Lottery funding awarded to support working families in poverty

Home-Start in Wales has received the funding from the Big Lottery Fund over four years to provide support to low-income working families in communities across the country.

The charity will use the funding to help parents understand the financial issues they face and to design activities to address their needs.

The focus of support is likely to be on activities to enable families to gain more control over their lives financially. Home-Start says transport and childcare are known barriers to families experiencing poverty.

Bethan Webber, Home-Start director of Wales, said, ‘Home-Start is delighted that the Big Lottery Fund have chosen to support our proposal to the Helping Working Families fund. We welcome the different approach they’ve taken with the fund, and the focus on the importance of working together with families to produce support which reflects their needs.

'This will make a real difference to working families across Wales, for whom the challenges of family life can be compounded by juggling different jobs or trying to manage on low incomes. We are really looking forward to working with families to take this forward.’

Andrew Brown, funding manager for the Big Lottery Fund, said, ‘We want to show that we are serious about putting people in the lead and funding development work involving the people who will benefit from the project is a big step in that direction. We want organisations to make the leap and really listen to what the families want and need. We are looking forward to finding out what Home Start UK will plan to do with the grant.’