Spotlighting our Partners: Age UK Barnet

Age UK Barnet has been hosting a drop-in desk at the Finchley Foodbank to raise awareness and help Barnet residents aged 55 and over apply for the Household Support Fund. This is a publicly funded scheme to give acute, one-off financial support to households who are struggling with ever-increasing costs of living. Since the summer, we have distributed over £200,000 to support older Barnet residents with food costs, utility bills, and affording essential household appliances such as fridges and cookers.

We have also been:

• Sharing Age UK’s free information booklets, covering a wide range of topics, including pensions, benefits, wills, and care needs assessments.

• Informing individuals of other services available in the borough and how they can access these.

• Referring individuals to these other services to help them access support more quickly.

Working with the Finchley Foodbank has given us a fantastic opportunity to reach a wider group of individuals who can benefit from support, especially those who may not have been aware of this fund or our wider services before. We will be continuing to distribute the Household Support Fund until end of March, though depending on demand we may have to close to new applications earlier than this.

Ben Clarke, Household Support Fund Coordinator, Age UK