Helping people to shape their lives
The recent Centre for Responsible Credit study of local welfare schemes reveals a dramatic decline in support for some of the most vulnerable groups in society, including people at risk of homelessness; victims of domestic violence, and people with mental health problems.
Where now for local welfare schemes? details how the abolition of Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans in April 2013, and the subsequent transfer of funding to local authorities in England to support the creation of ‘local welfare schemes’, led to a collapse in provision:
The value of awards in many areas was also low, and this has been combined with restrictions on the number of awards that can be made in any 12 month period. The ability of low income households to access emergency financial assistance on a repeat basis, which was a feature of the prior Crisis Loan scheme, has been virtually lost in many areas of England.
The report identifies that only one fifth of local authorities performed well and put in place effective welfare schemes. For a copy of the full report please click here
Glasspool Trust was proud to be involved in the Keep The Safety Net Campaign that lobbied for the retention of funding toward local welfare provision.
The report echoes Glasspool Trust's own experience of local welfare provision nationally.
Glasspool Trust, along with other charitable partners, will continue to highlight the huge discrepancies in local welfare and the hardship caused when the local schemes established fail to meet the needs of the most vulnerable residents across the UK.