Households can get cost of living support worth £500 from DWP fund

Struggling families can get support that could be worth around £500 to help with the costs of energy and food. The Household Support Fund has been extended to run for another six months, from October to the end of next March.

The Department for Work and Pensions has invested another £421 million in the fund, which is shared among local authorities across England. Separate sums go to devolved governments in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It was announced in the Budget that a further £1 billion is being pumped into the fund to carry it on into the 2025-2026 financial year starting next April.

More than £49 million is going to councils in the West Midlands for the current round of funding, with Coventry City Council using its allocation mainly to provide financial help with food, energy and water bills. Meanwhile, Birmingham is set to hand out hardship payments of £200, with enquiries opening in early November.

READ MORE:

• DWP payment rises for Universal Credit, PIP, State Pension confirmed in Budget
• DWP 'don't delay' warning to 210,000 people who could see benefits stopped

Coventry City Council says its energy and water support is intended to cover a period of two months so you can apply up to a maximum of three times over the six-month lifetime of the current scheme. Single people or childless couples can get help worth £120, while families can receive £160.

Financial support for gas, electricity, oil and water costs will be made by a Paypoint Energy top-up or Paypoint voucher. The council can also provide three emergency food parcels per household followed by help with accessing longer-term options including a community supermarket.

Vouchers can also be issued to cover two months of toiletries at a time. These are worth £20 for a single person or childless couple and £30 for a family. People can also apply for one sum towards clothing and bedding over the six-month span of current funding, with awards worth up to £95 per adult and £60 per child and a household limit of £400.

Clothing and bedding for a family of four (two adults, two children) would mean support worth £310, which, on top of a family award for fuel and one for toiletries, would total £500. Awards will vary on a case-by-case basis depending on eligibility and approval.

The council says it may also be able to help with purchasing essential household items such as fridges, freezers, and ovens, supplying an engineer for heating/lighting repairs, and assisting with housing costs (except mortgages) in emergency cases where existing schemes are unable to help.

Applicants need to provide their National Insurance number, their ARC number (if they are an asylum seeker), and evidence of financial hardship via bank statements, benefits claims and other financial paperwork.

The city council said: "This fund is designed to be used to support households in the most need due to financial hardship. particularly those who may not qualify for other types of government support. This includes households who have previously been ineligible following receipt of a cost of living payment. There will be a set amount of funds available each month, when that amount is reached, we will have to close the online application form until the next month starts.

"We are experiencing a high level of applications at this time. Awards for fuel are presently taking 5-10 working days to issue vouchers once an award has been made. Applications for other household essentials for example, kitchen appliances, beds etc are currently taking four to six weeks to be awarded.

Applications can be made online by completing this form if you require support with food, energy or other household essential costs. If you need help with an application, call 08085 834333 or visit the customer service centre at Broadgate House.

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp. Join our dedicated community for the latest updates. You can also sign up for our Money Saving Newsletter, which is sent out daily with all the updates you need to know on PIP, Universal Credit, benefits, finances, bills, and shopping discounts.