Household Support Fund

Find out more about how we are spending the £3.4 million from the Household Support Fund.

We’ve been made aware of reports of scam calls from another local authority, where fraudsters have called residents and asked them to apply for a Household Support Fund loan. Please note that we would never ask you to apply for a loan or for your bank details. If you have any concerns, please call 020 7641 6000.

We have been allocated £3.4m for April 2025 to March 2026 from the Department of Work and Pensions Household Support Fund.

This is to help the most vulnerable residents during the cost of living crisis although some of it can also be used to provide preventative help to stop people falling into crisis.

Much of the help is received directly, although there is a Winter Fuel Payment Fund that can be applied for.

We have decided to spend our allocation on:

help during the holidays for families receiving free school meals
help for vulnerable families and young people
help for older people: direct help
help for older people: Winter Fuel Payment Fund
Cost of Living Support Fund
support for homeless households in temporary accommodation
grants to food charities
Winter warm spaces with food and activities
training

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 in the holidays. Around 5,000 families will receive help and will receive their vouchers just before the May 2025 half term, Summer 2025 holiday, October 2025 half term, Christmas 2025 holiday, February 2026 half term and Easter 2026 holiday.

Find out more about free school meals, including if your child is eligible to receive them.

Help for vulnerable families and young people

Families working with Children's Services and assessed as struggling due to the cost of living crisis may receive supermarket vouchers of £50. These will be available from June 2025. If you want to know more, contact the Access Team at 020 7641 4000.

Single young people, including Care Leavers working with Children's Services, may receive vouchers of £50 if they are assessed as struggling due to the cost of living crisis. These will be available from June 2025. If you want to know more, contact the Access Team at 020 7641 4000.

Help for older people: direct help

Older people in Winter 2025 should receive a letter from DWP letting them know if they are eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment.

Around 1,500 households receiving housing benefit or council tax support who are no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment will directly receive supermarket vouchers in November / December 2025 of £200 or £300.

Help for older people: Winter Fuel Payment Fund

There will also be a Winter Fuel Payment Fund for other older people likely to struggle due to the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment. Applications can be made through AgeUK Westminster who will help you complete a short application form and check you are receiving everything you are eligible for.

To apply contact AgeUK Westminster by phone on 020 3004 5610 between 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday or by email at: enquiries@ageukwestminster.org.uk

Help will be in the form of supermarket vouchers of £200 or £300.

The fund is expected to be open from 19 May 2025 until 13 March 2026 although it may close earlier, or for periods if demand is high.

To be eligible you must:

Be born before 23 September 1958 and no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment
Be likely to struggle this Winter due to the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment 
Have recourse to public funds
Be a Westminster resident or placed by the council in temporary accommodation outside the borough
Not receive housing benefit or council tax support (as you will receive direct help and don’t need to apply), Pension Credit or one of the other benefits that would qualify you for a Winter Fuel Payment

Cost of Living Support Fund

Households working with one of the advice organisations below to resolve their financial difficulties may be referred for a supermarket voucher of £170 to £370 depending on their circumstances.

Please note demand for the Fund is likely to be high so not everyone can be put forward for help. Advice organistions can only put forward the households they are working with that have the highest needs

To be eligible households must be:

Westminster residents, or
homeless households placed outside Westminster in temporary accommodation

And have a low income and be 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 or Council Tax Benefit  
Universal Credit.

Or have a low income of up to £30,000 for households without children and up to £50,000 where there are children in the household.

Advice organisations that are able to make these referrals:

Grants to food charities

Some food pantries will receive extra help from the Household Support Fund. Find out more about the food help available across Westminster.

Winter warm spaces with food and activities

We have set aside some of our Household Support Fund to help people over the Winter period and more information will be available in Winter 2025.

Training

Some of our Household Support Fund will be used to train people and organisations working with residents that may be struggling during the cost of living crisis about all the help and support available. We will also use some of it to better communicate what is available to different communities.

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: April 2025 - March 2026

Published: 19 June 2023

Last updated: 29 May 2025