Funds were accessed through the Social Housing Fuel Support Fund provided by the Scottish Government and delivered through the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). The fund was set up to provide practical support to mitigate fuel poverty and to help customers manage or reduce their fuel costs.

92 households benefitted from the Fuel Support Fund with the average award being almost £550. More than half of the recipients were households with children and more than a third were single-parent households. Single adult households, who have been most significantly impacted by the cost of living increases, made up 35% of recipients.

The funding has made a huge difference to customers struggling with fuel debt with one of those supported by the team at Kingdom saying: “We have been struggling since I had to give up work in September due to ill health and my husband is self-employed so his income fluctuates. The help means we get a fresh start and the benefit advice provided means we have a clear idea of how we can increase our income and not get into debt again. I can’t begin to explain how much this means to us.”

Ric Barnett, tenancy support service coordinator at the Kingdom Group, said: “Fuel poverty is compounded by the rising cost of living and household incomes are being squeezed like never before. 45% of the customers we helped through the Fuel Support Fund were in employment and still struggling to make ends meet.

“Kingdom’s mission is to provide more than a home and helping to tackle fuel poverty is just one of the ways we can do this. As a community-based organisation, we play an essential role in disseminating support, but most importantly, we can tackle the underlying issues that lead to housing inequality. Though the Social Housing Support Scheme has ended, our dedicated tenancy sustainment team continues to source new funding to help support our customers. The message to our customers is simple, if you’re struggling with your financial situation for any reason, get in touch to find out what help and support is available.”