READING Borough Council has once again opened the latest round of support funding for low-income household.
The next batch of the Household Support Fund is open for applications from those receiving benefits such as Personal Independence Payment.
Residents are eligible to apply if they are judged to be in a low income household.
Those above pension age, carers, care leavers, veterans, those with disabilities, and families with children receiving pupil premium benefits, will be prioritised.
Those in large or energy inefficient households, in private rented accommodation, or who have English as a second language will also be prioritised.
Applications are open until the end of July, though this is subject to change based on the number of applicants.
More than £1.13 million is available for allocation between April and September this year, following funding from the Department of Work and Pensions.
Around 3,850 families in Reading are set to receive free school meals until September, with an additional 260 local care leavers, who will also receive support vouchers to help with the cost of living.
These will be redeemable at Post Office branches until the end of August 2024.
The council is also providing funding to voluntary sector organisations supporting residents affected by the cost-of-living crisis who are also from low-income households.
The council’s Public Health team has ringfenced specific funding to voluntary organisations who support low-income households to help buy school uniforms ahead of the start of the new academic year.
Liz Terry, the council’s lead councillor for Corporate Services and Resources, said: “We know that the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away, and certainly locally many households are continuing to struggle with increased costs which are still rising, whether that is food shopping or energy bills.
“The application phase is now open for low-income households in Reading, and this is in addition to the 4,000-plus vouchers, that the Council will begin distributing over the summer months to families with children in receipt of free school meals, and local care leavers.
“We also felt it was also important that funding was directed to the local voluntary organisations who are often the first port of call out in our communities for low-income households.”
She continued: “That process begins shortly and will include support, via the voluntary sector, for families who will struggle to afford new school uniforms at the start of the academic year.
“It is a good example of the sort of purchase that many of us would take for granted, but the reality for many households is very different.
“We hope that a combination of this support, and the usual vouchers, will go some way to providing some temporary respite for households.
“We also await clarification from Government about whether the HSF will extend beyond the end of September 30th this year, which is all it has committed to at this point.”
More information is available, including about how to apply, via: reading.gov.uk/HSF
