— Painting by Guendouz Bensidhoum

“When I have an issue, when I’m concerned, I come here and we talk over it and I get some advice. I feel like it’s the right place, whereby a problem said is a problem solved. Here [at ATD Fourth World], you talk to good people, people with experience.”

— A mother supported by ATD

People experiencing poverty are often denied access to their rights. At ATD Fourth World, we accompany families and individuals to overcome the challenges they face and to reach their goals. We build long-lasting relationships with the people we support, offering practical help on administrative matters as well as emotional support.

An important part of our Together in Dignity programme focuses on family and crisis support. This means ensuring that people feel valued and bridging the gap between people and their rights so that everyone can participate fully in society and have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

When families and individuals in poverty are facing times of crisis, we support them to develop their confidence and knowledge and strengthen their support network. As part of our Community Outreach and Peer Support project, we offer practical help and moral support through phone calls, home visits, and friendly ‘cuppa chat’ mornings.

Building a bridge between people and their rights

One of our Community Support Workers, Robert, says: “Almost always, there are barriers for people experiencing poverty to access their rights. People need accompaniment to overcome those barriers. This accompaniment is a learning process and, when done in the right way, empowers people to be more confident and better prepared for future challenges”.

To help with administrative matters, we support people to understand forms, accompany them in filling out applications, or signpost them towards other resources available in the community. Over the years, we have sharpened our understanding of poverty and the services people are trying to access as we witness the barriers people face when accessing their rights.

Our aim is for the people we are supporting to set and achieve their own goals. Robert said: “I advocate for people by listening, agreeing on a way forward together, and then often acting as a bridge between people and the services they are trying to access.”

Regaining trust in oneself and in others

When your rights are constantly denied, as is often the case for people experiencing long-term poverty, it can be difficult to ask for help. Richard, an individual we support said: “You feel helpless, very lonely and like you’ve got nobody to turn to. I remember I have had this experience [when] I felt so helpless and upset, and I thought, what can I do now?”

We seek to help people rebuild their confidence and trust in themselves and in others. Our family support project goes hand in hand with all other aspects of our work. We organise well-being activities for people to get away from the daily pressures of life in poverty. And our Giving Poverty a Voice programme combines research and advocacy where people with lived experience can share knowledge and influence policy.

All of this contributes to empowering people and helping them be better equipped to face future difficulties. Robert said: “Being confident is undoubtedly a critical step in people finding solutions to overcome challenges”.

A mother we have been supporting intensely this past year has said:

“ATD Fourth World has made a huge difference in my life. I have felt that I am not alone and that I have support. They’ve instilled back some confidence in me, confidence that sometimes gets knocked down by our crazy system. With ATD, you remember to trust yourself again, and to do the right thing regardless of what’s being thrown at you by life.”

One-to-one support

To create long-lasting relationships, our team members offer one-to-one, personal accompaniment to individuals and families experiencing poverty.

“At ATD Fourth World, they value you as a human being. They respect you, nobody judges you.” — Lareine

We go beyond practical help and offer emotional support, meaning we don’t let anyone go through struggles on their own. Richard said: “If I have to carry something on my own it’s like a burden. I will get stressed out, and I find it difficult to express how I feel and how to cope with things.”

In particularly hard times, individuals and families create a special bond with team members who support them in those critical moments. Richard explained: “ATD Fourth World supported me and my partner through an emotional crisis, and it shows that we can turn to you at any time. That is when I thought, yes, I can trust those people.”

We build welcoming and safe spaces and spend valuable time with those we support. A mother said about her experience of coming to our centre in Southwark:

“I feel happy, I feel at home. I really like coming here. Here, I relax. When we are here, we feel we are protected. We are loved.”

Want to support us? You can donate here, and become a volunteer during our well-being activities or in our advocacy work.