WIREDGOV

Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths, has yesterday announced £8.38 million to provide emergency financial support to vulnerable people in Wales when they need it most.

The Discretionary Assistance Fund provides urgent financial support and advice to safeguard people’s health and wellbeing and enables people to continue to live as independently as possible.

Since the Welsh Government introduced the scheme in April 2013, it has provided over £14 million to help over 54,000 people in emergency situations, such as when people are facing homelessness or have no money for food to feed their families.

The Minister said yesterday:

“The stresses and strains caused by serious money worries can have a devastating impact on people’s health, mental wellbeing and can even lead to the breakdown of families.

“It is therefore vitally important that we, as a Government, are able to provide a lifeline to people when they need it most. The funding I have announced today will continue to help vulnerable people across Wales when they are most in need.”

The Welsh Government is already providing £4 million for free advice services which include specialist face-to-face advice, support for people in debt and also benefit take up. This funding supports organisations such as Citizens Advice, Shelter Cymru, Age Cymru and Tenovus so they can help people out of debt and manage their finances better in future.

The Minister added:

“It is important people who are experiencing financial problems know they do not need to face these problems alone – there is help at hand.”