A further £7.1 million will be spent over the next year to support Cambridgeshire households with their cost of living.
The money delivered through the Household Support Fund (HSF) is part of a wider support offer from Cambridgeshire County Council which links families and households with different offers of support, some of which they may not previously have been aware of.
The HSF is a government-funded scheme with the latest award to be spent from April until the end of March next year.
More than half of the new round of funding (£4 million) will continue to be spent delivering food vouchers for thousands of families during school holidays through the new Cambridgeshire Holiday Voucher Scheme.
The rest will be used to offer a range of support for households in need, including through 80 ‘trusted partner’ organisations who can make applications directly to the council.
Over the next 12 months, this model will be expanded to prevent people entering poverty, or to help those already struggling financially. This includes working with the NHS to identify more potential recipients.
People eligible for support includes single adults with no children earning less than £20,383 a year, or couples earning less than £27,340 a year. Those figures increase for families with children.
Further information on the HSF, including how to apply, can be found on the council’s website.
Cllr Tom Sanderson, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, said: “The Household Support Fund has provided vital relief for people struggling with the cost of living, so it’s great news that we have another £7 million to spend over the next 12 months.
“By working with dozens of partner organisations we have been able to reach people who may not realise they were eligible for support, and we are keen to expand our network so nobody slips through the cracks.
“I would urge anyone who believes they may be eligible to look on our website to see how we may be able to help them.”
To read the report, which was approved by the committee, visit the council’s website Council and committee meetings - Cambridgeshire County Council > Meetings (cmis.uk.com). To watch the meeting back, visit the council’s YouTube page.
