Why they chose the Sunderland Gift Card
Back On The Map supports over 4500 residents and 700 families. They chose to distribute Housing Support Funding to families using the Sunderland Gift Card instead of the Asda vouchers they had used in the past. This enabled the charity to keep money in Hendon by directing residents to 3 local businesses – a butchers, a bakers and a local shop – to spend their cards, supporting their objectives to help local people and the local community.
Benefits
The monthly reports on usage showed that almost all of the £10,000 Sunderland Gift Cards distributed with the funding were spent in Hendon, locking spend into the hyper local economy. The fact that these businesses were within walking distance was extremely helpful to residents who don’t drive.
We’ve had amazing feedback on the Sunderland Gift Card. Working families were so grateful to receive the card. The Sunderland Gift Card is something they feel comfortable using and it’s a great thing. Many of the people who work in our local shops have had support from Back On The Map in the past. Using the Sunderland Gift Card helps our service users, helps our high street and keeps local people in jobs
Experience of using the card
When the Household Support Fund money was allocated, Back On The Map invoiced Sunderland Council for £10,000 and ordered the Sunderland Gift Cards online. The cards were unlocked once they had safely arrived at the charity. Service users were invited into the centre to pick up their card, with £100 allocated to a single person and £25 for every additional person. This was also an ideal opportunity for the charity to tell them about additional services available in the community, and show each service user how to check the balance of their gift card using the website or QR code that features on the card, which was a really handy feature for service users.
Service user experience
The feedback from service users has been strong. At Christmas, service users used the card to buy meat for Christmas lunch, whilst their local shop was especially popular for people to buy items like milk, bread and tinned goods. The reports showed that service users spent a little at a time, as they needed essentials. Importantly, the Sunderland Gift Card was a support that service users felt comfortable accessing, providing dignity and making a tangible impact to people’s lives.
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