household support fund application form wolverhampton

31. 123. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. Please visit our new page for the latest HSF news. Household Support Fund | Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (bvsc.org) Published: 18 January, 2022. there is a significant gap between actual and allocated spend. 61. 72. It is important to stress that The Fund is intended to cover a wide range of low income households in need including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people. For the purpose of this section: 53. They will look to identify good practice and identify case studies where appropriate. In addition, where a trusted organisation/professional has assessed your needs, a secondary application can be submitted by them on your behalf. The Household Support Fund aims to help households in most need with food, energy vouchers or essential kitchen equipment. who has reached State Pension age at the time of award, 70. Household Support Fund (HSF) The HSF grant is a one-off award that could help to buy food, gas, and electricity. You can apply if you: Are aged 18 or over. Authorities have discretion to assess what is reasonable to assist those in genuine need this winter with regard to the examples above. 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. To support with the cost of living, Hertfordshire has been provided with funding from the Government's Household Support Fund (HSF). 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. Household Support Fund. This includes the Cost of Living Payments set out on 26 May 2022 and the energy support set out on 3 February (enhanced on 26 May 2022), and detailed on 29 July 2022 (details on eligibility for these schemes are at Annex A). For audit purposes where an Authority recycles and reuses expired vouchers the Authority must confirm by email to the DWP copying in the Section 151 Officer: 106. 50. Authorities are able to distribute funding themselves and do not have to go back through the original TPO. The total value of grant spent, the volume of awards made by the charity or voluntary organisations providing the food bank and number of households helped should be entered in Table 3 (The Authority or food bank provider will need to provide the split between household composition to the best of their ability) and column b (Food Excluding FSM support in the holidays) of Table 4. 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. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Searchlight can only be used to verify a specific individuals DWP benefit information. The amount of MI available will vary considerably across each TPO. Authorities must work together with District Councils to ensure the funding meets its objectives by identifying those most in need. DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR UPDATES. 88. Household support grant application form. The deadline for completing these returns is shown in the table below. 51. Education support fund. 32. Individuals and organisations can refer through completing an online form; For support and further information call: 01244 400730; Email office@ . You will need your Council Tax reference number. 19. Household Support Fund Completing our online request form is not an application for the Household Support Fund Phase 3. DWP is providing funding to County Councils and Unitary Authorities (including Metropolitan Councils and London Boroughs), under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003, to administer The Fund and provide assistance to households most in need. The Fund cannot be used to provide mortgage support, though homeowners could still qualify for the other elements of The Fund (such as energy, food, water, essentials linked to energy and water and wider essentials). Any underspends from the previous schemes cannot be carried forward. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate this additional funding. 116. 80. Pay your bill, report a change, find information on bands, exemptions and discounts. 71. Authorities that plan to order vouchers in bulk should attempt to be realistic in the volumes ordered to avoid holding large stocks of unused vouchers at the end of The Fund. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. For these purposes financial irregularity includes fraud or other impropriety, mismanagement, and the use of grant for purposes other than those for which it was provided. If. If youre in need of support, you can find out how to get help with the cost of living through the Household Support Fund from your local council. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. . 421m has been made available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to support those most in need to help with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living. Paragraph 65 has been added to clarify reporting requirements when Household Support Fund payments are made instead of a different payment method. 74. The government has announced an extension of the scheme supporting vulnerable households, including pensioners and those with children, with a focus on food and energy costs. How the money will be allocated. 125. In the Spring Statement, the Government announced 3.6 million of further funding to support vulnerable children and families and pensioners. Where an award is made to a household with multiple children, it should be classed as a single award. Table 6 relates to grant spend, volume of awards made, and households helped in relation to Application-based support, Proactive Support and Other. 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 Authority directly provides vouchers to vulnerable households as a result of the Authority proactively identifying the recipients. If you think you may be eligible and would like to discuss an initial assessment from an Occupational Therapist please call the City Council Independent Living Service (ILS) on 01902 553666. Loans may be accessed through Wolverhampton City Credit Union. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. The Household Support Fund (HSF) is provided by the Government and administered by BCP Council. We may need the Authority to explain why that is the case and provide supporting evidence. Cambridgeshire Holiday Voucher Scheme (CHVS) Assistance through Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2022. There is flexibility on exactly how this can be run, including through third parties rather than directly by the LA. Support which can make a quick but sustainable impact on energy costs is particularly encouraged; for example, insulation of hot water tanks, fitting draft excluders to a door, or replacing inefficient lightbulbs or white goods. As with District Councils, Authorities should make arrangements with any TPOs as quickly as possible. If you receive any calls requesting this. For example, if a 100 award of vouchers is made following a successful application for support to a household with children for food, you would allocate 100 to the Households with children section in Table 3, 100 to the food section in Table 4, 100 to the Vouchers section of Table 5 and 100 to the Application-based support of Table 6. Residents are eligible if they have: an annual household net income of less than 30,000 and; savings of less than 16,000 Within 'Household Support Fund (April to September) final guidance' HTML document: 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. 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. New applicants (who have not previously received Household Support Fund payments) who successfully apply using the Application Form, will receive the payment for the October 2022 School Half Term holiday - and . This funding runs from April to September 2022. The guidance for completion is provided on a separate tab within the MI template. 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). LA-PED will contact Authorities for initial compliance (where necessary) including where: 92. 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. Individuals in this group are not eligible for a means-tested Cost of Living Payment and so this data share will allow Authorities to identify them and more easily consider their need for support. Where a household needs assistance with food, the following amounts will be awarded: Where a household needs assistance with fuel, the following amounts will be awarded: You will need to contact them first. Food. Alternatively, Authorities may want to consider: 105. Opening Times: Monday to Friday 9.00am -5.00pm. have fuel costs but who cannot access the 400 of energy support from the Energy Bill Support Scheme or the equivalence package confirmed on 29 July 2022. 44. 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. The definitions will be updated to include information regarding the additional data share of those who are in receipt of HB only when the details are confirmed. Authorities should use the standard MI reporting template provided, which incorporates the Statement of Grant Usage. The timetable for provision of funding is as follows: 108. The Household Support Fund application form is now live. Authorities must operate an application-based service for support to ensure those in need have a route to emergency support. We will launch the. We may need the Authority to explain why that is the case and provide supporting evidence. Where Authorities are working with TPOs, this should be done on an objectively fair, transparent and non-discriminatory basis whilst having regard to the time available to deliver The Fund. In particular, LAs should prioritise those who have not already received additional support for the cost of living. Authorities have access to a range of data sources, and checks can be carried out against this data to verify the identity of the recipient. 118. Staff accessing Searchlight will need to be registered with the Employee Authentication System. Wider essentials. In April 2022, DWP established a data share covering people receiving the Guarantee Credit and/or Savings Credit elements of Pension Credit, as well as for all claimants on income-related (IR) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA IR). Row 3 refers to the number of households helped. Best known brands in food and hospitality household support fund application form wolverhampton from Monday 20! 41. For the purpose of the reporting requirements for this grant (and without prejudice to other schemes): a person aged 19 or over in respect of whom a child-related benefit (for example, Child Benefit) is paid or FSMs are provided. Failure to return the MI by the deadline may result in a delayed payment or a payment being refused. Therefore, the details of each award need to be recorded four times; once against one set of criteria in Table 3, then a second time for Table 4 and again in Tables 5 and 6. 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. The funding has been extended to the end of March 2023. Please make sure you have all the information required to hand, including deails of income and . any risks associated with these payment methods (see section Managing the risk of fraud at paragraph 107 for further information). 49. 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. Authorities should establish eligibility criteria for their application service and should communicate with residents to ensure that their scheme and the mechanism for applying is clear and accessible. However, committed spend does not include large volumes of food vouchers, procured quite late in The Fund, which cannot be distributed to vulnerable households within the period of The Fund. The fund will run until Friday 31 March 2023 and will be used to support low-income households who need help with food, energy and other essential costs. What the Household Support Fund is. Any referral agency in the voluntary or statutory sector can refer a client in . Whichever way you use the funding, including where you work in partnership with others, you should consider all Subsidy rules (previously State Aid) issues. LAs must make public their plans for The Fund, for example on their Authority website. If your Authority needs to discuss access to Glasscubes, contact DWP. 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. LAs should consider how they could use this data to provide support to this group. Completed MI returns should be sent to the DWP. An interim MI return is required by 25 January 2023 for spend for the period 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022. Household Support Fund Household Support Fund In this section Household Support Fund notice How does the scheme work? Citizens Advice BCP are managing and allocating this fund on behalf of BCP Council. Household support fund wolverhampton apply. The definition of a household with a pensioner is any household containing any person: The definition of disability and disabled people aligns with the definition in the Equality Act 2010. 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. 126. Awards to any given household can cover several or only one of the spend eligibility categories listed above. Authorities are required to make two Statements of Grant Usage and MI returns see the Grant Determination. If you are in crisis and have no food or utilities please contact our Welfare Crisis team on 0191 643 2777, and select option 2. . Tables 3 to 6 ask for spend and award volumes to be recorded against four sets of criteria, one for each table. Updated the guidance for the extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Households can apply for Tesco vouchers. 98. You have done fantastic work! Support is available to households in Birmingham over the summer using funding from the government's Household Support Fund. 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. 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. For the purpose of The Fund committed spend relates to grant funding that has been spent and delivered to vulnerable households even though the vulnerable household may not have used their grant funding. Welfare Assistance Loans This is in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council. 89. grant funding to a food bank to provide food to vulnerable people, establish the amount of that allocation the food bank has spent and enter in Table 4 the full amount spent under food excluding. Include, where possible, the amount of spend across the following categories: 86. The Household Support Fund is available to help those most vulnerable due to the rising cost of living, especially around the need for food, fuel, and other essential costs. Staffordshire County Council have agreed to use this funding in the following ways: 1. Funding will be used primarily to support households with essentials costs related to food, energy and water bills. Is flexibility on exactly how this can be run, including through third parties rather directly. Vulnerable children and families and pensioners for the latest HSF news across following... 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