Authorities are encouraged to engage with District Councils as quickly as possible to ensure roles, responsibilities and effective arrangements are put in place to deliver The Fund promptly and efficiently. However, families receiving other forms of assistance are not excluded from receiving support through The Fund. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Payment of The Fund from DWP to Authorities will be made in arrears after the interim MI return in January 2023 and the final MI return at the end of grant period in April 2023 after we have verified the MI. Funds should be spent or committed before 31 March 2023 and cannot be carried over for future usage. 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. 96. You can change your cookie settings at any time. 118. Food. 25. This can be delivered directly by the LA or by a TPO on their behalf. 10. The Authority must also first consider if the claimant is at statutory risk of homelessness and, therefore, owed a duty of support through the HPG. For the purposes of recording spend in the MI template, if an award relates to more than one of Households with Children, Households with Pensioners (in other words, pensioners living with children) and Households with a Disabled Person (for example disabled people living with children), Authorities have the flexibility to categorise and record the spend under the household composition(s) which they consider more fitting. In all cases, Authorities should keep administrative costs to a reasonable level. 36. 104. 30 September 2021, the government announced, Mr Sunak announced in the Spring Statement on 23 March an extension to the Household Support Fund extending it to 30 September 2022, My mother has Alzheimer's - these are 10 foods we both eat to protect brain health, Ed Davey: 'We are locked out of my learning disabled son's savings - the Government won't help', 9 retro UK seaside resort towns having a 21st-century renaissance, from Margate to Morecambe, The Spanish town with a unique 'Asnot' festival that mocks Ascot and British culture, I only ever eat British fruit and veg, even in the depths of winter. the volume of awards should be included in Table 3 row 2 (Volumes) column a and row 2 column b based on the information the Authority has been capturing to split the volume of awards spent across these categories. The additional funding will be used by local authorities to support vulnerable households. 9. 83. household support fund application form wolverhampton . It is important to be vigilant to fraud and error risks in relation to housing costs, and to assure yourself that the appropriate checks are in place. For example, some disabled people may have increased utility bills due to the usage of equipment, aids or adaptations associated with their disability. 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. Where Shire Counties pass grant allocations to District Councils, District Councils should pass the information relating to columns a, b and c to the County Council/Unitary Authority to collate the information and send one collated template to DWP. It is the amount that will be used to determine the grant funding payment from DWP to cover the full cost of administering the grant in an Authority area. In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, the Fund can be used to support housing costs. Alternatively, Authorities may want to consider: 105. Administration costs for each Authority will be published on www.gov.uk alongside detail of all spend and volumes related to The Fund. 126. It closes on 31 March 2023 or until the budget is spent. It would be reasonable to expect the vulnerable household to redeem the food voucher during the month following the end of The Fund. Volumes: this is the number of individual/separate payments made to vulnerable households within the eligibility criteria. Authorities should ensure that they consider the needs of various households including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people. All rights reserved. You have accepted additional cookies. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate this additional funding. Apply for the household support fund. The original HSF grant ran from 6 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. This will always be the month of the extract. Further funding was granted in December 2022 and January 2023 to help those most in need. 123. A further 1.7m has been allocated to pensioners via borough and district councils. 127. Email: warmhomes@oldham.gov.uk. This cell will automatically populate from the total in table 3. . 27. Awards to any given household can cover several or only one of the spend eligibility categories listed above. We have received a grant of 2.7m from the Government's 421 million national Household Support Grant Scheme to help support people in the county that are struggling to cope with the impact of the recent cost of living increases. However, when making decisions, Authorities should consider the risks involved. LA Performance Relationship Managers (PRMs) from DWPs LA Partnership, Engagement and Delivery (LA-PED) division will contact Authorities to provide support and gather information throughout The Fund. Cost of Living Scheme "Top Up". 35. 84. Authorities may wish to consider restricting access to these vouchers; and also consider restricting usage to ensure that they cannot be spent outside the intended scope of The Fund. Authorities are encouraged to ask neighbouring Authorities to work together to help prevent double provision and/or no provision especially where allocation of provision is by school in one area and by residential address in another. Household Support Fund doubled to 1 billion with 500 million of new funding, as government goes further to support families with cost of living. Where eligible, ongoing housing support for rent must be provided through the Housing cost element of, In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, households in receipt of. Paragraph 52 (previously paragraph 50), has been updated to clarify reporting requirements for Households with Children and Households with Pensioners. 57. The award was not made as a result of an application nor proactive support. This new Household Support Fund (HSF3) is now open and available until 31 March 2023, or until funding is fully used. The definition of spend includes grant funding that has been provided to vulnerable households, within the scope of the eligibility criteria, and within the period of The Fund 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. Disabled people in particular may be facing acute challenges due to the disproportionate impact that rising costs bring for the additional services they need in order to manage their conditions, remain independent and avoid becoming socially isolated. 52. Authorities should ensure that they consider and put in place suitable controls when making use of vouchers as part of The Fund. If your application is successful, payment will take 7-10 working days. Therefore, Authorities should also use other sources of information to identify vulnerable households, including advice from professionals who come into contact with vulnerable households such as social workers and Supporting Families keyworkers and housing workers. The grant was distributed through small payments to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities. 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. 15. In accordance with the public sector equality duty, DWP has had due regard for the potential equalities impacts of this grant. The fund is available to support both adults (without dependent children) and families with children and will be made available to vulnerable households who need additional financial support during the winter months . 82. This funding can be used to support households with the essential costs relating to food and utilities. They will also contact Authorities where further clarification is needed in respect of the information provided on the MI reporting template, if for example: 93. Table 4 relates to grant spend, volume of awards made, and households helped in relation to food, energy and water bills, essentials linked to energy and water bills, wider essentials, and (in exceptional circumstances) housing costs. DWP will also continue to engage with Authorities throughout the course of The Fund and will provide opportunities to engage with the department and other Authorities to share good practice and work collaboratively. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Email hsf.south@citizensadviceosav.org.uk. Authorities should have regard to the fact that receipt of any of the above support should not exclude a resident from receiving support through The Fund in principle and households in receipt of support from these schemes may still be in need. 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). Spend (s) - this is the amount paid/awarded to vulnerable households within the eligibility criteria. This includes support for single households, families with or without children, older people and disabled people. 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. To apply for the Household Support Fund, you must be over 16 years of age - however, some councils insist that you must be over 18. These include for example: 62. We are also introducing a further data share for those in receipt of HB only. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. In relation to housing costs this must include checking whether the household could receive DHPs. The Household Support Fund is designed to provide short-term urgent financial help to Somerset residents who are struggling to afford household essentials such as buying food, paying for energy and water bills and other essential household items such as beds and white goods. If we respond requesting further information, you must respond to us within 5 days or your application will be closed. 112. 129. If the payment is in relation to both food and energy in equal measures put 50% of the award in each of the two categories. Call 01235 750753. When developing your local delivery frameworks, you should ensure people are not disadvantaged or treated unfairly by The Fund. Authorities should deduct their administration costs from the total allocation to determine the amount remaining. Local authorities will also ask you to produce evidence showing why you need the support. Each MI return must include your Section 151 Officers name and email address to provide assurance on validation of funding spend. A single grant payment will be made in arrears on the receipt of a fully completed and verified MI return. Essential household items (white goods, small appliances), Other essentials (warm clothing and bedding), Addition for each child in household: 15.00. The definition of a household with a child is a household containing any person: who will be under the age of 19 at the time of award or. 116. If you're unable to fill in the form online and email it, our Community Hub team can help you complete the . In other words, residents should have the opportunity to come forward to ask for support. You have accepted additional cookies. The fund is designed to provide short-term financial support to . It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward, and a pleasure to speak about what is one of the Government's better-kept secrets: the household support fund. 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. 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. The household support fund is a measure that provides households with payments to help with essentials such as food, utilities and clothing. 29. Every area must operate at least part of their scheme on an application basis. Household Support Fund extension 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The risks involved families receiving other forms of assistance are not disadvantaged or treated by... 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