Harlow Council is due to award £90,000 of government funding to deliver a new type of community hub service that will support vulnerable residents to gain more confidence as the recovery from COVID-19 continues.
A report to be considered by the council’s Cabinet on Thursday (9 September 2021) recommends that a contract is awarded for the delivery of a pilot community hub service for a period of six months.
As part of the new service, face-to-face advice, direct support in an emergency situation and outreach work in the community will be provided.
The existing community hub service has provided support to vulnerable residents during the pandemic when they did not have access to support from family, friends or neighbours. This new service is possible because the £90,000 was awarded to the council by the Government’s ‘Contain Outbreak Management Funding’ mechanism via Essex County Council to deliver ongoing support to residents from now until 31 March 2022.
The service will be provided in partnership with the council and the preferred service provider(s) will be announced after the Cabinet’s decision.
Councillor Joel Charles, Deputy Leader of the Council, who will present the report at the Cabinet meeting, said: “This £90,000 in government funding allows the council to work with the community to pilot a new type of service that will aim to provide support to some of the most vulnerable in our town who have been impacted the most during the pandemic. The new hub service will also play a key role in helping to contain the spread of COVID-19 and is a vehicle to build more resilience within the community to confront the ongoing challenges Harlow may face in the months ahead. By assisting vulnerable residents to self-isolate, access vaccinations and receive appropriate support in an emergency situation, the council aims to enable more progress towards all parts of our community regaining a greater sense of freedom and confidence as part of the work to rebuild post-COVID.”
The current community hub service has answered over 4,500 calls from residents since March 2020.
