Understanding the changing needs, challenges and opportunities across North & East Yorkshire

As part of our 5-year plan preparation, Two Ridings contacted hundreds of community organisations across our region to gain an understanding of the shift in needs, challenges and opportunities faced by people they support. The survey, with over 30% response rate,  revealed a powerful snapshot of life across York & North Yorkshire, Hull & East Yorkshire. It showed that community organisations are seeing rising demand, shrinking resources, and increasingly complex challenges.

The picture is varied across our very diverse region, and not all these statements are true in every area, but the following summarised insights give a flavour of the challenges groups are facing

1. Demand is outpacing capacity
   Community groups are stepping in where statutory services once led, supporting people with complex needs and facing growing pressure to do more with less.
2. Barriers to inclusion are rising
   For example, whether it is digital exclusion or travel costs or diminished confidence, many people are struggling to engage. For some community groups, outreach is harder, and support is stretched thin.
3. Poverty is still prevalent
   In-work poverty, rising costs, and reduced services are leaving more people without essentials, and without access to wellbeing activities.
4. Isolation affects people across the board
   Young people and older adults alike are facing loneliness and social isolation. This affects people rurally, in our urban areas and across a wide range of demographics.
5. Mental health needs are escalating 
   More people are experiencing complex mental health challenges. They are increasingly being sign-posted to community groups for support, but the resources to respond are very stretched.  
6. Rural communities face distinctive struggles
   Poor transport, loss of services, and rising costs are isolating rural residents.
7. Community cohesion is under strain
   Economic divides and social tensions are making it harder to build trust and unity, especially in diverse and deprived areas.

What community groups need

In this context, listening to what community groups need is more important than ever. What we heard loud and clear is that the organisations we support need more flexible, multi-year funding. The long-standing problem of short-term project grants hampers their ability to plan, make quick adjustments and create a stable organisational context for staff and volunteers. They know that they can achieve greater impact and act more strategically when they have reliable sources of unrestricted income, strong partnerships, and opportunities to reflect and learn. 

Our next steps

Our ongoing grant programmes continue to address these issues. And as we develop our new 5-year plan in the months ahead, we will ensure that our strategic priorities reflect and articulate our response to these pressing challenges. We’ll keep you updated, as the strategy develops.  

Together, we hope to turn these challenges into opportunities where people can flourish now and for generations to come.