About Us
What is the need?
Although Surrey is perceived as an affluent county, there are surprising levels of hidden deprivation. Amongst the leafy lanes and imposing houses are areas of real need. The statistics speak for themselves:
- Child poverty is well over 30% and as high as 44% in some areas of the county, with this figure worryingly increasing since 2001 reports.
- 35.8% of children in some areas of Surrey live in a household headed by a lone parent.
- Many areas of Surrey significantly exceed the national average score of 21.57 in the 'Index of Multiple Deprivation'.
- The South East has the highest rates of sickness absence in the country with mental and stress related illnesses the greatest factors.
In addition:
- Almost all voluntary and charitable groups in Surrey have had a reduction in their statutory funding, whilst in some cases seeing an increase in those they need to support.
- There is an acute shortage of affordable housing making it much harder for schools and other public services to recruit and retain good staff, ultimately impacting on our communities.
- Demand for social care for our aging population far exceeds supply.
If you would like to find out more about social disadvantage in Surrey and some of the transformational projects that our voluntary and community groups are doing around the county download our report 'Hidden Surrey' by Dr Helen Bowcock.