Councillor Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality, met on Monday 10 June 2024 to approve the allocation of the Household Support Fund for Haringey. The meeting confirmed the council's receipt of £2,406,672 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support vulnerable households with essential costs between April and September 2024.

Household Support Fund Allocation

The Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality approved the allocation of £2,406,672 from the Government's Household Support Fund. This funding, provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will be used to support vulnerable households in Haringey with essential costs such as energy, food, and water bills from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024.

The objective of the Household Support Fund is to provide assistance to households most in need, particularly those who may not qualify for other government support but still require crisis assistance. The fund is intended to benefit a wide range of low-income households, including families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, and disabled individuals.

Key decisions made include:

• Noting the total allocation of £2,406,672 for the period.
• Approving the allocation of this funding as detailed in the Household Support Fund Scheme Policy: May 2024¹.
• Delegating authority to the Assistant Director of Customer Services, in consultation with Councillor Chandwani, to amend the policy to optimise fund distribution and comply with any changes in legislation or government guidance.
• Delegating authority for the Assistant Director of Customer Services to provide Free School Meal (FSM) vouchers to eligible households during the Autumn half-term 2024 holidays, subject to future funding allocations and permissibility under the scheme. These vouchers will be distributed through schools.
• Agreeing that the policy is contingent on the availability of government funding and will conclude on 30 September 2024. Authority is also delegated to the Assistant Director of Customer Service to extend the policy if the government increases funding or extends the eligible period.

The report highlighted that a significant portion of the funding, £1.2 million, is earmarked for holiday free school meal vouchers. An additional £811,000 is allocated for direct cash payments of £100 to various groups, including families in financial stress with children ineligible for Free School Meals, pensioner households in financial stress, and households with a disabled family member. A further £200,000 is designated for the Haringey Support Fund, an application-based scheme for those most in need, and £200,000 for administration costs.

The decision to centralise the distribution of funding through the Haringey Support Fund, rather than allocating it directly to voluntary and community sector partners as in previous rounds, was made to ensure a more targeted distribution to those most in need. However, the council will continue to work closely with voluntary and community sector partners to promote awareness of the application-based scheme and encourage applications from hard-to-reach communities.

The report also noted that all support will be available to households with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) in line with government guidance, provided there is a genuine care need. The council has also considered previous direct payments from the government, such as the £900 for those on means-tested benefits and £150 for disabled people, when determining the distribution of the current round of funding.