The Island’s more vulnerable residents will not be left out in the cold this winter, thanks to a range of measures to help people with the costs of food, utilities and other essentials.
Using its latest round of Household Support Funding from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Isle of Wight Council will be investing more than £1.1million in a wide variety of schemes and initiatives targeting households facing hardship, between now and March 2023.
The initiatives will expand on what was offered in the previous funding rounds to include support for foster carers registered with the council, unpaid carers, care leavers, and people with disabilities. It will also widen the support available to reach out to those who may not be eligible for other assistance but are nevertheless in need.
Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for children’s services, has said:
“With the rising cost of living now widely felt by everybody, we understand that there are residents who are struggling but don’t qualify for other packages of support and are at risk of slipping through the net.
“I am pleased to approve these latest funding allocations, which recognise and respond to the needs of Island residents in this position while ensuring continued focused support for the most vulnerable, who are undoubtedly the hardest hit.”
The schemes will be delivered across the Island via the council’s ‘connect4communities programme’ and will include:
- Food vouchers — these will be made available to eligible Island residents including foster carers, care leavers, gateway card holders, and some people who receive council tax support or housing benefit, among others. Vouchers will be sent out to eligible residents automatically, with no need to apply.
- Discretionary grants to schools — these may be used to help families with costs relating to food and weather appropriate clothing. Parents can apply directly to their child’s school for the voucher.
- Funding to support the Living Well and Early Help Service mobile hub, providing hot meals and a warm space for residents in need.
- Funding to Citizens Advice to provide help with fuel and utility bills. The charity will also use the money to provide a single point of contact for Island residents in need, via its Help Through Crisis Helpline. It is anticipated that more than 200 households will benefit from this funding.
- Grants for community and voluntary organisations, as well as town, parish and community councils, to help meet needs within their local communities. Further details about how organisations can apply for grants will be released shortly.
- Funding to establish up to 3 new community pantries on the Island.
This latest instalment of Household Support Funding follows the previous funding round, which ran from April to September this year. During this period, 33 charities and community associations used their community grant funding to support more than 14,000 households; one-off food vouchers were provided to more than 4,000 eligible households; and just under 300 households received help with their food and utility bills via Citizens Advice.
The funding also provided ongoing support to Island’s network of community pantries, which now have more than 600 members collectively.
Pantries provide significant benefits for families as they are open to everyone and, in exchange for a membership fee, pantry members can purchase groceries at a much lower cost than supermarkets.
Pantries can apply to receive support via the newest round of Household Support Funding, to help them respond to increased food costs and provide wider support services for vulnerable pantry members.
Councillor Ian Stephens, Cabinet member for poverty, added:
“As we head into winter and of course the festive period, we know that people will feel the impact of rising costs more acutely.
“This ongoing support will be vital for vulnerable families during these most challenging of times.
“I would urge anyone who is unsure if they can access support, to email [email protected] or visit the connect4communities website.”
Be on benefits and get, Jobseekers, Child benefits, free house, etc, and now they’re getting grants from the government, free food, and a 11% increases in benefits, if you add it all up they’re probably getting £20,000+, more than many working people on the island, yet the working people have to pay thousands of pounds in taxes only to receive nothing, while the absolute drain on society benefits scroungers pay no taxes and get everything.
£334 per month. Hardly £20,000 is it.
single, no kids and on the benefits the state will pay up to £550 a month rent, plus about 60% of your council tax. As band A council tax is about £125 a month for a single person, then they are paying about £80 for you
This means about £630 on rent/council tax benefit a month
then you have Job seekers at £77 a week, which is another £334 a month
for not working, a single person can be on £964 a month, or £11,500 a year without paying tax
add in the free dental, free prescriptions, free eye test, food bank and half price bus pass for not working, you can consider that about a grand a month
A worker doing 40 hours a week, on £10 an hour, is on £1300 after tax/insurance, the benefit to working is £70 a week (£1.75 an hr) Why?
Now calm down as everyone is different and we all need a little help from time to time.
Remember it’s Christmas the time of year for giving and you sir sound like you need a little help and cheering up yourself.
Help those in need and remember to always wear your positivity smile.
Merry Christmas everyone
The most vunerable won’t see any of this. It’s only if open to other services of which should be helping from them. It’s those on low working income without children, those pensioners who do not have family or understand how to get help or use internet or read the IE. Help seems to only go to many already ok . Those on UC need to be working in some form for what benefits they receive. It’s the lower income working that are paying Tax’s.
More BS from the IWC ..
There are a number of people literally just £1 over the income limit who do not receive any assistance whatsoever, so I hope this latest scheme will benefit some of them. For those who have the luxury of a garden I would consider growing vegetables etc if you don’t already not only will it keep you fit you will save money when the prices shoot up because of shortage and droughts next year. Fact not fiction.
What about the Foster Parents?
It does say in the article including foster parents
YOUR choice to Foster. If YOU can’t afford to, then Don’t impose your desires, and gullibility onto others to pay for.
You wish to be a ‘hero’ fine, but fund it yourself.