Decision Maker:

Outcome: For Determination

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: March 24, 2025

Purpose:

Content: RESOLVED:   1.  Authorised the Council to accept the proposed Household Support Fund 7 programme grant funding which is expected to be £4,974,146.95 from the Department for Work and Pensions (April 2025 - March 2026) as set out in this report and authorised the distribution of such grant monies to the voluntary and community sector organisations and external bodies set out in Appendix 2.   2.  Authority to approve any amendments to the programme and the deployment of resources to respond to any requirements of funding received via guidance and to utilise any underspends from April 2025 to March 2026 to the Director of Corporate Strategy & Transformation in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Employment, Human Resources and Equalities to ensure the funding is fully utilised to deliver crisis support to Hackney residents, was delegated.   REASONS FOR DECISION   This report sets out plans for the use of Hackney’s £4,974,146.95 Household Support Fund allocation, which must be spent in full between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026. Any unspent funding would be clawed back by the Department for Work and Pensions.   Officers started to consider the design of this Household Support Fund programme as soon as the announcement to extend the programme was made on 30th October 2024. Given the relatively short time scales and the need to stand up the programme as quickly as possible for the 1st of April, following discussion with relevant cabinet leads, it was agreed that the existing programme would largely be continued.   The programme design is based on learning from previous HSF programmes, discussions with colleagues across the Council and wider system and research by the University of Sheffield in which they analysed 70 case studies, undertook 25 in-depth interviews with recipients of HSF support and spoke to 31 professionals involved in delivering the HSF programme.   The headlines from the University of Sheffield research recognise and support the overall approach being relational, strengths-based and preventative, but point out that this can often be undermined by insufficient capacity, a lack of integrated data and joined-up working across the system, and residents cycling in and out of crisis.   Based on this learning and evaluation, the following objectives and principles underpin the programme design and delivery:   ·  Continue to build on the collaborative, strengths-based, relational approach we have by enabling services delivering this programme to come together regularly, discuss progress and adjust delivery accordingly. ·  Develop ways to collect and report data and insights across the programme in real time to better understand who we are reaching so we can take timely action to address gaps. Explore how we can make better use of sampling and reflective practice to achieve this. ·  Wherever possible, use other available funding to maximise impact and further embed a collaborative, strengths-based relational approach ·  Ensure, where possible, that interventions support long-term sustainability.   This work supports the Council’s response to the material needs of poverty in line with Objective 3 of the Council’s Poverty Reduction Framework.   Proposed HSF 7 Programme (April 2025 - March 2026)   The council’s allocation for 2025/26 is 11.87% or £670,370.21 lower than for 2024/25. Therefore, whilst the overall scheme design is similar it has been necessary to reduce the overall size of the programme and will be necessary to keep delivery under regular review throughout the year to ensure the most effective use of resources. The programme will consist of the following elements.   Children and families 0-19: Allocation: £2,354,975.29   This funding provides holiday food support to families claiming free school meals in state-maintained colleges, schools and children's centres. We intend to utilise funds remaining on the Edenred Portal from unredeemed vouchers currently estimated at £198,000 to support the allocation of holiday food vouchers to children in state-funded schools and children’s centres.   We also propose to provide food and other essentials to children in the Orthodox Jewish community. We propose funding 11 community organisations in the Orthodox Jewish community to provide holiday food support to children who would otherwise be eligible for free school meals from 1st April to 30th September 2025 (see appendix 2 for details of organisations we propose funding).   We will review this provision during the first half of 2025/26 to ensure reach and best value for money. Subject to approval by Cabinet, the Director of Corporate Strategy and Transformation will be authorised to determine funding for provision in the latter half of the year under delegated powers outlined in Section 3.2 of this report.   People at risk of poverty known to the Council: Allocation £265,760.00   This funding will enable the Council to make one-off crisis payments to residents known to Children’s Social Care and the Temporary and Supported Accommodation service, these include children and their families known to Children’s Social Services, Refugees staying in hotels in Hackney recently granted the right to remain in the UK and residents living in temporary and supported accommodation in need of financial support. These are all groups known to be at risk of financial hardship. To streamline the programme, adults and carers known to Adult Social Services will be supported to apply for crisis payments via the Here to Help service open access route and via rusted referral partners. Additional funding has been added to their allocations to help meet the additional demand.   Breaking down the barriers to reach a wider group of residents are at risk of poverty: Allocation £1,426,600.00   Our Poverty Reduction Framework and subsequent analysis of groups at risk of financial hardship identified a wide range of groups that we need to reach. In some cases, they face multiple barriers to accessing help, such as learning disability or language needs, or they would not access help from the Council because of stigma or lack of trust in statutory services.   This includes funding for crisis payments via the Here to Help service (£615,000) and through Trusted referral partners - Council and health services such as Hackney Works, the Leaving Care Service, Health Visiting and Social Prescribing who can refer residents they know to be in financial hardship for one-off crisis payments (£150,000), (this may be augmented by an additional £100,000 NHS funding aimed at providing longer-term support to help residents out of poverty), support with food, fuel and other essentials from smaller voluntary and community sector organisations via Hackney Giving (£264,000), support with household goods (£88,000), support with food and other essentials plus wrap-around support via 12 Community infrastructure organisations (£120,000), food and fuel vouchers for those seeking advice via Citizens Advice (£61,600), Food banks and low-cost shops (£123,200), Purchase and distribution of energy saving equipment (£35,200), and providing lunch vouchers via Libraries events (£17,600).   Advice-based initiatives: Allocation: £428,896.20   This part of the allocation will be used to fund the provision of welfare benefits and financial advice in services and venues across the borough to accompany the crisis support residents will receive from this programme to help them achieve longer-term financial stability.   Programme management and administration: Allocation: £497,915.50   This funding will be used to support programme management, administration collaboration and shared learning between services across the programme and beyond, administration of the Trusted Referral Partners programme and communication with residents and partner organisations. The current projected administration costs sit at 9.8% of the budget.   DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED   We considered reopening an open competition process to allocate this funding. However, the coordination and implementation of this approach in such a short timescale was potentially high risk and unachievable. Working with trusted partners who can mobilise quick responses to requests for help and where we are already aware of need was considered the most effective response.   We considered allocating lower administration and management fees, but the tight timescales and targeted nature of the grants will put pressure on organisations already stretched by the response to the Cost of Living Crisis. Failure to recognise the costs of managing and administering these grants is potentially destabilising for organisations whom we have approached to work with us.