Household Support Fund

Household Support Fund (HSF) round seven

Update: 26 November 2025

All the funding for Household Support Fund Round 7 has now been spent and no further applications will be accepted or processed.

Update: 12 November 2025

We have closed the Household Support Fund Round 7 to new applications as we believe we have received enough applications to spend the remaining fund. Applications will be processed during next week, starting on Monday 17 November.

Update: 4 November 2025

Due to a high number of rejected applications made in October, the Household Support Fund Round 7 has re-opened for applications. If you have received an HSF payment since April 2025, you cannot apply again for this round of funding and your application will be rejected. Please do not apply if you have received a payment since April 2025. The scheme will be closed when we have received enough applications to pay the remaining funding.

Update: 7 October 2025

We have now received enough applications to spend the remaining funding and have closed applications.

Please bear with us while the team processes all the applications.

Update: 6 October 2025

The council has now been paid the rest of the funding from East Sussex County Council and has re-opened applications to the fund.

The applications that were received but not processed and paid in the summer will also now be processed.

Update: 13 August 2025

The council has now processed and paid out all the funding we received for the first part of this scheme, a total of 750 applications.

We will receive more funding from East Sussex County Council in October 2025. When we have received this next payment of funding the applications that we have received but not been able to pay will be processed, and we will open the scheme to further applications. We will update this webpage when applications have re-opened.

Update: 14 July 2025:

The latest round of Household Support Fund has received an unprecedented number of applications. 

The council is receiving limited funding for this scheme and it is expected to last throughout the year. We have made the difficult decision to stop accepting applications at this time.

Applications that have already been made will be processed and paid in the coming weeks, but due to the high volume of applications it will take the team some time to work through them all. Please be patient while the applications are processed. 

East Sussex County Council is paying the funding to us in two instalments. When the funding in the first instalment has been spent we will not be able to approve and pay any more applications until the second instalment is received in October 2025. At this time, the scheme will be re-opened for new applications, and applications that have already been received but not paid in the first instalment will be considered in October.

You can find more information on the Household Support Fund round seven at East Sussex County Council.

Update: 11 July 2025

A further £742 million has been made available throughout England for the Household Support Fund round 7. This additional funding is for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 only.

Hastings Borough Council has received a share of this funding from East Sussex County Council to support local households who are finding it difficult to pay for the cost of food, energy and water.

There is a limited amount of funding available. The funding will be distributed on a first come first served basis. The fund will close on 31 March 2026 or when the funds are spent, whichever comes first.

New guidance has been issued setting out how the fund should be spent. The eligibility criteria for this scheme are different to previous funds, so if you haven't been eligible before, you might be now.

Crisis Support Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be:

• Over the age of 18;
• Resident in the Hastings Borough Council area;
• Receiving Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and/or Universal Credit with Housing Costs; and
• Finding it difficult to pay for food, energy, or water. 

Award

Support will be provided for the following:

• Energy bills for any form of fuel used for the purpose of domestic heating, cooking, or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders;
• Water bills including for drinking, washing, cooking, as well as for sanitary purposes and sewerage;
• Food.

For the above, households will receive a one-off payment of £200 for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. This will be paid directly to the successful applicant's verified bank account.

Multiple applications

During the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, only one application per household is allowed. Any further application made by a household during this period will be refused. If a household moves to another authority, they can claim again subject to eligibility in that area.

Verification

Where the council's own verification procedures are not successful or inconclusive, it may be necessary for us to request additional information or evidence to be supplied before any payment is made, for example - a bank statement or utility bill.

If you are at risk of homelessness

If you are at risk of losing your home please visit the council's dedicated webpage.

Other help that may be available

You may be also eligible for support from other sources.

• The government's cost of living hub
• East Sussex County Council offer a range of help and support services
• East Sussex County Council discretionary fund
• Citizens Advice Hastings
• Brighton Housing Trust
• Southern Water support for bills
• Government Help for Households campaign
• Ofcom social broadband and phone
• 02 Databank
• Good Things Foundation national databank
• Pension Credit
• Winter fuel payment

If you need somewhere warm, you can find a map of warm spaces across Hastings and East Sussex through the Warm Welcome website.