Help raise awareness of support to people facing hardship this winter

Support is available for Warwickshire families and individuals facing hardship this winter.

Warwickshire County Council’s Local Welfare Scheme is responsible for the administration of the government’s one-off COVID Winter Grant to be allocated between December 2020 and March 2021. The grant will provide some financial support for food, household essentials and utilities to help vulnerable residents experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, poverty during the pandemic.

Families with children eligible for benefits related free school meals who are at school are automatically eligible for support and have been contacted. Other families with children under 19 years old who are struggling can apply for financial support during the Christmas school holidays and they are asked to contact the Local Welfare Scheme if they wish to receive this.

You may know local people for whom this funding, and wider food and financial support, will be invaluable. Please let them know about the support available by sharing this leaflet and telling them about the Local Welfare Scheme so they can seek help if they need it.

The council’s Local Welfare Scheme supports our most vulnerable residents at times of unavoidable crisis when they have no other means of help and can provide financial support and advice for people who need aid to access food and utilities. The scheme also signposts to further support available from other public, community and voluntary services around the county.

Upon contacting the scheme people will be connected to an advisor will discuss their circumstances with them and provide appropriate help to address their situation.

Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme

01926 359182 or 0800 408 1448 www.warwickshire.gov.uk/localwelfarescheme

For information about wider support from the council and other services, go to: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/facinghardship

The leaflet about help with food access and money management is available at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/winterhardship

More information about the COVID Winter Grant is online at www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-winter-grant-scheme