OVER 2,700 vulnerable young people have been helped in the past year through the North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund with nearly £950,000 given out in emergency assistance .

The fund was started last year to replace grants formerly available through the Department for Work and Pensions and now administered through North Yorkshire County Council. It provides support to help vulnerable adults move into or remain in the community and for families under exceptional pressure to stay together.

Payments are made to provide essential furniture including beds and bedding, electrical goods, food and clothing vouchers, utility top up and reconnection charges and essential home repairs.

A report on the first year prepared for the county council’s Young People Overview and Scrutiny committee revealed 65 per cent of the payments were spent on electrical goods and 15 per cent on beds and bedding. Families under exceptional pressure accounted for 40 per cent of the vulnerable groups helped with around 30 per cent homeless or at risk of being homeless. A review is being carried out with agencies who help administer the fund to consult on how it should be administered in the future.