Household Support Fund

 

We have been allocated £1.9m for April 2024 to September 2024 from the Department of Work and Pensions Household Support Fund. This is to help the most vulnerable residents during the cost of living crisis. Much of the help is received directly, although there is a Cost of Living Support Fund that can be applied for. 

We have decided to spend our allocation on the following:

Help during the holidays for families receiving free school meals

Families eligible for free school meals will receive supermarket vouchers at £3.50 per day per child. Around 5,000 families will receive help and will receive their vouchers just before the May half-term and Summer 2024 holidays.

Help for vulnerable families and young people

If you are working with Children's Services and are assessed as struggling due to the cost of living crisis, you will receive supermarket vouchers of £50 to £100. These will be available from late May 2024/early June 2024. If you want to know more, contact the Access Team at 020 7641 4000.

Around 440 single young people, including Care Leavers known to Children's Services, will receive vouchers of £50 if they are assessed as struggling due to the cost of living crisis. These will be available from late May/early June 2024. If you want to know more, contact the Access Team at 020 7641 4000.

Help for disabled households

Around 4,200 households receiving housing benefit or council tax support who are entitled to extra benefits because of a disability and don’t have a carer will receive a supermarket voucher for £135 in the summer. More details can be found. Find out more information about the Severe Disability Premium on GOV.UK.

Cost of Living Support Fund

Households can apply to the Cost of Living Support Fund where:   

• they are struggling financially due to the cost-of-living crisis and working with an advice agency to address their situation 
• they are Westminster residents or are homeless households placed outside Westminster in temporary accommodation  

And

• They have a low income and are in receipt of an income related means test benefit:   
  • Income Support 
  • State Pension Credit   
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance  
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance  
  • Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit  
  • Universal Credit.   

Or

• They are not in receipt of one of the above benefits but have a low income which is defined as up to £30k for households without children and up to £50k where there are children in the household . 

Help is in the form of supermarket vouchers of £170 to £370 depending on circumstances.

Applications can be made through one of the advice agencies in Westminster:

• Age UK Westminster
• Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women's Centre
• Asylum Aid
• Cardinal Hume Centre
• Carers Network
• Citizens Advice Westminster
• DeafPlus
• Family Lives Westminster
• GALOP
• Hestia Westminster
• Marylebone Bangladesh Society
• Paddington Law Centre
• Passage Resource Centre
• Shelter
• Single Homeless Project (SHP)
• South Westminster Legal Advice Centre
• St Mungo's
• The Chinese Information and Advice Centre
• University of Westminster Legal Advice Centre
• Westminster Employment Service (WES) HELP Project
• Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K)

Grants to food charities

Some of the main food charities will receive extra help. Find out more about all the food help available across Westminster.

More information

Our cost of living support hub has information about all the other support and help available and there is also information on the government's cost of living hub.

 

Find out more about the Household Support Fund: Household Support Fund: April - September 2024