quakersocialaction.org.uk
Quaker Social Action is focused on poverty work in the UK.
“Quaker Social Action helps people on low incomes in East London and the UK to seek solutions to the issues affecting their lives. Founded 150 years ago by…Quakers, today [Quaker Social Action is] an independent charity inspired by Quaker values like equality in [their] work against poverty and injustice.”
At a November launch event at Friends House in London, England, Quaker Social Action (QSA) revealed its latest report: “Speaking Truth to Power: A Decade of Groundbreaking Work on Funeral Poverty.”
QSA’s work on funeral poverty began a decade ago, when it first started thinking about the impact of a death in the family for low‐income people in the United Kingdom. At that time the phrase “funeral poverty” didn’t exist; the issue was given little coverage in the media, and it was rarely mentioned in parliamentary debate.
In listening to families share about the unexpected expenses that resulted in their financial precariousness, stress, and debt, funerals came up fairly frequently, prompting QSA to research the issue. A gap in support was identified for those struggling with funeral costs, so in 2010 the Down to Earth service was launched to help people access an affordable and meaningful funeral. The Fair Funerals campaign followed in 2014–2018 to push for national change.
The report assesses progress made to date by QSA and its partners, and sets out a vision for continued action. Both the report and the launch event were made possible in part with a grant from the Quakers and Business group.