The effectiveness of the Household Support Fund has been undermined by ‘chaotic and declining’ funding, according to a think tank.
The Resolution Foundation’s new report reveals the Household Support Fund fell in value from £507m between October 2021 and March 2022, and will decrease by a further £369m during the October 2025 and March 2026 wave of funding.
Emphasising the challenges posed by short-term and last-minute funding, the report highlights that the scheme’s precarious renewal terms prevents local authorities from supporting families effectively.
According to the research, councils plan to distribute roughly 80 million awards by the end of March 2026, helping families across the UK to fund basic living costs and household essentials.
However, the report outlines how funding issues have caused a ‘lack of local awareness’ about the scheme, resulting in some low-income parents and carers remaining uninformed about the support available to them.
Alex Clegg, Economist at the Resolution Foundation, commented: ‘The Government should use the upcoming Spending Review to guarantee a long-term settlement for the Housing Support Fund and ensure that local authorities are able to direct support to where it’s needed most – helping families to navigate crisis situations’, he added.
.png)
