Households could benefit financially under the current cost of living crisis from a boost from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to ease the burden of energy bills.
Coventry City Council has introduced the Household Support Fund, which offers financial assistance of £140 to families and £120 to single people or couples without children. This support is intended to cover a two-month period and will be paid in a single instalment.
The purpose of this fund is to support the most disadvantaged households due to financial difficulties, especially those who do not qualify for other types of public assistance.
Given the ongoing nature of the financial crisis, applicants can submit a maximum of three applications over the course of the scheme, which is expected to run until 30 September 2024. The application process has begun on 30 April, giving eligible households sufficient time to apply for assistance.
The Purpose of the Household Support Fund
This grant can be used to assist with basic energy and water needs, where a range of costs can arise that directly affect a household’s ability to obtain or access food, energy and water.
The main focus of the grant is to provide assistance in the following areas:
- To pay for energy bills such as gas, electricity, oil, and water/sewerage bills
- Support with food
In addition, you can also benefit from:
- Purchasing essential household items like fridges, freezers, and ovens
- Providing wider household support not linked to energy and water.
- Essential items such as toiletries and sanitary products
- Heating/lighting repairs
- Cases of genuine emergency where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, the fund can be used to support housing costs.
- Eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) must first be considered along with whether the claimant is at statutory risk of homelessness and therefore owed a duty of support through the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG) These avenues of support must be exhausted before emergency housing support from the Household Support fund will be considered.
- Housing and homelessness advice (for information about Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG))
- Discretionary Housing Payments
How Much You Can Get?
Assistance is paid in a single instalment to cover a two-month period. In other words, you can apply a maximum of three times during the programme.
- Single people or childless couples can receive one award of £120.
- Families can receive £140.
Unfortunately, support cannot be provided after 30 days from the end of the grant period. Therefore, applications for fuel/energy and water support submitted at the end of September will cover the remaining weeks until 30 October 2024.
Eligibility Criteria and Application Process
In order to benefit from the Household Assistance Fund, applicants must demonstrate financial hardship. The Council may request evidence of their circumstances to support the application, which can be submitted online via a dedicated form on the Council’s website.
To make sure your application is dealt as quickly as possible, you should have the following information to hand when you submit your application:
- National Insurance number (if you have one)
- Your ARC number (if you are an asylum seeker)
You can apply for funding by completing a form on the council’s website. If you require assistance, simply complete the relevant form or, if you are having difficulty applying online, call on 08085 834333, and you will be helped to apply.
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