Warm Hubs: Executive Summary of Key Findings
This research gauged community thoughts on 'Warm Hubs' – local spaces providing warmth and resources during colder months. An online survey and in-person community engagement was conducted with 309 Wirral residents in October 2022. Residents indicated they would use Warm Hubs for socialising, mitigating the rising cost of living and warmth. However, managing well, having other commitments or feeling anxious were cited as reasons not to attend. This work highlighted that Warm Hubs should welcome all people, be local, accessible and easy to access via public transport, and should include food and drinks, social activities and resources, not just warmth.
Insights gathered: October 2022
Insights gathered by
Qualitative Insight Team, Public Health, Wirral Council
Aim
This project sought to understand:
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If residents would use a Warm Hub in the next six months.
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Why residents would choose to use a Warm Hub.
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What factors might affect resident’s decision to attend and/or prevent them from attending a Warm Hub.
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What Warm Hubs should offer, when and where they should be available, and who they should aim to support.
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How residents access, or would prefer to receive, information about Warm Hubs.
People engaged with
A combination of online surveys (172 participants) and in-person community engagement (137 participants) was used to gather anonymous feedback from 309 residents. We spoke to residents across the Wirral in different community venues, including residents who had used a Warm Hub before and those who had not.
Methods
Three engagement methods were used to capture resident feedback:
1) Online survey: Organisations within the Community, Voluntary and Faith (CVF) sector shared our online survey with residents they engaged with (56% of respondents).
2) Paper survey: The Community Connectors (Connect Us) shared a paper version of our survey with residents they engaged with in communities across Wirral (28% of respondents).
3) Qualitative Insight Grid: The Qualitative Insight Team (QIT) used a qualitative research grid to capture survey feedback alongside more detailed responses to survey questions.
The QIT engaged with residents within community venues across Wirral and engaged with a small number of residents and business owners via high-street engagement. This method also captured participant demographic information and additional insight, explanation and context behind participant feedback (16% of respondents).
Key insights
The following insights were gathered from 309 respondents:
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Awareness of Warm Hubs: Almost two-thirds of participants had heard of the term ‘Warm Hub’; one-third had not.
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Likelihood of using a Warm Hub in the next 6 months: Over one-third (38%) of participants would use a Warm Hub, over one-quarter (29%) might use a Warm Hub, and approximately one-quarter (27%) would not use a Warm Hub.
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Barriers to attending Warm Hubs: Knowing where the local Warm Hub is, work commitments, travel issues (cost, travel routes, distance to travel), care responsibilities, the suitability of facilities and participant physical and/or mental health.
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Factors influencing Warm Hub use: Participants were asked if the following issues would affect their decision to use a Warm Hub.
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Reducing fuel bills: stated by over half (59%) of respondents.
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Reducing fuel use: stated by almost half (46%) of respondents.
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Poor housing in cold weather: stated by approximately one-fifth (18%) of respondents.
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Approximately one-fifth (18%) of respondents stated none of the issues above would affect their decision to use a Warm Hub.
How residents receive information about Warm Hubs:
Most common responses were via the internet, social media, in-person conversations, leaflets/posters and via community organisations.
The following more detailed insights were gathered from 38 participants:
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Why residents would use a Warm Hub: To socialise with other people, to mitigate against the rising cost of living, to be in the community, to get out of their home and to be warm.
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Why residents would not use a Warm Hub: If they are managing well, if they have other commitments, if they were feeling anxious.
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Why residents might use a Warm Hub: If they were struggling financially, if they could not afford their bills, if the hub was more local or within walking distance, if opening times suited their needs, and if they had adequate transport.
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What Warm Hubs should offer: Food and drinks, social activities and resources, welcoming people, social interaction and warmth.
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Who should benefit from using a Warm Hub: Everyone should be able to benefit, with a specific focus on older people, people on low incomes, people who are homeless, cannot afford their bills and/or in receipt of benefits.
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Where should Warm Hubs be located: Local communities or town centres, places that are easy to access via public transport, and local community buildings.
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When should Warm Hubs be available: Between and beyond 9am – 5pm, weekends, during colder periods and/or higher energy use and at flexible times due to different needs.
The following overall recommendations were suggested for future Warm Hub provision:
1) Warm Hubs should be open to and welcoming of all people – to ensure anyone who would benefit from attending can access them. Residents may benefit from staff/volunteer guidance and/or support to gain knowledge of provision and build confidence in attending Warm Hubs.
2) Warm Hubs should provide a clear ‘offer’ to residents, not just the provision of warm spaces – residents may benefit from refreshments, resources to mitigate against the rising cost of living, social activities, and information sessions.
3) Warm Hubs ‘offers’ should be promoted in multiple ways – to ensure as wide a range of residents as possible can access information. Dissemination through community organisations, the internet, social media and word of mouth would be particularly beneficial.
4) Warm Hub providers should be supported to address barriers that restrict residents from accessing Warm Hubs – to ensure that residents who want to access Warm Hub provision can travel to, gain access to and engage with Warm Hubs provision.
Quotes
“It is very frightening, especially when you live on your own. I don't know my neighbours. I don't live in social housing where you would have a link or someone to go to for support. It's hard for people who live in their own private homes, it can be very isolating. So having somewhere to go in the community can help to feel less isolated".
“It's not a practical way of living [worrying about affording fuel at home]. Some people don't want to use community hubs, not everyone wants to talk to people. When it gets to January, when the house is cold, my thoughts might change. We haven't hit the cold weather yet. People need to know that community hubs are welcoming. It helps to have someone there to guide you and speak to you, particularly if you are anxious about attending."
How have the insights been used/shared?
In Wirral, the insights gathered from residents about warm hubs have been key to shaping how local support services are delivered and improved. By listening to people’s experiences of fuel costs, staying warm, and managing the rising cost of living, the Council and its partners were able to open and expand more than 20 warm hubs across the borough – safe, welcoming spaces where residents can keep warm, connect with others, and access practical advice. This local feedback also guided how funding was used, helping to focus resources on the neighbourhoods most in need. In addition, what was learned has informed Wirral’s wider winter preparedness work and helped strengthen partnership efforts to tackle fuel poverty in a way that is rooted in real community experience.
Online links
Contact
qualitativeinsightteam@wirral.gov.uk