As the Household Support Fund nears its September deadline, experts warn that its expiration could plunge thousands of vulnerable families into deeper hardship and hunger. Here’s the full story.
Household Support Fund
Charities and local authorities across England have desperately begged the Government not to continue with the planned termination of the Household Support Fund (HSF), a critical welfare initiative established in 2021. The HSF is set to expire at the end of September 2024.
Half a Million Children at Risk
With the end of the support fund in sight, concerns are mounting that over half a million children would face hunger during school holidays, especially during the upcoming October half term.
Renew the £1 Billion Fund
The situation has prompted urgent calls for the Government to renew the £1 billion fund as, without it, many vulnerable children and families already reeling from a years-long cost of living crisis and high inflation would face untold financial hardship.
Boris Johnson’s Temporary Measure
The HSF was introduced while Boris Johnson was Prime Minister as a temporary measure to mitigate the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A Sticking Plaster Solution”
Despite being criticised as a “sticking plaster” solution to the shocking increase in poverty in the UK, the fund has become a lifeline for millions of households struggling with the exorbitant costs of food, bills, and other basic necessities.
£370 Million Allocated Last Year
In the past year alone, English councils allocated £370 million of their HSF budget to provide holiday food vouchers for children on free school meals (FSM).
Essential Crisis Services Supported
The fund also supports local crisis services, offering essential items such as food parcels, fuel vouchers, and household goods to families at risk of destitution.
“Millions Plunged Into Financial Turmoil”
However, the future of this vital safety net is uncertain despite increasingly dire warnings from charities. A report from the charity ‘End Furniture Poverty,’ first reported by the Guardian, laid out the potential consequences in remarkably stark terms: “If HSF ends, with no long-term strategy to replace it, it will instantly plunge millions into more financial turmoil.”
Poverty and Malnutrition Worsening
The report added, “The effects of poverty, deprivation and even malnutrition will be exacerbated and the additional costs to public services will be huge.”
561,000 Children Could Go Hungry
The report estimates that 561,000 children receiving FSM vouchers would be left without this crucial support if the fund is not extended. Without these vouchers, children will go hungry during the school holidays, when families often struggle to make ends meet due to the lack of free school meals.
Reduced Education Opportunities
The report warns, “The alternative to providing vouchers is that children will go hungry until the welfare state is able to adequately cover need. It will reduce education opportunities and the ability of the poorest children to reach their potential.”
Other Desperately Needed Services Affected
As if children going hungry in the sixth richest nation on earth were not bad enough, the end of the HSF would affect other desperately needed services, such as food banks, advice centres, and winter “warm room” projects, which provide a warm space for people unable to pay for their heating bills in winter.
Funding Cuts to Crisis Services
Many of these services have come to depend on the money from HSF grants to keep functioning, and their closure would cause untold misery during the harsh winter months.
Councils Face Unprecedented Challenges
Local councils, which provide many of these services, are facing an unprecedented challenge should the vital support they receive from the HSF end.
“We Are Approaching Another Cliff-Edge”
A survey conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals that 60% of councils do not have the funds to offer additional welfare support once the HSF ends. This is all the more concerning considering that more than four out of five councils expect a surge in welfare support requests this winter, driven by rising fuel and food costs.
Councils Urge for Extension
Councillor Pete Marland, chair of the LGA’s Economy and Resources Board, highlighted the dire situation facing local communities, telling The Express, “The Household Support Fund is a vital safety net for vulnerable residents struggling with the cost of living, which councils are using to target help to those most in need, but is currently due to run out in a matter of weeks.”
Services at Risk of Being Lost
He added, “Services including grants for energy and food, supplying essential furniture and white goods, paying for energy efficiency improvements, funding food banks, offering food vouchers for children during school holidays and employment and financial advice are all at risk of being lost and irreplaceable. We are approaching another cliff-edge before the current fund runs out and we urge the Government to urgently extend this for at least another six months.”
Government’s Disappointing Response
The Government’s response was less than heartening for the millions of families and children who will face destitution should the fund run out.
Waiting for Government’s Decision
A spokesperson stated, “This Government will tackle the scar of poverty by making sure work pays and improving support to help people into good work. More details on the household support fund will be set out in due course.”
Future of Welfare State Uncertain
As the deadline for the HSF approaches, with the pressure on the Government to act intensifying, it remains to be seen whether the recently elected Labour government will act to ensure the welfare state can continue to help those most in need or whether the safety and wellbeing of millions will be left for charities, who are already stretched to breaking point, to take care of once the state has effectively abandoned them.
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