Charities serving Manchester’s Charedi population have received £300,000 from the National Lottery to help alleviate rising poverty in the community.
The Hershel Weiss Family and Children’s Centre and Binoh are using the funding to launch Jigsaw, which will assist families in financial difficulty.
At Hershel Weiss, manager Michelle Ciffer said the centre was dealing with “increasing levels of poverty.
“I’ve had families saying they have no beds for their children to sleep on. They have no clothes, no food.
“One family had six children sleeping on the floor. We are struggling to deal with the demand.”
Another family had come to the centre with a new born baby suffering from severe eczema. They were living in a damp, mould infested flat.
“We helped them with a new deposit, got them into a better flat. Months later, the baby is doing much better.”
Through Jigsaw, clients of the charities will receive financial support and advice, as well as education and assistance towards finding employment.
“We get government money but it doesn’t stretch far enough,” Mrs Ciffer reported. With the Lottery award, “we are going to help some of the most vulnerable people in our community”.
She attributed the increase in poverty to “benefit changes and the cost of living generally.
“We have set up a food bank to help people, especially around the holidays.”
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said the council had suffered a 53 per cent cut in government funding.
“What that forces us to do is to look at how we deliver public services in a different way and I have to say the voluntary sector in Salford has stepped up to the challenge that is austerity and cuts.”
He observed that the child benefit cap was “having a disproportionate effect on Jewish families and is forcing them into poverty”.
Hershel Weiss and Binoh “do amazing stuff” for those in need,” Mr Dennett added.
