Household Support Fund

The Government, through the Department for Work and Pensions, made an additional £421 million available throughout England for the Household Support Fund. This additional funding was for the period October 2022 and 31 March 2023 only.

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

There was a limited amount of funding available, and this was distributed on a first come first served basis. The fund closed on 17 March 2023 when the fund was exhausted.

The eligibility criteria for the fund was changed compared to earlier schemes and there was a strong focus on assisting households that would not have benefited from other Government schemes such as Cost of Living payments.

Cost of Living payments (worth £650 or more) are typically being paid to households that receive the following means tested benefits: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, Income Based Job-Seekers Allowance and Income Related Employment Support Allowance.

More details about Cost of Living payments.

To assist county council in meeting the scheme objectives we targeted the funding toward only those households that were unlikely to have qualified for a Government Cost of Living payment from either the Department for Work and Pensions or HM Revenues and Customs.

We wrote to all households we believe could meet the current scheme criteria, and invited them to apply. The letters included a unique one-time use Passcode that enabled an application to be made.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must have been over the age of 18, have recourse to public funds, be resident in the Hastings Borough area and be finding it difficult to pay for food, energy or water.

Additionally, applicants must receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction BUT NOT be receiving any of the following benefits:

• Pension Credits
• Universal Credit 
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits
• Income Support
• Income Related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance.

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.

There will be one award of £250 per eligible household during the lifetime of the scheme, paid directly to the applicant's bank account.

Multiple applications

Only one application per household was allowed during the lifetime of the scheme which runs from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 inclusive. Any further application made by a household will not be considered. If a household moves to another authority, they can claim again subject to eligibility.

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.

If you are unsuccessful in your application, you may be eligible for support from other sources.

• 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

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