Household Support Fund

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.

Sandwell Council has received £3.4million to help residents between October 2022 and March 2023

This is how it will be spent:

• £1.8million will be spent funding food vouchers for 18,000 children eligible for free school meals over the October, Christmas, February half-term and Easter holidays.
• £325,000 will be used helping 500 low income households that missed out on the £650 Cost of Living payment as they weren’t on a qualifying benefit. Find out more and who is eligible for this payment.
• £190,000 will be used to support 450 care leavers and foster carers and special guardians.
• A further £275,000 will be used to support the council’s Local Welfare Provision scheme – where residents can apply for financial help in a crisis.
• £100,000 will be given to local food banks
• £126,000 will be spent supporting disabled households who receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, who are most affected by increasing energy bills. Find out more and who is eligible for this payment.
• The council is also working with schools on a range of measures to ensure children are well fed, including help to set up breakfast clubs, free school meals for children whose families just miss out on the eligibility criteria and helping families struggling to send their children to school with packed lunches. £300k has been set aside for this support.
• £200,000 will fund helping council and private tenants on a low income and not in receipt of benefits who are struggling with rent and rent arrears.
• £15,000 will be spent helping Sandwell families who are hosting refugees from Ukraine with increased household costs.
• £20,000 will support the running of the council’s 29 Warm Spaces.

Tenants on a low income and not in receipt of benefits (including Universal Credit) can request financial support by emailing rents_support@sandwell.gov.uk Please include your full name, full address with postcode and a contact telephone number. We will contact you as soon as possible to do a financial assessment.

There’s no need to apply for the other Household Support Funding mentioned above – payments will be made automatically to eligible households this winter.

If you are experiencing exceptional financial hardship, applications for crisis payments can be made to the Local Welfare Provision Scheme.

The funding is limited by the Department for Work and Pensions. Once the fund has been exhausted, no further awards can be made.

Download our Household Support Fund policy for further details.