Social Fund Reform: debt credit and low income households

1. NAWRA response Social Fund Reform: debt credit and low income households

2. Main proposals – loans Single point of entry Available from day one (at lower rate!) Full financial health check Interview at 2nd crisis loan application within a year Faster recovery of loans Payments on account pending new benefit claims

3. Main proposals - grants Eligibility criteria to stay the same Provision of goods and services instead of cash Regulated resettlement grant

4. Other proposals Funeral payments streamlined and possibly to be made available to students Devolution to Scotland??

5. Our response – general points Open out social fund payments to those on contributory benefits who have no other income or savings Welcomed payments on account but sceptical! Increase loans budget – reduce screening CCGs – open out 'exceptional pressure' criteria to single people

6. Interventions No to interviews to get crisis loan Referral to third sector agencies for holistic advice – and adequate funding to be provided to those agencies Voluntary support not coercion Yes to single gateway – reduce complexity – but clear criteria for identifying crisis need

7. Grants Multiple applications due to low benefit levels not necessarily poor budgeting Some concerns over inflexibility of providing goods and services – should be restricted to white goods only Removal of independence and responsibility from individual Support regulated resettlement grant – widen out people who can support claim

8. Funeral payments and devolution No strong views on students being eligible but a call for reducing the stringency of the 'responsibility for a funeral' criteria, and general amount of payments No view on devolution