The charity said the rising needs of families coupled with government funding cuts in Northern Ireland has caused its money to run out before the end of the financial year.
The organisation, which helps families to purchase essential items such as appliances, bedding and clothing across the UK, experienced particular difficulty in Northern Ireland because its grants from the Northern Ireland Assembly have been cut by more than 11 per cent in each of the past two financial years.
Meanwhile, the economic climate is forcing more families to apply to the organisation for support. The Family Fund helped almost 2,800 families in Northern Ireland last year and applications for help from the charity are increasing across the UK. In 2011/12 it received about 73,000 requests for help. This year it expects to receive more than 80,000.
“We are gravely concerned that even with all of our efforts to make our valuable funding go as far as possible, around 850 families will not receive the support they need, when they need it,” said Cheryl Ward, chief executive at the Family Fund.
“With the increase in applications, we have realised we simply have not been able to help all eligible families. We are doing everything in our power to find a resolution for this year, and secure funding for 2013/14 from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.”
“Family Fund is an extremely vital organisation that helps families in the greatest need,” said Laura Courtney, campaign manager of Every Disabled Child Matters.
“The fact that the demand for their grants is rising should be taken as a sign of how economic changes are affecting families of disabled children most acutely. This warrants urgent attention from the government.”
Courtney said families of disabled children had been hit disproportionately by the economic downturn, and faced greater challenges from future welfare reforms. Many low-income and out of work families with disabled children could see their benefits reduced by 50 per cent, she said.
The Family Fund is the UK’s largest provider of grants to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children and is funded by the four UK governments. Last year the fund helped more than 59,000 families across the UK from £33m of funding, 2,788 of these families were from Northern Ireland.
In May last year, a survey published by the charity Contact a Family found that 14 per cent of working families with a disabled child said financial hardship was causing them to miss meals, while 17 per cent could not afford to heat their homes. For families of disabled children not in employment, the survey found 24 per cent were going without food and 32 per cent without heating.
