The service will now run entirely from charitable donations after Waltham Forest Council stopped funding it, reports Marco Marcelline
Age UK Waltham Forest (AUKWF) has said it will continue to run its befriending service for housebound older people through charitable donations after the council stopped funding it.
In February, Waltham Forest Council announced it would cease funding the 20-year-old service, having financially backed it since 2022.
The average age of the 165 service users of AUKWF’s befriending service is 83, and 75% have poor mobility.
At the time of the announcement, the council said it would roll out a new service run by Dagenham-based Lifeline that caters to all residents experiencing loneliness regardless of age.
The council said the new service would however do away with home visits, instead replacing them with in-person events where residents could learn life skills. The service, which came into effect in April, is only accessible for six months unlike AUKWF’s indefinite program of home visits and support.
The decision immediately attracted criticism, with AUKWF’s befriending manager Terry Day, saying: “The new service excludes almost all our current older people because they don’t use the internet or smartphones and can’t leave their homes.
“The council seems to disregard housebound older people – out of sight, out of mind. We must speak up for them.”
The Echo understands that all of AUKWF’s 200 volunteers refused to transfer to Lifeline’s programme because they specifically preferred to work with older people.
AUKWF responded to the council’s decision by launching a community fundraising appeal, which it says has received an “overwhelming response”.
Terry Day said: “We have no choice but to keep going, to retain this wonderful community resource. A befriending relationship is two-way, built on trust and caring, within certain boundaries and supported by experienced staff.
“The friendships supported by our service go on for a very long time – over a quarter for longer than three years – and have deep meaning for the older person and the volunteer. To lose that would inevitably cause distress and exacerbate loneliness. Losing our dedicated trained volunteers would be such a loss to the community.”
Lee Thomside, chairperson of the Afro-Caribbean Elders Association added: “I am so relieved to hear that Age UK Waltham Forest are carrying on running their befriending service. It is a godsend to our Afro-Caribbean Elders, so many of whom live on their own. Once they become housebound life is so very difficult for them and a befriender can make all the difference.”
Anyone wishing to donate to Age UK Waltham Forest can do so here
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