Support for struggling households to be delivered in partnership with local charities this winter

Wiltshire Council has been allocated £2.7m of Household Support Fund from the Department for Work and Pensions, for the period 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, to support households that would otherwise struggle to buy food, pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living costs during the current cost-of-living challenges.

The fund is intended to support a wide range of low-income households in need, including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, larger families, single-person households and those struggling with one off financial shocks or unforeseen events. Wiltshire Council has also identified that support is required for the homeless/rough sleepers, Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Boater Community.

New government guidance on how the funding can be used to support people now enables councils to assist with the cost of clothing including school uniforms, period and hygiene products, delivery and installation of essential items such as fridges, freezers and ovens. It can also be used for one-off payments to prevent a crisis.

Local Authorities have the flexibility to identify which households are in most need of support and apply their own discretion when identifying eligibility. The expectation is that The Fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available but who are nevertheless in need and who require crisis support.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Public Health said, Working in partnership with local organisations and charities, who are able to reach those in need in our community, has already enabled us to successfully deliver previous rounds of household support fund to households that are struggling during the current cost-of-living challenges.

We are pleased that the Government announced in the recent budget that funding will continue in 2025-26 and we await further details about this. We also hope the government will put in place a long-term strategy for providing support to those struggling with the cost of living.

This latest allocation of funding is primarily to provide crisis support to those most in need, with a smaller proportion of funding also available for preventative support. Support for those in crisis will be provided via the Council and our Voluntary Community Services including: Citizens Advice, Trussell Trust and Age UK, who will have financial outreach workers throughout Wiltshire.

Earlier allocations of the Household Support Fund have been distributed to families, disabled people and older adults through over 90 different schemes. Food, furniture, rent contributions, fuel support and advice are key areas where schemes have made a difference through the government funding since it was first introduced in October 2021.

The council has administered the HSF across a range of areas. A substantial amount has been on free school meals in the holidays, food, energy, advice services and other essentials.

The result has been:

• Positive impacts on individuals and families, from a variety of support (food, fuel, rent, furniture)
• Helping those not covered by existing support schemes, including those with disabilities, low-income households just above benefit thresholds, care leavers and unpaid carers.
• Improving food security for vulnerable communities
• Filling gaps in the social safety net, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

The council's partners in providing support were well-positioned to identify and address local needs. Among these partners were the Wiltshire Community Foundation and Community Foodbanks.

Other partners included:

• Centre for Sustainable Energy - boiler and heating and food and fuel vouchers
• Wiltshire Citizens Advice
• FearFree
• Turning Point
• A number of housing associations, with hardship fund support

Information about the Household Support Fund is available at Household Support Fund 6  

Wiltshire Council also provides cost-of-living advice and support, which can be found at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living.

About the Charities

Age UK Wiltshire

An independent, local charity providing support and services to older people living in Wiltshire and Swindon, something they've been doing for over 70 years. They want everyone to be able to love later life.

They do this by inspiring, supporting and enabling older people, helping them stay safe, make informed choices and be independent yet connected.

Find out more at Age UK Wiltshire(opens new window)

Reg Number: 800912

FearFree

Working to break the cycle of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

With highly professional, fully trained and hugely caring teams who work across communities in the Southwest; providing personalised support services to help victims change or move on from abusive relationships; supporting people who have experienced sexual violence or stalking, supporting children and young people affected by abuse to move on with their lives and; running voluntary programmes for perpetrators to help them change their behaviour.

Find out more at www.fear-less.org.uk(opens new window)

Reg Number: 1064764 

Wiltshire Community Foundation

An independent charity. They exist to tackle disadvantage and strengthen local communities by inspiring philanthropy and supporting the voluntary sector.

Their mission is to maximise the impact of charitable activity by connecting people, information and resources.

Find out more at www.wiltshirecf.org.uk(opens new window)

Reg Number: 1123126

Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE)

A charity supporting people and organisations across the UK to tackle the climate emergency and end the suffering caused by cold homes. We do this by sharing our knowledge, practical experience and policy insights.

For over 40 years, they've supported people to take effective action on energy in their homes. They help communities and local councils to understand energy issues, set priorities and put plans into action. Their research and analysis is focused on making the energy system greener, smarter and fairer.

Find out more at https://www.cse.org.uk(opens new window) or call 0800 038 5722

Reg Number: 298740

Turning Point

Working with people who need our support with their drug and alcohol use, mental health, offending behaviour, unemployment issues and people with a learning disability. They aim to inspire and empower them to discover new possibilities in their lives.

Everything they do is aimed at providing good quality, person-centred services in the right location at the right time, making a real difference for the people and communities they support.

Find out more at www.turning-point.co.uk(opens new window)

Reg Number: 234887

White Horse Housing Association

White Horse Housing Association have properties located in the rural villages of Wiltshire. They support tenant's who are struggling with the cost of living and can assist tenants in person, in their own home, by post or by telephone, to complete application forms for items such as grocery vouchers, utility payments, clothing, school uniform, school stationery, toiletries, transport and other essential household items.

White Horse Housing tenants can contact them by phone 01380 850916 or email info@whitehorsehousing.co.uk to be put in touch with a Housing Officer.