As with many of our other local authority clients, Family Fund Business Services helps Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver the Household Support Fund.
The Household Support Fund is a central government initiative launched in 2021 to help households that have been affected by the cost-of-living crisis and need urgent support to cope with rising living costs. This government funded scheme is distributed by local councils across England, including Cambridgeshire County Council.
Cambridgeshire County Council uses the Household Support Fund to help people experiencing immediate financial hardship to pay for food and energy bills. The scheme is a lifeline for residents affected by the rising cost of living, supporting them in crisis situations, whilst also helping them to build long-term financial resilience with advice and support available.
Their challenges
When Cambridgeshire County Council chose to work with Family Fund Business Services in 2021, they needed help delivering cost of living support to residents. They were looking for a supplier that could deliver energy vouchers, food vouchers and cash out services with speed and efficiency to households in need. Family Fund Business Services have the experience and infrastructure to streamline their procurement process and reduce administration time for staff, making distributing support faster and easier for the council.
Our solution
Family Fund Business Services have supported Cambridgeshire County Council by delivering energy vouchers, food vouchers and cash out services to residents across Cambridgeshire. Vouchers ordered through the FFBS portal are delivered daily, meaning that beneficiaries receive essential support within one working day, often on the same day that they are ordered. This quick delivery means that residents are not left waiting for support, which is vital for local authorities when administering the Household Support Fund, as beneficiaries are often in emergency situations and need support urgently.
For Cambridgeshire County Council, FFBS’ one-stop-shop online portal meant that food, energy and cash out vouchers could be ordered in one place, with just one monthly consolidated invoice, eliminating the burden of juggling multiple suppliers and saving the team valuable administration time. This streamlined procurement process means that local authorities can spend more time on what matters – supporting residents. The reporting capabilities of the portal makes it easier to track spend and manage budgets – which is vital when trying to support as many people as possible.
Additionally, FFBS provide dedicated client support, in the form of regular account manager meetings and our Helpdesk service. This ensures that the administration of the Household Support Fund runs smoothly for both organisations and beneficiaries.
The results
Since 2022, we have worked in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver support to over 30,000 households, helping over 12,000 of these households with energy and water bills, and over 15,000 with food bills. Throughout the scheme Cambridgeshire County Council have been able to keep in contact with residents, working with them to develop long term strategies to build financial resilience, ensuring that those facing financial hardship are able to cope with rising living costs.
Need help delivering crisis support? Get in touch below to find out how we can help.