As with several of our other local authority clients, Family Fund Business Services helps Croydon Council to deliver the Household Support Fund.
The Household Support Fund is a scheme that has been running since Autumn 2021 to help vulnerable households affected by the Cost of Living Crisis to access support to help them with essentials. This government funded scheme is distributed by local councils across England, including Croydon Council.
Croydon Council grants one-off awards to help residents who are struggling with the cost of living, through food vouchers, gas or electric payments, help with water bills, white goods, cookers and bedding. The Household Support Fund is lifeline for Croydon residents, offering a safety net to ensure that no one is left without the essentials this winter.
Their challenges
Croydon Council partnered with FFBS in 2013, and we have worked together for a decade to solve the challenges that many local authorities face when distributing grants to beneficiaries.
The main challenge faced by Croydon is delivering support to people who need urgent help as quickly as possible. They needed a streamlined procurement process, which would save their staff administration time, delivered by an organisation who were able to get emergency support to beneficiaries in as little time as possible.
Our solution
FFBS have supported Croydon’s distribution of the Household Support Fund by delivering furniture, white goods, Argos vouchers, food vouchers, clothing vouchers and energy vouchers. Vouchers ordered through the FFBS portal are delivered daily, and everything from delivery and installation to extended warranties of household items are handled by FFBS, cutting out slow middlemen. This meant that Croydon were able to support their residents who needed help urgently, with no one left waiting for emergency support. Our easy-to-use portal and streamlined process has saved the team at Croydon Council valuable administration time, meaning more time can be spent helping residents. With tight budgets, our portal makes it easy to keep track of spending with a wide range of real time reports and consolidated invoices which is easier for Croydon Council to manage.
Our dedicated customer service, with our Helpdesk and regular account manager meetings, meant that Croydon felt supported, and any requests were actioned quickly. Continuous contact meant that any changes to our service were fully explained in good time, meaning that an effective service was maintained for Croydon and their beneficiaries.
The results
Our partnership has streamlined Croydon Council’s procurement process, saving administration time and delivering support quickly and efficiently. This means that Croydon were able to help more beneficiaries of the Household Support Fund, who are in urgent need of support, with essentials to get them through the Cost of Living Crisis.
From pre-payment cards to white goods, we make procuring and distributing practical support to households easy. Find out how we can help your organisation save time and money by getting in touch at businessdevelopment@familyfundservices.co.uk.
