Elizabeth Finn Care
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Finn Care, established by Elizabeth Anne Finn
in 1897 as the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association, is a British charity providing help and assistance to relieve the problems of old age, illness, social isolation and disability.
, saying that "if the Salvation Army took the most wretched off the streets, Elizabeth Finn’s Distressed Gentlefolk’s Aid Association identified, in the downwardly mobile, a genuine and discrete kind of misery."
By 2000 the charity had decided to switch names, as "gentlefolk" had become dated and the organisation decided to honour the memory of its founder by changing to the Elizabeth Finn Trust. Described as an opportunity to move with the times the change was described as necessary by the charity's Chief Executive Jonathan Welfare because "we describe ourselves as an organisation that helps out with professionals rather than gentlefolk". The director of marketing and communications said that "by changing the name we hope to be more appealing to people who would otherwise be scared away by the words distressed and gentlefolk." The charity later updated its name to Elizabeth Finn Care.
In 2007, the charity supported 2,500 people each year, spending £4 million in weekly grants and one-off payments. The charity set up Turn2us
as a separate service in 2007 and they rejoined in 2009. Turn2us allows people to identify welfare benefits, grants and other help available to them.
Elizabeth Finn Care operates nine care homes and 10 almshouse cottages through its subsidiary Elizabeth Finn Homes.
Elizabeth Finn Care also conducts research into issues of poverty and financial difficulty. In June 2010, they released a report stating that 2 out of 5 people expected to be financially worse off in six months time. Previous research showed that a third of people would skip meals to save money before approaching a debt charity. In April 2010, in research with Roehampton University
, they found that the recession was having an effect on the mental health of UK residents due to concerns about job losses and pay cuts.
Elizabeth Anne Finn
Elizabeth Finn was a writer and "the strong-willed and intelligent" wife of James Finn, British Consul in Jerusalem, in Ottoman Palestine between 1846 and 1863....
in 1897 as the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association, is a British charity providing help and assistance to relieve the problems of old age, illness, social isolation and disability.
Origins
Elizabeth Finn Care was established as the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association in 1897 by Elizabeth Finn, aged 72, and her daughter Constance, after learning that gentlefolk – a British class description for "people of the better sort" – were living destitute. One of these gentlefolk was an 80-year-old woman, dying of cancer while barely subsisting on the declining returns from her failing investments. The obituary of Colonel W. W. Knollys after his death in 1904 claimed he was one of three founders. An example of its mission is summarised by David AaronovitchDavid Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
, saying that "if the Salvation Army took the most wretched off the streets, Elizabeth Finn’s Distressed Gentlefolk’s Aid Association identified, in the downwardly mobile, a genuine and discrete kind of misery."
Change of name
In 1989 The New York Times reported that "Some supporters and detractors have argued that the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association should change its name in order to appear less class-bound and more up to date."By 2000 the charity had decided to switch names, as "gentlefolk" had become dated and the organisation decided to honour the memory of its founder by changing to the Elizabeth Finn Trust. Described as an opportunity to move with the times the change was described as necessary by the charity's Chief Executive Jonathan Welfare because "we describe ourselves as an organisation that helps out with professionals rather than gentlefolk". The director of marketing and communications said that "by changing the name we hope to be more appealing to people who would otherwise be scared away by the words distressed and gentlefolk." The charity later updated its name to Elizabeth Finn Care.
Current work
The charity defines its role as follows:In 2007, the charity supported 2,500 people each year, spending £4 million in weekly grants and one-off payments. The charity set up Turn2us
Turn2us
Turn2us is a UK-based non-profit service that helps people in financial need access the money available to them - through welfare benefits, grants and other financial help...
as a separate service in 2007 and they rejoined in 2009. Turn2us allows people to identify welfare benefits, grants and other help available to them.
Elizabeth Finn Care operates nine care homes and 10 almshouse cottages through its subsidiary Elizabeth Finn Homes.
Elizabeth Finn Care also conducts research into issues of poverty and financial difficulty. In June 2010, they released a report stating that 2 out of 5 people expected to be financially worse off in six months time. Previous research showed that a third of people would skip meals to save money before approaching a debt charity. In April 2010, in research with Roehampton University
Roehampton University
The University of Roehampton is a campus university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, south-west London.-History:...
, they found that the recession was having an effect on the mental health of UK residents due to concerns about job losses and pay cuts.