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The Support Fund is a discretionary programme administered by the council in Haringey. The assistance is only for families that live in the borough, and any awards will be restricted to addressing certain needs. The council team will allocate funds as they see fit.

The awards can be used for a crisis, and this is a short term payment that can cover certain bills. The expenses paid for will be decided by the council, but the policy does allow some or all of the following to be covered. This will also depend on the assessment of the applicant that will take place.

• Pre-payment cards will be used instead of cash, and they can pay for groceries at a supermarket or food bank.
• Utility meter top offs can be covered by the pre-payment card, with the aim to keep the heat on.
• The Support fund can provide white goods or even furniture for the resident.
• A separate programme from the council can help with deposits or rent in advance costs, but this is very limited. Read more deposit schemes.

In many cases, the council partners with groups such as Euronics stores to provide furniture, or foodbanks to offer groceries. CAB will also offer long term, free advice to the client. The welfare scheme is very limited so these partners play a key role in assisting those in poverty.

The application for crisis payment is strict, and the funds are at the discretion of the Haringey council. An assessment will need to take place, as well as a complete review of the applicant’s financial situation. The awards are only for people local to Haringey and that are on benefits or a low income.

Also, the crisis payments are for emergency expenses only for people that are otherwise independent. Maybe the applicant has been faced with an unplanned for crisis and they have no money to pay the bills while they deal with the situation. This is when the Support Fund can help, or it assists people faced by disasters. So the scheme is discretionary, and the Haringey council is under no obligation to provide assistance.

Haringey council Community Care Awards are also available. They can help families on a low income either resettle or remain living in the borough. This is only offered at most once per year and is also discretionary. The uses of these awards are for anything related to housing, with an aim on furniture for a new home and in some cases the council does cover rent deposits as noted above.

Other options are explored by the council too. This will replace the Support Fund. Those options may include loans or one time grants from local agencies, including charities. Or the Haringey council will offer applications to the Discretionary Housing Payment if that is a better option for rental costs.

While the funding for the scheme is limited, each application is reviewed for merit. Some people that have additional priority circumstances due to their emergency may receive additional support. Or they may be able to apply for welfare more than once every 52 weeks. The council wants to help with the exceptional hardship, so exceptions can be made to the policy at their discretion.

To apply for the Support Fund, call the customer service team at 20 8454 7322. If an award is not issued, the council can refer residents to other programmes such as JSA Hardship Payments or Jobcentre Plus Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs).