They have shared how they will spend £2.4 million of the government’s Household Support Fund.
They have shared how they will spend £2.4 million of the government’s Household Support Fund:
- £500,000 for applications for financial help to the ‘Helping Hand’ team
- £820,000 to fund digital food vouchers – for eligible nursery and school children, and some arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine that the council is supporting
- £300,000 to local community groups delivering free support to residents such as foodbanks
- £360,000 of targeted support for priority groups such as Care Leavers and Pensioners through digital vouchers and other schemes
- £250,000 to bolster the local crisis fund, which has already raised more than £80,000 in under a month of operation
There are a number of other measures and initiatives the council is undertaking this winter too, alongside partners in the voluntary and community sector as part of the overall ‘Helping Hand’ package of support for residents.
These include:
- A ‘Crisis Fund’ with the charity ‘Heart of Bucks’, which has raised more than £80,000 already for local residents.
- Launching a network of ‘Welcoming Spaces’ for people to come into safe, inclusive spaces that offer warmth, support and company
- The development of a ‘Warm Box’ offer, to provide another strand of practical help to residents who need it
- Continuing our ‘HAF’ (Holiday Activities and Food) programme offer through the longer school holiday periods (Christmas, Easter and Summer), providing eligible children with free, high-quality holiday activity clubs with a healthy hot meal
- Pulling together information, support and advice into one place on the Buckinghamshire Council website, so people can access information quickly and easily that is tailored to their needs