A pot of more than £24m to help struggling families throughout the North East has been given to 12 local councils in the region as part of an extra £421m winter boost to the Household Support Fund. The money, which came from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to target low-income families, was announced in October and will be distributed up until March 31 to help poor families cover essential living expenses.
Household Support Fund grants are intended to help people on low incomes pay for everyday essentials. Exact eligibility criteria, and the amount of money on offer, will vary between different local authorities, who have some autonomy on how they use the Fund to reach the vulnerable people in their communities.
Most council have used some of the allocation for families in receipt of free school meals and to help pensioners, with some prioritising families who were not eligible for the Government's cost of living payments. Money has also gone to charities and support groups to enable them continue supporting low-income groups.
