For Lindsey Turmore, a mother of nine children, life has never been easy.
The COVID-19 The pandemic brought its own challenges, but now the cost-of-living crisis is adding to her anxiety and damaging her already fragile mental health.
“It’s always been a struggle to make sure kids have the right necessities that they need,” says Lindsey.
“It’s hard. Choosing whether to buy food for my kids or pay my bills or pay my electricity. So you’re picking and choosing all the time,” she adds.
To help with her mood, Lindsey regularly visits The Church on the Street. It is an unfunded church run by Mick Flemming, the man most locals know simply as Pastor Mick, and to many he is a lifesaver.
She lives in Burnley, a city where the number of people claiming Universal Credit has increased by more than 50% in the last two years. The need for Pastor Mick’s help is now greater than ever.
Many of those who come to church have drug or drinking problems. Now, more and more people are coming for support and advice with financial and mental health problems.
According to estimates by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, just under a third of Burnley households are fuel short, meaning they spend more than 10% of their income on energy bills.
I ask Mick if he thinks there is a direct relationship between the current cost of living crisis and people’s mental health.
“Where there is poverty, there is anxiety,” he explains. “There’s no telling where your next meal is going to come from. There’s no telling if you can turn on the gas or the electricity. That causes stress and anxiety and physical and of course mental health issues.”
Research by the Mental Health UK charity supports Mick’s summary. He says the number of people contacting the charity for financial and mental health advice has risen by more than 96% in the last 12 months.
‘More depression is setting in’
David Allen is a counselor at The Church on the Street and says he sees the impact of the financial problems people are trying to deal with.
“The number (of customers) is growing more and more,” he says.
“People feel like their backs are against the wall, that they have nowhere to go, which affects their mental health. They feel more and more despondent and more depressed.”
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In a pilot partnership between the church and the local NHS trust, health professionals now visit the center once a week.
The idea is that the family environment can help guide people who need mental health care to participate in the services provided by the NHS.
Cost-of-living crisis adds to Ms. Turmore’s anxiety
However, for those like Lindsey, the church will always be a key part of their coping and recovery strategies.
“It’s like a family,” she says. “I don’t know where she would be if she couldn’t visit the center.”
Pastor Mick has grim predictions for the future, and he’s not alone.
For months many experts have been warning that a mental health crisis is looming. The fear now is that the added stress of the cost-of-living crisis will hasten their arrival.
