35,000 households get Scottish Welfare Fund cash

Over 35,000 households received cash from the fund. Picture: TSPL

MORE than 35,000 poverty-stricken households have received crisis support grants from the Scottish Welfare Fund, during its first six months of operation with a total of £9.2 million paid out.

The Scottish Government said the sums were paid out through the scheme that operates as a “safety net to households in a disaster or emergency” with help given to people to buy items such as food and heating costs.

People were also offered help to buy items such as furnishings and floor coverings between 1 April and 30 September 2013.

There were almost 21,000 single people offered support and nearly 8,000 families with children, the official figures showed.

The findings were published after previous Scottish Government figures showed that 45,772 households affected by the Bedroom Tax claimed almost £15.4 million during an eight-month period from April to November last year.