Do you know people who are struggling, at the moment? The Scottish Government is providing an additional £350m to councils, charities, businesses and community groups to support communities affected by coronavirus.

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The funding is designed to be flexible, cutting down on red tape to enable them to respond swiftly and according to local need for people impacted economically or through reduced contact with society, including anyone struggling to access food.

Included in the emergency funding package is the £40 million Supporting Communities Fund which community groups can apply for to support local people at risk because of age, isolation, carers, homeless people and asylum seekers and signposting people to sources of help such as applying for benefits.

There’s also a £70 million Food Fund which will help organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors address issues of food insecurity, especially for older people, and families who may not be able to rely on free school meals.

A Wellbeing Fund of £50 million will help charities and others who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people who may be worst affected by the crisis, including homeless people and those experiencing fuel poverty.

£20 million will be allocated to a Third Sector Resilience Fund, to help ensure the health and continued viability of the third sector organisations affected by cash flow and other issues.

For more information on the funding and to apply, please contact SocialJusticeMailbox@gov.scot

For full details of the announcement please visit Scottish Government website.