Public health news: Cost of living and Welcoming Places

Public Health Newsletter: September 2023

There is a wealth of help and advice available at South Tyneside cost of living information.

This includes information on government help, welfare support and the Household Support Fund. There is also help and support on the following subjects:

• Money and debt advice
• Benefit entitlement
• Crisis support and food
• Job and skills support
• Education
• Data tariffs

A drop-in event is also taking place on Monday 11 September, 5.30 to 7.30pm in the Reception Room at South Shields Town Hall.

Drop in for a warm drink and a chat with a range of council and community partners on benefits, energy and wellbeing advice. All Welcome.

Welcoming Places

More than 70 venues previously known as 'Warm Spaces' have kept their doors open over the summer months in South Tyneside as Welcoming Places.

Community centres, churches, charities, family hubs and Council buildings such as The Word are continuing to offer companionship, advice and free activities at drop-in spaces across South Tyneside.

The Council is keen to hear from any other groups or venues who would like to join the network of Welcoming Places. To find out more, contact welcomingplaces@southtyneside.gov.uk

Cost of Living Support

Support for communities continues with the establishment of over 70 Welcoming Spaces, a boost for crisis funding, school uniform and holiday provision and Council Tax support; as well as help to maximise benefits such as Pension Credit.

Access to services has been boosted by an online platform to share information amongst partners and financial support continues to be given to food banks, the Key2Life community food bus and to boost the capacity of the Welfare Support Team.

Close working is underway with schools, the community and voluntary sector, local businesses (through the South Tyneside Pledge) and through Council services such as Family Hubs and social navigators.

More than 400 people a month are using Welcoming Spaces, the Council's costs of living web pages have had over 30,000 hits and 18,400 households were supported through the Council Tax Support Scheme. Over £7.5m in benefits was secured for residents by the Citizens Advice and another £5m by the Welfare Support Team. Almost  9,000 people were supported by just one of the food banks in the borough, while 9,000 children received food vouchers over the holiday last year and 1,000 children were supported through school uniform vouchers.

There has been a three-fold increase in food bank usage since last year and Citizens' Advice reported a significant increase last year in clients in financial crisis seeking advice.

The work of the Poverty Group and wider partnership will continue with a real focus on learning lessons from what we've already done, continuing to assess and act on the issues which most impact our residents. This will help us target support to make things fairer, boost the financial security of our residents and deliver on our ambition for people in the borough to live healthy, happy and fulfilled lives.

School uniform help

More than 1,000 families in South Tyneside whose children started or moved schools this term received extra financial help towards the cost of school uniform.

South Tyneside Council gave supermarket vouchers to families in receipt of free school meals whose children joined Reception, moved into Year 3 (junior school) or moved into Year 7 (secondary school).

The vouchers were worth £40 for children moving into reception or Year 3 and £70 for those starting secondary school. The funding supports moves by the Council to targeting support to make things fairer.

In addition, every school was given a payment of £600 to help support families who aren't eligible for free school meals with the costs of school uniform.