Emergency help for those worst affected by coronavirus
Charities Scottish Women’s Aid, Social Bite and other key partners will share up to £8 million.
The Scottish Government has announced that some of those most at risk from the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak are to receive further support following emergency investment in crucial services.
Charities Scottish Women’s Aid, Social Bite and other key partners will share up to £8 million to provide an emergency response and ensure services can react to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Disadvantaged groups facing hardships such as homelessness, food insecurity or social isolation and loneliness are among those to benefit from services such as:
• emergency accommodation in Glasgow and Edinburgh
• the provision of food and essential supplies to vulnerable groups in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen
• public health information translated into British Sign Language (BSL) and the creation of an easy, one-stop shop approach for BSL users
• online and telephone support for both older people and young people, and more isolated members of the LGBT community, to improve mental resilience and wellbeing
This investment is part of the Scottish Government’s wider £350 million Communities Funding to help those most affected by the pandemic.
Welcoming the projects, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We are facing an unprecedented situation that requires a practical response – at scale and pace – to help people most at risk in our community. We must do all that we can to protect the health, welfare and wellbeing of the people of Scotland.
“These significant national investments are helping to strengthen the support available to individuals and ensuring that key services are available for those most in need.
“We are continuing to work with partners, including community organisations to ensure funding reaches those best placed to provide support.”
The £350 million Communities Funding was announced by Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell on 18 March 2020.
Since it was announced more than £100 million of new support has been delivered to local authorities to assist their efforts. This includes £50 million in hardship funding, £22 million to bolster the Scottish Welfare Fund, and £30 million from the Food Fund.
An additional £23 million is held in reserve for the Scottish Welfare Fund and will be targeted to where it is most needed. £50 million is also in reserve to meet increased demand for Scottish Social Security and support through the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
The Third Sector Resilience Fund, worth £20 million, launched on the 25th of March.
A full list of the projects to be awarded a share of the funding can be found here.