Seeking warmth and companionship in a harsh Scottish winter

In one Glasgow neighborhood, the cost of living crisis is exacerbating energy problems and financial worries, and vital community hubs are struggling to stay afloat .

GLASGOW — As temperatures plummeted and a cold winter approached, a community center in Glasgow's Easterhouse district did what it could to help alleviate the struggles: it began to provide a warming space for people struggling with the costs of heating their homes. Christmases twinkled overhead, but one in two stores was vacant, a sign of the neighborhood's tough times. Upstairs, the Easterhouse Community Church has used gas heaters to keep its worshipers warm.

"You can see the difficulties on the people's faces,” Stuart Patterson, the church leader pastor, spoke of the difficulties many face. "But we love this community."

Mr. Patterson, who grew up in Easterhouse, is part of a group of local church leaders, volunteers, community workers and business owners who have dedicated their lives to supporting this long-neglected area, one of the most economically deprived. from Scotland. But with inflation and soaring energy costs, they're finding it harder than ever.

This month, as temperatures dipped below Freezing across Britain in a rare cold spell, the church was a freezing temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, or around 37 degrees Fahrenheit, when Mr Patterson opened its doors.

Easterhouse, considered one of Scotland's most deprived areas, is just one of many places across Britain where the cost of living crisis aggravates pre-existing tensions. Some residents have very real fears that they won't be able to provide for their most basic needs this winter.

ImageWhile Christmas decorations adorn parts of the Lochs, one in two stores are vacant, a sign of tough times at Easterhouse.Credit...Andrew Testa for The New York Times

ImageA women's group meeting at the Phoenix Community Center in Easterhouse. Credit...Andrew Testa for The New York Times

The Lochs, an aging late 1960s shopping center that has fallen into disrepair, offers a snapshot of deterioration in low-income communities. The center is full of community spaces and essential businesses that many say are needed more than ever.

At the moment, however, they are struggling to keep their doors open, with supply prices through the roof. They are not alone: ​​A recent report by a UK faith-based research group noted that community centres, volunteers and faith groups, seen as the "last line of defence" for the most needy, are under pressure growing economy.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">It doesn't help that the heat in the centre, owned by Glasgow City Council, isn't running. Shop owners protested, saying they couldn't keep up with...