A central government grant to support homeless people in North Herts will be used to help a North Herts credit union, the district council has agreed.

For the next three years, £100,000 will be given to Black Squirrel Credit Union to help provide affordable loans to residents who need support. The loans are often used to pay for tenancy deposits, advance rent or rent arrears.

At a meeting of North Herts Council's cabinet yesterday (Tuesday, February 17), Cllr Daniel Allen (Lab), executive member for governance, praised the work of the credit union.

He said: "Their work isn't well known enough and … we need to do everything as councillors to let people know the brilliant opportunity, not just for people in need, but for anyone to support our community with investment in the Black Squirrel Credit Union."

In 2023, the credit union provided 33 loans for residents, totalling more than £40,000.

The additional funding offered to them by North Herts Council is part of a grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

From a total grant of £1.1m, £365,000 remained unallocated until cabinet members agreed yesterday on how to spend it.

The council will also spend £159,000 on employing another dedicated private rented sector officer for 36 months, and up to a further £106,000 on temporary accommodation.

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In 2025, a private rented sector officer based at the council was able to secure more than 50 tenancies for residents, according to a council report.

Last year, the council owed a legal duty to 438 households that found themselves homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It also had to find suitable accommodation – often temporary accommodation – for a further 138 households in priority need.