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.... to be delivered in partnership with local charities this winter.
Wiltshire Council has confirmed that it will continue to distribute £2.7m of Household Support Fund allocated to Wiltshire in partnership with a number of local organisations and internal departments.
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.
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
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.