The Chancellor spoke in the House of Commons on Wednesday, March 23, and announced that he is doubling the Household Support Fund to 1 billion, to give local authorities the support they need to help people in their local area. Telephone: 0191 4352088. Essential household items (white goods, small appliances), Other essentials (warm clothing and bedding), Addition for each child in household: 15.00. By doing this you confirm that the Section 151 Officer has agreed the correctness of spend reported. Authorities can also use the funding to support households who are struggling to afford wider essentials, in exceptional cases of genuine emergency, the funding can additionally be used to support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, subject to the provisions at paragraph 30. work together with District Councils and third parties including, where necessary and appropriate, other local services. Authorities are encouraged to engage with District Councils as quickly as possible to ensure roles, responsibilities and effective arrangements are put in place to deliver The Fund promptly and efficiently. In line with previous grants the Barnett formula will apply in the usual way to additional funding in England, the devolved administrations will receive up to 79 million of the 500 million (41 million for the Scottish Government, 25 million for the Welsh Government and 14 million for the Northern Ireland Executive). Authorities will receive two data shares on a monthly basis: File two - contains aggregate data showing those UC claimants that are: For a full breakdown of the file contents see Local Welfare Provision monthly data share field definitions at Annex B. 73. DWP will continue to respond to questions we receive via the designated inbox as quickly as possible. Phone: 01902 551166. It can also be used to support water bills including for drinking, washing, cooking, as well as for sanitary purposes and sewerage. This portal provides information on individual citizens entitlement to (and confirms receipt of) DWP welfare benefits. You can also complete apply for the grant with the Citizens Advice online form. There is flexibility on exactly how this can be run, including through third parties rather than directly by the LA. For the purpose of this section: 53. This group is not eligible for the means-tested Cost of Living Payments unless they are of State Pension age or eligible for a Disability Cost of Living Payment. Authorities are also encouraged to ensure checks are in place to verify the identity of those eligible. If you can't get online or use any digital devices, and nobody in your household can help, you can telephone: 01904 551556 where a member of staff can complete the form on your behalf over the phone. How the money will be allocated. Energy bills may be of particular concern to low income households during the period of The Fund and LAs should prioritise supporting households with the cost of energy. Table 3: Total value of awards split by household composition. This includes reasonable costs incurred administering The Fund. The amount of MI available will vary considerably across each TPO. It is expected that the focus of support should be on bills and that support for housing costs should only be given in exceptional cases of genuine emergency. 28. This may include social workers, housing and family support services and may incorporate intelligence and data from wider childrens social care systems to help identify and support individuals, families and households within the scope of The Fund. The household support fund can be used to support wider essential needs that are not linked to energy and water, and those may include, but are not limited to, support with other bills, including broadband, phone bills, clothing and essential transport-related costs. Paragraph 65 has been added to clarify reporting requirements when Household Support Fund payments are made instead of a different payment method. There is no requirement for Authorities to undertake a means test or conduct a benefit check unless this specifically forms part of the Authoritys local eligibility criteria. Table 6 relates to grant spend, volume of awards made, and households helped in relation to Application-based support, Proactive Support and Other. Well send you a link to a feedback form. If you have any queries about the content of this guidance or use of the funding, you can contact the DWP. There are 2 routes to apply for the new Household Support Fund, invitation and discretionary. For example, households with children and pensioners; food, energy bills, essentials linked to food and energy bills, wider essentials and (in exceptional circumstances) housing support. Please visit our new page for the latest HSF news. Apply for the household support grant The Council has received funding for the Household Support Grant. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Household Support Fund October 2022 to March 2023 The Household Support Fund is money given to councils by the Government to help people in need of financial support. The UC, Pension Credit, ESA (IR) and HB only data will be provided monthly via Transfer Your File. The Government have announced an extension to the Household Support Fund, to cover the period from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. . Households can apply for Tesco vouchers. The deadline for completing these returns is shown in the table below. 79. For more information on the grant or to apply please contact Citizens Advice Richmond by freephone 080 82 78 78 73. Support is available to households in Birmingham over the summer using funding from the government's Household Support Fund. Any underspends from the previous schemes cannot be carried forward. Individual awards can be whatever type and amount is deemed appropriate by Authorities for the receiving household, bearing in mind the overall spend eligibility priorities listed above and the risk of fraud and error. There is no prescriptive definition of essentials. households with children, households with pensioners, households with a disabled person, other households, and. 42. energy and water bills, essentials linked to energy and water bills, wider essentials, and (in exceptional circumstances) housing costs. Every area must operate at least part of their scheme on an application basis. Where Authorities work with District Councils and TPOs it is the responsibility of Authorities to collect and collate MI and complete one collated MI return and submit to DWP. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, If you need support, contact your local council to find out more information and apply for the fund, Household Support Fund (1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023): final guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England, Household Support Fund management information template, Household Support Fund Grant Determination 2022 No 31/3096, get help with the cost of living through the Household Support Fund from your local council, Cold Weather Payment estimates: 2022 to 2023, Energy Bills Support Scheme GB: payments made by electricity suppliers to customers, Cold Weather Payment estimates: 2021 to 2022, Applying for a Discretionary Housing Payment. This funding will be used to help people in need with things like the cost of energy and food. Individuals, working age adults, families (with or without children) and individuals of pensionable age can self-refer. 45. Total - Table 3 Row 1 column g, Table 4 row 1 column g, Table 5 Row 1 column f and Table 6 column row 1 d are protected and will automatically add up spend across the different headings. This will always be the month of the extract. Rather than focus on one specific vulnerable group, Authorities should use the wide range of data and sources of information at their disposal to identify and provide support to a broad cross section of vulnerable households to prevent escalation of problems. This will enable DWP to adjust the amount of the payment based on the MI returns. LA Performance Relationship Managers (PRMs) from DWPs LA Partnership, Engagement and Delivery (LA-PED) division will contact Authorities to provide support and gather information throughout The Fund. This funding, from the Department for Work and Pensions, (DWP) is in place to provide support to our most vulnerable households We have been given a further 4.6 million to provide support. Funding will be used primarily to support households with essentials costs related to food, energy and water bills. Authorities can provide a basic safety net support to an individual, regardless of their immigration status, if there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example if: 37. Table 6: Total Value of Awards Split by Access Routes. Housing costs. Authorities have the ability to deliver the scheme through a variety of routes including providing vouchers to households, making direct provision of food or goods, or issuing grants to third parties (with the exception of grants for advice provision). Email us at ESSteam@lambeth.gov.uk giving a contact phone number and we will call you back. Local Authorities(LAs) have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out in the accompanying grant determination and this guidance. In October 2022, DWP will also introduce a further data share for those who are only in receipt of HB. 17. Awards to any given household can cover several or only one of the spend eligibility categories listed above. When allocating spend and the volume of awards across the eligibility criteria please follow the guidance below. However, this has been replaced by one-off funds for the . In accordance with the public sector equality duty, DWP has had due regard for the potential equalities impacts of this grant. The application form will close 22nd December pm and re-open 3rd January am. Authorities also have access to their own non-DWP data to help identify vulnerable households who may be eligible for support under The Fund. Where a TPO returns unused funding after The Fund has ended the Authority can re-issue any returned funding within a reasonable timeframe, but only under the category that the spend was originally reported against. The fund will . https://www.gov.uk/cost-living-help-local-council. The Household Support Fund was distributed by councils in England to directly help those who needed it most. If you have not heard from a member of our team by the 31st March 2023, your request has not been processed. Failure to return the MI by the deadline may result in a delayed payment or a payment being refused. The Fund can exceptionally and in genuine emergency be used to provide support for historic rent arrears built up prior to an existing benefit claim for households already in receipt of, advertising and publicity to raise awareness of The Fund, income below the thresholds of 7,400 per year for, those with a Limited Capability for Work indicator within the last assessment period, and, those whose award is subject to the benefit cap, those in receipt of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy and Local Housing Allowance (available from Autumn 2022), the National Insurance number, names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of those in receipt of Guarantee Credit and/or Savings Credit element of Pension Credit and their appointees if appropriate, as well as for all claimants on income-related, the National Insurance number, names, addresses and contact telephone numbers of customers who are in receipt of, at or below the Free School Meal income threshold, at or below the free prescription income threshold, and, small IT changes, for example, to facilitate. 112. 29. Authorities are asked to report and manage spend in relation to all of these areas. 84. 104. Popular names for this fund also include; Welfare Assistance Scheme. Since June 2021 we have provided Authorities with information relating to Universal Credit (UC) claims with limited capability for work or earnings below the Free School Meals (FSMs) and free prescription thresholds in their area. On 30 September 2021, the government announced that vulnerable households across the country would be able to access a new 500 million support fund to help them with essentials over the winter. 88. If we respond requesting further information, you must respond to us within 5 days or your application will be closed. If The Fund payments are paid directly to a vulnerable households Council Tax Account in lieu of a different payment method: for example for food excluding FSM in the holidays /energy and water; then the amount paid must be recorded under the intended heading, in this case food excluding FSM support in the holiday. In determining this, Authorities should, as far as is possible, consider who the award is principally intended to support. The funding comes from the Government's Household Support Grant. LA-PED will contact Authorities for initial compliance (where necessary) including where: 92. Sandwell Council has. Applications for the current round of the Household Support Fund have now re-opened. Authorities should particularly consider how they can support those vulnerable households who are ineligible for other government support with the cost of living, including the: 26. LAs should consider how they could use this data to provide support to this group. October 2022 to April 2023 Funds from the Department and Work and Pensions has been split into four categories. 1. Spend (s) - this is the amount paid/awarded to vulnerable households within the eligibility criteria. Both an interim and a final MI return will be required and grant payments will be made in respect of the periods 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022 and 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. On 23 March 2022 the Chancellor announced an extension to the Household Support Fund. The Household Support Fund was distributed by councils in England to directly help those who needed it most. The breakdown of the award is detailed below. This funding runs from April to September 2022. The purpose of the Household Support Fund is to support households in the most need with food, energy and water bills and other essential items. The grants will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Table 4 relates to grant spend, volume of awards made, and households helped in relation to food, energy and water bills, essentials linked to energy and water bills, wider essentials, and (in exceptional circumstances) housing costs. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. the Authority is reporting a high value of administration costs. If you are not a Dorset Council resident, contact your local council for details of their scheme. 110. Household Support Fund. Please make sure you have all the information required to hand, including deails of income and . 10. This fund is designed to be used to support households in the most need particularly those who may not qualify for other types of government support. It was first introduced in September 2021 and was. Searchlight can only be used to verify a specific individuals DWP benefit information. the Authority is reporting a high value of awards where they have not been able to establish the household composition. By Tangible Items we mean products that are of a physical nature such as clothing or household items. the intention to spend the total unspent amount against the same category of spend for the same group. Well send you a link to a feedback form. 51. Alternatively, Authorities may want to consider: 105. Food voucher amounts can vary depending on how many children reside in the household. 67. All Authorities are encouraged to ensure, wherever possible, that any vouchers issued are redeemed before the end of The Fund, or shortly thereafter, or consider recycling unused vouchers. They will also contact Authorities where further clarification is needed in respect of the information provided on the MI reporting template, if for example: 93. This is not an award made directly to vulnerable households by an Authority. 27. Authorities should make every effort to gather information to establish the household type. In other words, residents should have the opportunity to come forward to ask for support. We will launch the. The IFR application form includes NHS number, name and address, date of birth, GP details, diagnosis, requested intervention and other information relevant to the request. You would also allocate one award and one household supported in these sections of Tables 3 to 6. Authorities should also consider providing support to disabled people in their area. Residents in financial hardship can self-refer to the Household Support Fund for support with food and energy vouchers, or alternative . This funding. Authorities can also proactively identify households who will benefit from support, as with previous schemes. Authorities may find this information useful in identifying those most in need. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. 57. Authorities who have signed and returned the relevant section (Annex C) of the current DWP/LA MoU have legal permission to access DWPs Searchlight portal and specific UC, Pension Credit, ESA (IR) and HB only data through a monthly data share for the purpose of The Fund. The fund was extended to 30 September 2022 with an additional 500 million of funding to be used by local authorities to support vulnerable households. How to apply. DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR UPDATES. In exceptional circumstances you could apply for support with housing. We may need the Authority to explain why that is the case and provide supporting evidence. If a further round of the Household Support Fund is confirmed, we will update you here. Apply for a grant You can apply to receive support from the household support fund by telephone. Include, where possible, the amount of spend across the following categories: 86. In response to one of the concerns of my hon. This will be checked against DWP records. An example would be the award of a food voucher on 31 March 2023 to a vulnerable household. In relation to housing costs this must include checking whether the household could receive DHPs. Residents are eligible if they have: an annual household net income of less than 30,000 and; savings of less than 16,000 38. 31. For example, some disabled people may have increased utility bills due to the usage of equipment, aids or adaptations associated with their disability. Shown below are some examples of how to complete the template. The government periodically provides a Household Support Fund (HSF) grant that is made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need. This cell will automatically populate from the figures in rows a and b. Where Shire Counties pass grant allocations to District Councils, District Councils should pass the information relating to columns a, b and c to the County Council/Unitary Authority to collate the information and send one collated template to DWP. Authorities could make the entirety of their scheme application based. Grants and financial schemes A number of private housing assistance packages are available in Wolverhampton to help with adaptations, repairs, improvements or to get on the property ladder. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils/household-support-fund-final-guidance-for-county-councils-and-unitary-authorities-in-england. Authorities should take appropriate steps to ensure they take into consideration household income and rent liability which may be requested and reviewed as set out in the grant determination. It remains at the discretion of Authorities to establish their local eligibility and identify those most in need in their area. Household Support Fund Application Form. In the Spring Statement, the Government announced 3.6 million of further funding to support vulnerable children and families and pensioners. For the purposes of recording spend in the MI template, if an award relates to more than one of Households with Children, Households with Pensioners (in other words, pensioners living with children) and Households with a Disabled Person (for example disabled people living with children), Authorities have the flexibility to categorise and record the spend under the household composition(s) which they consider more fitting. 127. Welfare Assistance Loans This is in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council. These include for example: small IT changes, for example, to facilitate MI production. On 30 September 2021, the government announced that vulnerable households across the country would be able to access a new 500 million support fund to help them with essentials over the winter. The Household Support Fund is a measure that provides households with payments to help with essentials such as food, utilities and clothing. The funding is available from October 2022 to March 2023 The Household Support. The Government has extended the Household Support Fund, giving Norfolk 6.67 million to support people struggling to pay for food, fuel, energy and water bills. 77. Apply for the. The funds should not be used for any economic undertaking. Therefore, if an Authority identified a group of potential claimants who may be eligible for The Fund from their own records, they can access Searchlight to verify each claimants DWP benefit entitlement (although benefit entitlement is not a condition of support). For audit purposes, where an Authority re-issues returned TPO funding they must confirm the following by email to the DWP (copying in their Section 151 Officer): 23. 36. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. Part of the Government's package of cost of living support, the Household Support Fund is intended to help low-income households with essentials including heating, food, rent and clothing. Where Authorities decide to deliver support to vulnerable households through TPOs they should use whatever information the TPO holds, or other available data, to split the level of spend and volume of awards across the eligibility criteria to the best of their ability. The different elements of the MI template are shown below together with guidance on how to complete them. However, families receiving other forms of assistance are not excluded from receiving support through The Fund. 1. Once a completed . Local Welfare Provision. Table 5: Total Value of Awards Split by Types of Support. 16. The grant was distributed through small payments to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities. The payments are part of the government's Household Support Fund, designed to help vulnerable people pay for food, clothing or other household bills. However, the schemes listed in paragraph 24 do not cover everyone and Authorities should consider prioritising those households, who (for example): This list is not exhaustive and there may additionally be households that are vulnerable to rising costs despite being in receipt of this government support with the cost of living. Note: County Councils and Unitary Authorities will be referred to as Authorities and the Household Support Fund will be referred to as The Fund throughout the remainder of this guidance. Therefore, a disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities: substantial is more than minor or trivial, for example it takes much longer than it normally would to complete a daily task like getting dressed; long-term means 12 months or more, for example a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection. If multiple awards are made to the same household throughout the period of The Fund each award should be counted separately. Where Authorities (including District Councils) issue awards directly to vulnerable households they should either obtain information at source or via information or data they have access to, in order to complete the split of spend and number of awards across the reporting categories. 19. Families with. Shown below is a worked example of how the MI template should be completed. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. This can be delivered directly by the LA or by a TPO on their behalf. Volumes: this is the number of individual/separate payments made to vulnerable households within the eligibility criteria. LAs must make public their plans for The Fund, for example on their Authority website. The fund is designed to provide short-term financial support to vulnerable households who are struggling to afford household essentials this winter. Authorities will need to ensure they sign future iterations of the MoU and the appropriate Annex to continue to have the legal permission to access the data sources for LWP.
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