Thousands of households set for cost of living vouchers worth £300 – check if you’re in line for a payment
THOUSANDS of hard-up households are in line for free cash payments worth up to £300 to cover the cost of living.
The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421 million.
The fund offers financial help to low-income households who can use the money to pay for their shopping, bills or other essentials.
It was first introduced by the Government in 2021 and has been extended several times since.
Funding is given out to local councils who then distribute it to those most in need in their areas.
That means the support on offer, and who is eligible, varies depending on where you live.
Waltham Forest Council in London is dishing out help to 10,000 households with its share of the fund.
Families with children who get benefits-related free school meals already have, or will, receive food vouchers to cover the summer holidays.
But hard-up and vulnerable households are also being offered free cash worth up to £300 in the form of vouchers or bank transfers.
Waltham Forest said families known to Children’s Social Care and Early Help, care leavers and young carers are all eligible.
Anyone with a link worker or social worker can speak to them about any payments they may qualify for.
In most cases, households who qualify for help won’t have to apply and payments will be issued automatically.
Waltham Forest said all payments and vouchers will have been issued before the end of August.
You can find out more details via Waltham Forest Council’s website.
Can I get help if I don’t live in Waltham Forest?
You might be able to. The £421million HSF pot has been shared between councils in England, but not equally.
Each local authority gets to decide its own eligibility criteria.
Some councils started distributing help in April and have already depleted their share, so you might have missed out for now.
The Household Support Fund has been extended multiple times since its inception in October 2021, but that means it may be extended again.
There are currently a number of councils offering help via the HSF.
Tower Hamlets Council is dishing out cost of living cash worth £100.
Meanwhile, Plymouth Council is handing out payments worth up to £740.
If you want to check if you are eligible for help, contact your local council.
You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool.
How else to get help with the cost of living
If you’re not eligible for the Household Support Fund in your local area, it’s worth checking if you qualify for benefits.
Recent figures from Policy in Practice reveal millions of people aren’t claiming the extra help when they could be.
In total, £23billion went unclaimed over the last financial year, with £8.3billion worth of Universal Credit not claimed for.
You can apply for benefits on the Government’s website.
It’s not just extra money you get from benefits either, with a number opening up additional perks.
Those on Universal Credit can get help covering the cost of childcare, for example, while those on Pension Credit can get a free TV licence.
Those on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit also qualify for the Warm Home Discount – a £150 discount off energy bills once a year.
You may also be able to get grants to cover your energy bills if you’ve fallen into arrears.
A number of energy firms offer grants to struggling customers, including Scottish Power, Octopus Energy and British Gas.
If you’re struggling to pay your bills, speak to your supplier to see if they can give you any help.
How has the Household Support Fund evolved?
THE Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £500million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
It was then extended for a second time in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a third time in October 2022 to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.
The DWP then confirmed a fourth extension of the scheme through to March 31, 2024.
Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended the HSF for the fifth time while delivering his Spring Budget on March 6, 2024.