Over the past decade, Fair for You has transformed the landscape of ethical lending, offering a dignified alternative to high-cost credit and supporting tens of thousands of families to access essential goods, improve their financial wellbeing, and enhance their quality of life. This report quantifies the breadth of social value created, reflects on lessons learned, and includes recommendations for social investors and wider financial inclusion policy.
The Food Club is a highly innovative partnership between Fair for You and Iceland Foods, providing small sum, interest-free credit to a demographic that has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. Our evaluation indicates it has been highly successful: reducing the use of interest bearing credit for essentials, and helping people stay on top of their household bills. And it has improved diets; stopped children from going hungry, and improved both physical and mental health in many cases.
We need urgent action to address Britain’s household debt crisis. Even before the Covid‑19 pandemic 7.2 million people (fourteen percent of the population) were heavily burdened by debt.
This report provides an assessment of the social benefits that have been created by Fair for You: a Community Interest Company providing affordable credit to families with incomes in the lower half of the income distribution throughout the UK.