Secretary of State Therese Coffey has today (1 November
2019)announced a £10 million Universal Credit Transition Fund for
outreach programmes to help vulnerable people make Universal
Credit claims.
The fund will be available to partner organisations across the
UK, including charities, from April 2020. It will aim to help
vulnerable people, including disabled people, care leavers and
those with mental health issues, claim Universal Credit as a
route into work. It will support innovative ideas for engaging
with vulnerable people early, helping them to make timely claims
to the new benefit.
Figures show that a fifth of claimants delayed making a claim for
Universal Credit, largely because they didn’t know how to make a
claim or because they thought they would find a job quickly.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:
I am delighted to announce a £10 million challenge fund to
support the most vulnerable in society with their Universal
Credit claims.
Universal Credit is now supporting more than 2.5 million
people. Around 1 million disabled households are better off
under Universal Credit and we will continue to deliver targeted
support through this fund and other measures.
The £10 million funding was allocated to DWP as part of the 2019
Spending Round process.
Other help for vulnerable people
DWP is providing severe disability payments (SDP) to protect the
most vulnerable. Severely disabled claimants can receive SDP to
support their living costs as they move onto Universal Credit.
This is worth a maximum of £405 a month to claimants – worth £600
million over the next 6 years for 45,000 claimants.
Around 1 million disabled households will receive an average of
around £100 more per month through Universal Credit.
