A £480,000 scheme to keep vulnerable Bradford residents warm and healthy during one of the coldest winters for 50 years helped 8,600 people, an independent report has revealed.

The document, commissioned by Bradford Council, found the Warm Homes Healthy People (WHHP) initiative saw its services accessed 26,000 times between December 2012 and April 2013 – helping families by offering free food parcels and bedding to those in crisis and beds to the homeless.

The scheme, managed by the Council, working with the NHS and more than 60 voluntary groups, also offered free school meals to vulnerable children, befriending and lunch schemes for the elderly, home energy adults and advice and grants.

The evaluation by Judith Courts, of Inspiring Success, found the project made a ‘real difference, giving hope’ by:

* helping 3,000 people eat properly by providing hot food and food parcels 

* keeping 2,100 people warm by providing clothing, duvets and other items 

* enabling more than 120 people to gain a permanent home or temporary accommodation

* improving health by helping 6,000 people stay warmer

* allowing 300 households to better afford the energy they needed to heat their homes by generating £25,000 of fuel savings

* reducing isolation of 700 people who used WHHP services and activities.

The report said only 74 per cent of the beneficiaries of the scheme were previously known to services and added: “The WHHP carried out a range of activities to make sure that people had enough to eat this winter, providing warm food and drinks and food parcels to more than 2,400 people.

“All activity providers and beneficiary feedback spells out the difference this made to the people who literally had no food, no money and several days to go before they would get their next wages or benefit payment.

“Forty nine per cent of beneficiaries contacted by researchers said they either had no food or no money at the time they contacted the project. For people who were homeless or destitute, hostels and soup kitchens were often their only source of hot food. Several beneficiaries told us that without WHHP’s help they would have been forced to borrow money from doorstep lenders in order to get by or go hungry.”

Juli Thompson, of homeless charity Inn Churches, which gave £5,000 to the scheme raised through its Streets on the Suits sleep-out last November, said the report showed a need had been identified and that there was ‘no guarantee’ the funding accessed this year would be available again.

“The partnership is looking to engage local businesses to donate goods and services through the Bradford District Care Fund, Participate Projects and Inn Churches. There may be businesses that can help or have surplus stocks of winter goods or end-of-line ranges.”