A further £4.8million has been granted to Haringey Council to help residents through the cost-of-living crisis as part of the Department for Work Pension’s Household Support Fund (HSF).
The funding has been instrumental in providing essential aid to residents facing financial hardship and this latest allocation of funds will enable the council to offer further financial support to communities.
As part of the HSF, Haringey Council is committed to supporting approximately 10,000 families by providing free school meal vouchers throughout the school holidays. This initiative aims to alleviate the pressure on families who rely on these meals to meet their children's nutritional needs during term time.
In order to ensure that funds are allocated effectively and reach those most in need, the council will treat the current round of funding as a six-month split, despite it being distributed for a full year. The council has already started allocating £2.4million and will follow this with an additional £2.4million in Autumn 2023.
Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, said:
“This additional funding is a significant step towards expanding our capacity to help those in need.
“We already have a place our Here to Help scheme and we are determined to provide comprehensive support to our most vulnerable residents and ensure that they receive the assistance required.
“We hope this extra support will help to ease the strain on our most vulnerable households and help anyone in financial crisis through these difficult times.”
The council will reach out to eligible households, and there is no need for residents to apply for the funding. Payments will be disbursed directly to nearly 9,000 households and individuals.
While the majority of households will receive a one-off payment of £100, it is important to note that the exact amount will be determined based on individual circumstances. This tailored approach ensures that those in the most vulnerable situations receive the support they require.
Further funding will also be available to the Voluntary and Community sector (VCS), which will be an application-based process to secure the desired funding amount, as well as funding assigned to the Haringey Support Fund.
Residents will receive a letter from the council that will have an enclosed Post Office voucher and they will then be able to cash the voucher at any UK Post Office.
To find out more, please visit Household Support Fund.
To check what other financial support is available, please visit Haringey, Here to Help.
