Thousands of households across the Midlands which don’t receive any benefits could get money to help pay their bills. Local councils operate Household Support Funds (HSF) containing millions of pounds to help residents judged to be most in need.
And many councils accept applications from anyone, regardless of whether they are on benefits, and then judge them on a case-by-case basis. Someone might be deemed to be in need of support even if they don’t claim benefits because they don’t earn enough to get by or they are judged to be in “hardship” because of other individual circumstances.
Wolverhampton Council does not state on its website applicants must be on benefits. If they can demonstrate they are suffering hardship, it’s possible they could be accepted.
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Birmingham City Council, which hands out £200 payments, says “you may be expected to provide proof of address and proof of means-tested benefits” but not necessarily will all cases. Sandwell Council put aside £1.3 million to help 2,700 households which missed out on Government Cost of Living Payments because they were not on a qualifying benefit.
However, they do still need to have received Housing Benefit to qualify. Local authorities have been handed millions of pounds by the Government to create the HSFs.
It’s then up to councils to decide how to distribute the money to people who need it most. To find out details where you live, search for your local council and ‘Household Support Fund’.
Birmingham City Council’s runs until the end of March. It says: “BVSC will distribute grants of up to £200 to Birmingham households currently facing financial hardship. The funds are intended to help with food costs and energy payments.
- You must be a Birmingham resident
- You must be experiencing financial hardship, particularly with covering food and energy costs
- Your household must not have received a hardship grant payment in the last 12 months
“You may be expected to provide proof of address and proof of means-tested benefits (if you are in receipt of them) in the case that you are invited to apply. Each household is only eligible to receive one £200 grant payment in a 12-month period.
“For example, if you received a £200 payment on September 30, 2022, you cannot re-apply until October 1, 2023. Any application received before your eligibility date will be rejected.”
