Barnardo’s has written to the Chancellor today alongside representatives from more than 120 other organisations, including Salford CVS, calling for an urgent extension to the fund. The charities warn of the ‘devastating consequences’ for families facing hardship if the fund is not extended.
Letter:
Dear Chancellor,
We are writing to you as a group of organisations deeply concerned about the future of the Household Support Fund (HSF).
No family should have to choose between heating their home or feeding their children in the UK in 2024. When someone is facing hardship they need to be able to turn to their local authority for help. The HSF has enabled many to do so with 26 million grants given to households struggling to afford the essentials.[1]
The clock is now ticking - current funding for the HSF ends on 31 March. Not extending it beyond this point will leave a major gap in support which neither local government, nor the voluntary sector will be able to fill.
Ahead of the Spring Budget, we are urging you to extend the Household Support Fund for at least the next year, so that families facing hardship, hunger, and unexpected costs are able to get the help they need in their communities.
The HSF has enabled councils to provide vital support, helping families in crisis access essentials, receive advice and support and get practical help with things like furniture and white goods. 62% of local welfare spending was financed by the HSF in 2022/23 and need is growing.[2] New Barnardo’s research shows that crisis requests to local authorities for children’s beds and bedding alone rose from 4,000 in 2019 to 18,000 in 2023.[3]
As organisations on the front-line we know how important local authority support is to the children, families and individuals we work with. This is a crucial part of our social safety net and its removal will have devastating consequences.
Too many households are one unexpected cost away from having to make impossible decisions about their spending. 1 in 7 parents have fallen into arrears or gone into their overdraft due to rising costs and 4.2 million children – more than 1 in 4 – are living in poverty.[4] Without support in place families are often left with no option but to take on debt or go without even more of the essentials we all need.
Up and down the country local authorities are doing what they can to help people who are struggling to make ends meet in times of hardship. This is not something any of us can afford to see diminish when the current round of HSF funding ends in March. Local government needs certainty and to be able to make long-term decisions to do the best by their communities.
We urge you to provide funding for the Household Support Fund beyond March.
Yours sincerely,
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