The Cash First Flexible Crisis Fund Formally Closes in Aberdeen

The Aberdeen Cash First Network is part of the Scottish Government’s pilot Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland, which sets out a human rights-based approach to tackling food insecurity over a two-year period across eight delivery areas.

Co-designed by ACVO and seven partner organisations in Aberdeen, the fund delivered financial assistance and person-centred support to single males aged 18 to 45 who were in receipt of Universal Credit and presenting at food banks in crisis.

From the outset, the ambition was to deliver help that offered flexibility and choice for recipients - not only by offering financial support during times of crisis but also by ensuring access to adequate advice and wrap-around support.

The first year of the pilot demonstrated the transformative effect of choice, dignity and trust for a demographic often considered as hard to reach, a reality powerfully illustrated through the Stories from Cash First Aberdeen project.

Bringing real, lived-experience voices to the forefront, Stories from Cash First Aberdeen shares the challenges each individual has experienced as well as the impact that direct, flexible financial support has had on their personal circumstances.

At point of closure, monitoring from the fund shows that foodbank use among recipients had dropped by 92%, with 78% not returning to a food bank since receiving Cash First funding.

Beyond food insecurity, the impact of wider outcomes recorded include:

• 71% maximised their income through improved access to benefits assessments and other funding opportunities.

• 84% experienced increased access to wrap-around support, such as housing support, money and welfare advice and access to IT equipment.

• 80% reported feeling improvements in their mental health and wellbeing, reducing their long-term need for crisis support.

• 28% improved their employment opportunities.

These results highlight the potential of a Cash First approach to reduce food insecurity and deliver wider, long-term societal benefits when scaled-up to wider demographics.

"Though the fund has now closed, the learning from this pilot year has been significant. ACVO and partners are actively exploring options to secure future funding and continue a Cash First approach in Aberdeen."

ACVO’s ambition remains clear: to see Aberdeen become one of the first cities in Scotland to reduce the need for foodbanks, offering those facing food poverty not just immediate relief but the chance to move forward in life with choice and dignity.

To find out more about Cash First, to view the Stories from Cash First Aberdeen project or for the latest updates, visit cashfirstaberdeen.scot.