STRUGGLING households have just days left to apply for a £100 direct payment that goes straight into bank accounts.
The Household Support Fund (HSF) is dished out from a pot worth £842million and is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
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You can apply if you’re struggling to pay for food, bills, the cost of energy and other everyday essentials.
Depending on where you live, some households could be eligible for grants worth up to £1,000 based on their own financial circumstances.
The current round of support on offer will close on September 29.
People who have applied for help in the last six months will be able to apply again in October.
If you have children who receive free school meals you can also apply for the Holiday Food Voucher.
This will ensure you get the most appropriate support for you and your family.
But what is the Household Support Fund, and how do you apply for the help? We explain all you need to know.
What is the Household Support Fund?
The Household Support Fund was launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid a cost of living crisis.
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Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £500million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
The help you can get varies depending on who your local council is, as well as your personal situation.
But you may be able to get free cash and vouchers to help pay for things like heating your home or to cover costs of your weekly grocery shop.
If an applicant is already receiving benefits, these will not be affected by the HSF.
And, you do not need to be getting benefits to receive vouchers or funds from the HSF.
Every council will provide the means they feel best suits their area, and not everywhere has re-launched the scheme following its last application round on March 31.
Check with your local council to find out what support is available and the eligibility criteria.
How do you apply?
To get the help, you’ll need to check with your local council – as local authorities are in charge of distributing the funding.
To find your local council, use the gov.uk council finder tool.
Once you’ve found your council, there should be information on how to apply for the funding on its website.
Each council will have a different application process – so exact details on how to apply will vary depending on where you live.
That means that the eligibility requirements to access the fund could also vary – it’s best to check with your local council for more details.
Some councils won’t require you to apply for the help and they’ll contact you about it instead if you qualify.
If there’s no information on your council’s website, then its best to ring them up and ask for more information.
