Household Support Fund helps Roma families in Halifax through winter
Household Support funding for
Davren Community Solutions
For many families, winter makes everything tighter. Food costs more. Heating matters more. Small debts become bigger worries. Letters arrive that are hard to understand, and people can feel trapped before they know where to turn.
Davren Community Solutions used a Household Support Fund grant, managed by CFFC on behalf of Calderdale Council, to support Roma families in Halifax with basic essentials, like food and warm clothing, as well as advice.
Davren were in touch and had insight as to how severe the pressure had become for some households and that they needed help with winter clothing and food. Davren’s team were able to help them with what they needed and also ask whether families needed any further help. Advice was available around benefits, wellbeing and budgeting, but it was never forced. Trust was built between Davren and people in the community and they felt able to speak honestly about what was happening at home.
This was vital for people like Alena.
A Story of Change
Alena* is a single mother with three children, living in a two-bedroom house in Halifax. She first came to Davren after receiving council tax letters she did not understand. One of Davren’s engagement officers contacted the council tax team on her behalf and helped her find out what the letters meant.
Alena had built up a debt of £950 and needed either to make an immediate payment or agree a payment plan. Going through her income and spending with Davren, it was clear she could not afford to cover the debt without cutting back elsewhere. Anxiety set in.
Davren’s advisor talked through what support was available and helped Alena look at where small changes might be possible. They also offered food parcels, vouchers and other essentials to help ease the pressure while she dealt with the debt.
Alena became emotional when she realised there was somewhere she could go for help. She had not known who to turn to, and the letters had left her anxious and unsure what might happen next.
She stayed in touch with Davren after that, and when she later had difficulties with her landlord and was told she had four weeks to leave, she returned for support. Davren helped her search for another home and found a suitable property in Bradford.
Alena told Davren that without their help, she and her children would have been left homeless.
* Name changed for privacy
A food parcel can help a family through the week, but the conversation around it can uncover something more serious. A letter that looks confusing can lead to debt advice and a trusted contact can help stop a housing problem becoming a crisis.
The Household Support Fund grant helped Davren respond to the needs they were already seeing every day. It gave families help through the hardest months of the year, while allowing staff to keep building trust with a community that is sometimes missed by mainstream support.
You can find more information on the support available from Davren Community Solutions on the website: Home | Davren Community Solutions C.I.C.
Or get in touch by email at Support@davren.org or by telephone on 01422 800 293.
Funded by:
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