Household support fund

The government has provided funding for us to support people who are struggling to:

• buy food
• pay energy and water bills
• cover other essential costs linked to energy and wider essentials (including sanitary products, warm clothing, soap, blankets)

Due to the limited amount of funds available, we will prioritise items necessary for day-to-day living, but other essential types of support will be considered.

Any money you get through the household support fund will not affect Universal Credit payments, but you must declare it as part of your UC assessment.

We aim to support as many residents as we can who meet the eligibility criteria and need our help the most.

How to apply

You must:

• live in South Gloucestershire
• be over 18 years old
• need immediate or long-term support

You will need to tell us:

• your household’s financial situation
• what you need help with
• your personal details (name, address, email or phone number)

You will also need to complete an income and expenditure sheet.

You can ask someone else to help you apply but we can only pay money into your bank account, we cannot pay it into someone else’s account.

You can apply to the household support fund more than once, but you must leave 2 months before submitting another application.

If you are unable to apply online you can:

• visit one of our One Stop Shops
• call the Citizens Advice Bureau on 01454 334961
• call our contact centre on 01454 868009

Find out how we collect, use and share your data in our privacy notice.

What happens after you apply online

We aim to make a decision within 14 working days, however, please be aware that due to the volume of applications we receive this may take longer.

How we will pay you

If your application is successful we will pay the money into your bank account.

If you are overdrawn, you can tell your bank that the money we give you is to pay a bill. They can arrange for our payment to be set aside instead of it being used to reduce your overdraft.

Your right to appeal

You (or someone representing you) can appeal if:

• your application has been unsuccessful
• you are not happy with the way we paid you the money or who we paid it to
• you are not happy with the amount of money we have given you
• we have cancelled a payment due to misuse or fraud and you do not agree with this

The appeal must be made verbally or in writing within 7 days of our decision.

You must tell us why you feel the decision is unfair and give supporting evidence.

Your appeal will be reviewed by a senior officer within 14 days of receipt.

Other things that can help

One You – getting enough to eat
Our financial support for residents