North Tyneside support from local welfare scheme

Residents of North Tyneside can apply for help from the local welfare scheme if they are faced with a crisis. The programme is run through a partner organisation of the council known as Gateway. The only type of support from this welfare scheme will be in the form of goods or free advice.

The council created this service in an effort to replace some of the emergency services that are previously offered by the government, such as the Social Fund. However any type of assistance is limited to providing the household with the items they need, whether it is furniture, clothing, or a parcel of food. There will not be any instances in which the council will offer direct aid.

The team from Gateway, as well as the North Tyneside Council, do all they can to provide free information to vulnerable families on all of the resources available to them. This is but one part of what the local welfare provision will provide for.

The advice can be used by families to help them take control of their lives. They will learn about places to turn to for care and support for their needs. Information is available on dealing with debt arrears or in applying for housing benefits. But a key aim of the advice from Gateway is to help the family gain employment in a livable wage position.

If a resident of North Tyneside were to maximize their income, then this can help that person break a cycle of poverty. They will then get off of welfare in the long term. The council will offer this service in an effort to break the dependency on welfare.

When needed, Gateway will signpost the client to the services they need. One aspect of this used by the organisation is the My Care service, which is the main portal for information on assistance programmes in the district. The portal has information on assistance for housing, deposit schemes, services for pregnant woman, and more.

The agency has access to directory of services. This information can be provided for free to not only people applying for welfare, but the advice is available to anyone in North Tyneside. This too can be used by the resident for support for their needs.

Housing goods, food and supplies can be provided as part of the North Tyneside local welfare scheme. The council as well as Gateway will only offer the goods directly to the client. There will never be any form of cash given to the applicant. Some examples of what may provided from the scheme are as follows.

Families on a low income facing hunger may be given food. This can be provided in one of two ways. One is the council may provide a voucher to a local food bank. Or they may also offer their own parcel of groceries in some cases. The aim is to ensure the vulnerable resident has some form of meal or food given to them.

The North Tyneside local welfare provision may provide household items as well. This will range from furniture to white goods. Much of this is from a charity or re-use shop. The types of furniture can be a bed for a new home, white goods, a washer, and similar goods. Much of this form of aid from welfare is for people people that lost their home due to a crisis.

This type of support will only be for a family in a crisis. The welfare scheme will not support residents that are in long term poverty. These individuals will need to look for other solutions to their hardship, however the council can advise them on some options.

The Gateway team has a phone number of (0191) 643 2777. They partner with the North Tyneside Council in an effort to help struggling families. If the agency can’t help, then they can refer people to other local organisations.