New £2.2m programme to help low-income families in London access entitlements

Enfield and Haringey are two of the twelve boroughs that will benefit from the new City Hall support programme

City Hall (credit GLA)

A new £2.2million programme to help low-income families across twelve London boroughs – including Enfield and Haringey – has been announced by City Hall.

The Family Financial Resilience Partnership will provide free, independent advice to thousands of families with children on a wide range of issues, including benefits, housing, childcare, immigration, disability, and employment.

Working in collaboration with local councils, London Citizens Advice and London Legal Support Trust, the £2.2m funding from City Hall will bolster support for Londoners by enabling services to train more staff and increase capacity at family hubs and children’s centres.

This is expected to help more than 17,500 families in its first year, enabling them to access around £8m in financial support which would otherwise go unclaimed.

It comes as data shows that more than one in three (35%) children in London, approximately 700,000, are living in poverty after housing costs.

The Family Financial Resilience Partnership is the latest part of Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s work to help Londoners secure the support that they are entitled to.

Over the past three years, various income maximisation campaigns and advice services have helped more than 130,000 Londoners claim over £94m in financial support that they are entitled to. But with more than £4billion in benefits still going unclaimed across the capital, too many people continue to miss out.

Khan said: “I’m determined to help London’s families cope with the cost-of-living and put more money back into household budgets. That’s why I’m investing £2.2m in the Family Financial Resilience Partnership to ensure parents and carers across the capital can access the support that they’re entitled to and make a significant difference to their finances.”

Jonathan Mogford, chair of London Citizens Advice, said: “Across London boroughs, local Citizens Advice are key partners with family hubs. Citizens Advice has deep and trusted links into the diverse communities in London impacted by hardship and other problems, so we are delighted to work with the GLA to embed and link our services to family hub settings, strengthening the support available to families with children/young people.”

Joanne McCartney, London Assembly member for Enfield and Haringey, added: “I am delighted that Enfield and Haringey are confirmed as two of the twelve London boroughs participating in the mayor’s new scheme helping low-income families secure financial support.”

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit