In 2018 the Construction Industry Helpline provided £1.254m of charitable services to support the wellbeing of the construction workforce and their families in the UK and Ireland.
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity runs the helpline, which received 1662 calls last year, of which 662 were seeking emergency financial support. This is an increase of over 40 per cent on 2017. The amount of charitable giving provided in 2018 was £1.25m, a jump of 75 per cent on the previous year.
Of the 1662 cases presented to the helpline, 1033 of these were given advice and support on issues ranging from mental wellbeing issues through to legal, debt management and taxation advice. The charity has also seen a huge increase for requests of its helpline packs and now have over 350,000 helpline cards in circulation within the construction workforce.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, said, “On the positive side the 2018 figures show that we are reaching out to more construction workers and their families, but it also means that too many of them find themselves in desperate situations. The significant escalation in families needing our support has taken us by surprise and has put pressure on our finances. With two construction workers taking their own life every single working day, and stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for a fifth of all work-related illness, it’s vital that we continue to provide our helpline services and put additional funding into the construction industry’s dedicated and volunteer led, Building Mental Health programme. But the only way that we can plan ahead is with predictable income. That’s why we launched our Company Supporters initiative and our ‘Save a Life’ campaign. We’re urging companies to pledge a regular annual donation to ensure the long term sustainability of our valuable charitable services. If you’re reading this and wondering how your company can make a difference, then here’s how to get involved.”
To access the helpline’s team of experts, call the Construction Industry Helpline on 0345 605 1956 or visit constructionindustryhelpline.com
