We began Down to Earth when one client couldn't afford his rent and so lost his home and his job. He was trying to do the 'honourable thing' and pay for his father's funeral on his own. Since the service launched in September 2010, we have made some significant progress.
The pain and disorientation of grief is multiplied by poverty and the crushing reality of the practical things that must be taken care of. If you have family, friends and people to turn to for support, then they can help share the burden and the pain. But left to cope alone, the consequences are much less manageable.
We manage people's expectations of a funeral so their choices don't mean piling on unmanageable costs to give the deceased a good send off. In the last two years Down to Earth has negotiated an average funeral prices of £2,167, saving over £1,000 per funeral. We have now saved over £100,000 for our clients in funeral costs.
How you can help:
One-in-six people struggle to pay for a funeral and even more people struggle in London where more people live in poverty and funeral costs are higher. State aid for funerals from the Social Fund only covers the average shortfall of around £1,200. It does not help the poorest to give their loved one a meaningful funeral.
Please help us close the gap between the cost of a dignified funeral and what people can afford.
Please make a donation today to help Down to Earth support many more people on a low income.
Your support will help people benefit from Down to Earth, people like Alan, Kwame, Nora and Patrick:
- Anne-Marie met Alan on her first visit as a volunteer mentor when his mum died.
- We met Kwame when his mother Althea was in the closing stages of her life.
- Nora was referred to us by a friend of her mother, after her mother died of cancer.
- Patrick was referred to us by the local hospice when his brother Sean passed away.
Down to Earth is changing the cost of funeral in east London:
Source: The data used here comes from research by Sun Life Direct and is based on its annual Cost of Dying report, including the 9th Funeral Survey since 2004. The report is commissioned by Sun Life Direct and carried out by Mintel Research Consultancy. It is supplemented by QSA analysis. The figures here represent typical funeral costs.
