The Household Support Fund Scheme is running until March and thousands of households can claim cost of living support potentially worth hundreds of pounds
Households struggling with the cost of living can claim up to £300 to help with daily costs through this government scheme.
The scheme is the Household Support Fund and was first introduced by the former Tory government in 2021. It works by giving local councils pots of cash, which they then use to provide cost of living support to people living in those areas. Support can range from cost of living payments, to supermarket or energy vouchers.
Each council offers its own support, and you can only claim from you local authority. This means it can be a bit of a postcode lottery to what help you can get. In Doncaster, households can get a free £300 payment to help with energy bills. The support is available to anyone who is struggling with their bills – this includes households claiming government benefits and not.
However, to get the payment households will need to be approved by a “referrer” with the application made by the referrer on their behalf. The referral can be made by any of the following groups:
- Staffordshire County Council e.g. support workers / social workers
- Registered social landlords
- District and borough councils revenue and benefit teams
- Health e.g. Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT), NHS
- Citizen’s Advice Bureau
- SCVYS members
- Support Staffordshire members
- Police
- Family Hub partners
- Education settings in Staffordshire
- Staffordshire County Council commissioned services working direct with households e.g. Family Support Providers
According to Doncaster Council’s website, households can only be referred once during the six-month funding period. So if you have received the £300 in October, then you will not be able to claim it again now. If you have not, you have until March 31 to get the support. This is when the current Household Support Scheme is set to end for good.
Those needing help with their supermarket shop can also claim supermarket e-vouchers worth up to £65 per household plus an additional £20 for each dependent child you may have under the age of 18. Again this scheme is done through referrals. Care leavers get a £65 e-voucher sent to them directly in December and February 2025. This is done through the care system, and a person’s personal assistant will make the referral for the individual.
Finally, Doncaster Council is also offering supermarket e-vouchers for children who get free school meals over the school breaks. Each holiday period, each eligible child will get a £20 voucher with the next one set to be paid during the Spring half term this year.
You cannot apply for this scheme if you do not live in Doncaster. However, your local council will have its own Household Support Scheme you can access. You should keep an eye out for any updates on the schemes on your local authority’s website.