Tackling Destitution Together

Learning how to prevent crisis and improve local support

What we learned from five local partnerships testing ways to reach people earlier and create more joined-up support for people facing hunger and hardship.

CommunityFood banksLocal government

Tackling Destitution Together (TDT) was an innovative partnership between Trussell and Citizens Advice (England and Wales), bringing together five local foodbanks and Citizens Advice partnerships, to test new ways of helping people access advice and support before they reach crisis.

TDT was delivered in Hammersmith & Fulham, Hull, North Lancashire, Rotherham and Ynys Môn.

People experiencing, or at risk of, hunger and hardship often face multiple, interconnected challenges. Yet local support can be fragmented and difficult to navigate. Over 12 months, the partnerships tested approaches combining community-based advice, frontline training, local data, partnership working and lived experience to explore how services could work better together.

The independent evaluation, conducted by Revealing Reality, highlights valuable learning about what's needed to work more preventatively, and the foundations needed for longer-term systems change.

What we learned

Building on Revealing Reality's independent evaluation, we've drawn out four key areas of learning.

Strengthening connections between services

Support is often fragmented, making it difficult for people to navigate local systems and access the help they need. Pilots worked with frontline agencies to improve knowledge and confidence around available support, strengthening referral pathways and connections between services.

People’s experiences can drive better support

Insights from people facing hunger and hardship helped partnerships identify service improvements, shape local approaches and inform frontline training. However, listening alone is not enough. Meaningful involvement requires trust, dedicated time and a clear commitment to translating people's experiences into decisions and action.

Early progress lays the foundations for longer-term change

The partnerships demonstrated what changing local systems of support can look like in practice. The shared Pathway to Systems Change framework helped them recognise early progress, understand what was changing and identify opportunities to build on this work. Further development and evaluation are needed to understand longer-term impact.

Preventing crisis requires sustained investment and time

Partnerships tested approaches to help people access advice earlier and prevent needs from escalating. However, several were only beginning to build momentum as funding ended. A year provided valuable learning, but longer-term investment is needed to build trusted relationships, strengthen partnerships and embed sustainable preventative approaches.

What happens next?

TDT demonstrates the potential of local partnerships to make support more accessible and joined up for people facing hunger and hardship. The learning provides a foundation for Trussell, Citizens Advice and the wider advice sector to build on promising practice, strengthen local collaboration and support more preventative approaches, helping people access the right support at the right time.