Funding to support Havering residents with cost of living crisis extended

Havering Council have committed to an extra £3.2 million funding

Funding to support residents in Havering with the cost of living crisis has been extended.

Havering Council have committed an extra £3.2 million cash boost to support various schemes implemented to help those in need across the borough.

The extra money will be used to top up the Havering Helps emergency assistance fund until the end of the financial year – which grants emergency payments of £100 to those in desperate need.

Funding of £3million comes from the government’s Household Support Fund for local authorities.

The Council says money will also be used “to support a number of schemes already in motion to help vulnerable residents, including children, pensioners and care leavers.”

These include over £1million for the Havering Helps emergency assistance scheme and a further £1.1million to continue the School Holiday Meal Scheme for 9,000 local children for another year.

Over £500,000 will be allocated for pensioners in receipt of Council Tax Support – with £100 credit to their Council Tax accounts which can be transferred to their bank accounts.

In total, £225,000 will be set aside for 300 care leavers to help with their fuel and food bills throughout the year.

Further funds have also been allocated for children’s accommodation and for families coming to the borough under the Ukraine Visa Scheme.

Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said: “It’s been an incredibly tough winter for many of our most vulnerable residents, as energy bills and the cost of living has continued to rise and more people slip below the poverty line.

“It is imperative that we do everything we can to support those who, through no fault of their own, are struggling to make ends meet. Continuing the Havering Helps emergency assistance scheme for another year will mean we can keep that vital safety net in place for those who need it.

“These funds will go directly to help those people and services in Havering that need it most, and I am glad we are able to do what we can despite the Council’s own financial challenges.”

In the last year, the Havering Helps scheme processed 13,000 successful applications for emergency funds, which cost over £1.4million.

Over 1,100 of those applications were made by residents with disabilities, and over 90 per cent were from households on Universal Credit and other benefits.

Anyone struggling with the rising cost of living, can visit the Council’s cost of living support page.

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