28 | AUGUST 2020
Installer Support
LIGHTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY CHARITY PUBLISHES
ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT
The Lighthouse Construction
Industry Charity has just published
its fourth annual impact report
which communicates to the industry,
supporters and stakeholders, the
impact that the charity is making and
how it is helping to make a difference
to our construction community.
The report details the huge
increase in demand for their 24/7
Construction Industry Helpline
services, the introduction of free
wellbeing sessions, the success
of a major national project to
increase the number of mental
health first aiders and the development
of their Construction
Industry Helpline App.
2019 saw the total spent on
charitable services of £1.221
million which included £723,607
of charitable giving to families,
£416,372 on education and training
and £81,287 on health and
safety innovation.
During the year, 2615 cases
were presented to their helpline,
an increase of 57% on the previous
year, 445 of these were from
families requiring emergency
financial aid and 2170 were for
support on a variety of wellbeing
issues.
Despite the huge increase in
the number of cases, the charity
has demonstrated a 62% reduction
in the average cost per case
compared to 2018 due largely to
the introduction of professional
case workers.
Sarah Bolton, Head of Charitable
Services said, “Our case
workers manage some of the
more complex cases and can
harness all available government
and local support before
releasing charitable funds. As
well as ensuring better financial
stability for our beneficiaries,
this strategy also means that we
now deliver more support, to
a higher quality and at a lower
cost per case”.
One of the key findings of the
report was that 62% of emergency
financial grants were to help
pay for daily living costs including
buying food, paying utility
bills, and clearing rent arrears
and debt.
With over 50% of the construction
workforce either self-employed,
agency workers or on
zero hour contracts, many live
from one pay day to another,
which means that if things go
wrong, the situation quickly spirals
out of control.
To tackle the issue and address
the clear need for better financial
management, the charity has
added a ‘Financial Management’
training session to their existing
range of free wellbeing courses.
These sessions will provide
pro-active information, support
and guidance to help prevent situations
escalating to crisis point
and will stand alongside their
helpline app which already has
a section dedicated to financial
wellbeing.
The report also identifies that
of the 209 cases reporting a
death or bereavement, tragically,
21 of these were due to suicide,
highlighting the urgent need for
better proactive mental wellbeing
support in the industry.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse
Construction Industry
Charity said, “I have sleepless
nights trying to think of how we
can get our services to individuals
in crisis before they take
their life, I am convinced that if
given the opportunity we could
manage to turn some away from
suicide. With over 500 suicides
every year in construction we
are all morally obligated to be
on the look out for individuals
that are struggling. However,
looking back at 2019 and the
work we have already done this
year, we are now delivering a
huge portfolio of free and widely
available pro-active resources
and training to ensure that organisations
and individuals have
many pathways to support when
they need it.”
Speaking of the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the
charity’s income for 2020, Bill
Hill added, ”All of our charity
events have been cancelled and
with other companies unable to
fundraise for us in many of the
traditional ways, we are anticipating
a massive income shortfall of
£1 million. In April we launched
our Crisis Appeal to address
this issue and I am pleased to
advise that almost £500,00 has
been raised to date. I am always
humbled by the way our industry
pulls together in times of need
and this has been no exception.
We still have a long way to go
to achieve our 2020 fundraising
goal and secure our charitable
services but I am confident that
our industry will support us all
the way.”
lighthouseclub.org
constructionindustryhelpline.com
buildingmentalhealth.net