Household Support Fund vital but just a plaster on poverty

The Fund was introduced during the pandemic to enable local authorities in England to help vulnerable households unable to meet essential living costs. The church and charity is calling for the Government to protect families from reaching crisis point in the first place by raising benefits in line with inflation in the upcoming Autumn Budget.

Andrew Connell, The Salvation Army’s Policy Manager said: “The extension to the Household Support Fund shows the Government recognises how tough things are for struggling families right now. This funding has been a lifeline that’s helped people keep the lights on and put food on the table in an emergency, but it only puts a plaster on poverty. It won’t prevent further serious hardship or remove the constant stress and anxiety of living hand-to-mouth.

“Struggling families can’t rely on one-off ad hoc emergency aid to survive, what they need is security and stability that prevents them reaching crisis point in the first place.

“We urge the Government to make the Household Support Fund unnecessary by tackling the root causes of poverty and raising benefits annually in line with inflation to stop them falling even further behind the cost of living.”

To help address poverty, The Salvation Army is calling on the Government to:

•    Reform Universal Credit to ensure that the basic rate covers the cost of life’s essentials.

•    End the two-child benefit limit that is punishing families and pushing them deeper into poverty.

•    Protect families from homelessness by maintaining the value of housing benefit against rising rents and invest in affordable housing.

•    Invest in more free childcare provision so parents can afford to work or train.