programme catches people who slip through the gaps of other service provision and have nowhere else to turn to for help.

Over 63% of people referred to The Matthew Tree Project are at risk of homelessness and have no other form of support.

REBUILDING LIVES prevents homelessness and has a positive impact on mental and physical health; family relationships; isolation; re-offending; work performance (adults); school performance (children); personal debt; and reduces demand on costly publicly funded services.

The simple and compassionate act of giving people food on a weekly basis has created a safe and positive environment to build relationship and gain an understanding of each person’s circumstances. This allows us to engage on a much deeper level - to get to the heart of the problem, and then support people to move from crisis to independence in the best possible way.

The daily cost to provide nutrient rich food and personally tailored crisis support for one person through the unique ‘REBUILDING LIVES’ programme is £2.26 (average across all client cases, 2021). On average food and support is required for 3-6 months: to enable each client to get to a place where our support is no longer needed. This compares favourably to the cost to provide publicly funded services for someone who has been allowed to become homeless - £20,128.*

By the end of 2021 The Matthew Tree Project has helped over 12,000 people escape a life of poverty and provided the food equivalent of over 2.1 million meals to people in need.

The Matthew Tree Project is a faith inspired charity with an ethos underpinned by Matthew 25 vs 31-46; Mark 12 vs 28- 31; and James 2 vs 14-17.

*Source: Crisis UK report, ‘At What Cost’. Author Nicholas Pleace, July 2015