People could be made homeless by a new bedroom tax, a charity has warned, as new figures laid bare a fall in living standards for many families.
Organisations working on the front line in Kingston are also predicting a knock-on effect from benefit caps.
The number of hard-hit residents applying for stopgap funding is expected to rise.
Kate Bell, from the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), said the cap was already causing problems for families.
Every ward in Kingston saw an increase in the number of children claiming free school meals between January 2011 and January this year, according to council figures.
The number more than doubled in Chessington South, from 103 to 216.
Two hundred and forty-four children in Norbiton now eat free school meals, up from 159.
David Still, carer development worker at Kingston Carers’ Network, said there could be “rationing” of money given to councils by central Government.
He said: “There will be increasing numbers of people making demands on that same pot of money.
“They might not be long-term payments, which could lead to people being made homeless.”
Kingston Council leader Councillor Liz Green said residents were being contacted to prepare them for the changes.
She said: “While we cannot change what will happen to their benefits, we can make ensure they understand what those changes will be.”
Kingston food bank organiser Paul Pickhaver said: “I do not think it recognises the scale of the change it requires of some people. But it is very popular.”
Michelle Boundy, chief executive of credit union Surrey Save, said: “From changes in the bedroom tax, arrears have gone through the roof.
“People are managing, but when something happens, there is no slush fund.”
Jill Preston, from One Norbiton, said: “It has been poorly thought through. If you have not got internet access you are snookered.”
Judith Naylor, project worker for children and young people at Kingston Voluntary Action, said: “[The cap] is definitely something we are concerned about because it is something that is going to have a huge effect on families.”
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