Adur and Worthing councils say they’ve helped scores of the least well-off households across the area with supermarket vouchers worth £100, as part of ongoing cost-of-living support.
Adur and Worthing Council say their Proactive team recently wrote to 131 households identified as having a low income or being affected by the two-child benefit cap. Those households were offered vouchers to help pay for groceries or essential household items.
The funding comes from the government’s Household Support Fund, which is distributed by local authorities to help residents facing financial hardship.
Households were identified using data analysis technology developed by social policy software and analytics company Policy In Practice. The technology brings together information from multiple systems into a single dashboard, giving councils a clearer picture of low-income households across both districts and allowing support to be offered more quickly and effectively.
The vouchers are one example of wider targeted support. Last spring, more than 600 households receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and living in low energy-efficiency homes were contacted and invited to apply for £150 cash grants. Support has also been given to residents just outside the eligibility threshold for Pension Credit.
The Proactive team has also helped residents with housing deposits, rent in advance, white goods and furniture, alongside referrals to partner organisations. These include water bill reductions from Southern Water, free swimming lessons from South Downs Leisure, and financial and digital wellbeing checks from Lancing-based TellJO.
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