Thousands of struggling families can get up to £60 in food vouchers in January – how to claim

STRUGGLING households could get a share of £500m to help cover essentials this winter.

The Household Support Fund is a pot of cash from the government that is being given out via local councils.

1

In Durham for instance, families can apply for £60 in food vouchers in January.

The vouchers are for households who have kids that are eligible for school meals.

There’s also vouchers for fuel and boiler repairs for others who need help among the council’s support on offer.

But for hard-up Brits in other areas there’s also help, as each council has a pot of cash to give out.

The exact help available, how much you get, who’s eligible and how to apply will vary.

Each council is giving out the cash on a case-by-case basis, so you’ll have to check directly with you local authority.

Most read in Money

For instance, Herefordshire Council is accepting applications for a one-off £60 payment to help families in the area.

Residents of West Northamptonshire can get help with their energy bills worth up to £120.

You can find your local authority and the help they are offering by searching your postcode on gov.uk.

Local councils also ongoing help through other schemes, so it’d worth checking what you could get on top of the Household Support Fund Cash.

It’s worth checking sooner rather than later too, as some councils have deadlines for getting the cash.

The extra help comes as households face soaring energy bills, rising inflation and a hike to food and petrol prices.

The support is designed to help cash-strapped Brits pay for essentials like food and bills.

If you’re worried about your energy bills as temperatures drop then you could get help from your energy company and other places too – check out how.

Councils also offer cash trough the welfare assistance scheme and you could get up to £1,000 in free cash and vouchers for food, furniture and bills.

And if you’re struggling to pay rent, you could apply for a discretionary housing payment.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk