who has reached State Pension age at the time of award, 70. In October 2022, DWP will also introduce a further data share for those who are only in receipt of HB. The council decided that 2.2m of the fund would be used to enable the continued provision of food vouchers to eligible children over the Summer holidays. Table 6 relates to grant spend, volume of awards made, and households helped in relation to Application-based support, Proactive Support and Other. Shown below is a worked example of how the MI template should be completed. However, when making decisions, Authorities should consider the risks involved. 50. Food voucher amounts can vary depending on how many children reside in the household. 45. 58. This cell will automatically populate from the total in table 3. Visit your nearest One Stop Shop as soon as you can to speak with one of our advisers. We are providing Authorities with details of UC claimants in their Authority whose income is below the FSM and free prescription thresholds and those with Limited Capability For Work both at individual level and summary level by Ward. Authorities should ensure that they consider and put in place suitable controls when making use of vouchers as part of The Fund. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Authorities should make every effort to gather information to establish the household type. Staffordshire County Council have agreed to use this funding in the following ways: 1. The Authority must, as appropriate and practical, reference that the grant is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions or the UK Government in any publicity material, including online channels and media releases. These organisations have access to the Household Support Fund and can provide support. Individual awards can be whatever type and amount is deemed appropriate by Authorities for the receiving household, bearing in mind the overall spend eligibility priorities listed above and the risk of fraud and error. Awards to any given household can cover several or only one of the spend eligibility categories listed above. The household support fund is a measure that provides households with payments to help with essentials such as food, utilities and clothing. the Authority is reporting a high value of administration costs. Households will be awarded an amount that will vary dependent on the make up of the household. The Essential Living Fund can help pay for: furniture. Cost of Living Scheme "Top Up". 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. Reasonable administrative costs. 42. 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. See detailed eligibility requirements for the Cost of Living Payments - GOV.UK, Further details on the Energy Bills Support Scheme - GOV.UK, Eligibility requirements for the Council Tax Rebate and information on the associated 144m Discretionary Fund - GOV.UK. The Household Support Fund cannot be used for advice services, such as those on debt. 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. energy. confirm they intend to spend the total unspent amount against the same category of spend for the same group. These include for example: small IT changes, for example, to facilitate MI production. 56. 29. Searchlight can only be used to verify a specific individuals DWP benefit information. This may include social workers, housing and family support services and may incorporate intelligence and data from wider childrens social care systems to help identify and support individuals, families and households within the scope of The Fund. 47. Each MI return must include your Section 151 Officers name and email address to provide assurance on validation of funding spend. On 17 November 2022, as part of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement, the government announced an additional 1 billion of funding . 52. Applications will be reviewed within 7-10 working days. Authorities are required to complete a delivery plan to outline their intentions for The Fund and to demonstrate some of the ways in which they intend to allocate their funding. household support fund application form wolverhampton . 97. 55. Table 3 relates to grant spend, the volume of awards made, and number of households helped in relation to households with children, pensioners, a disabled person and all other households. 78. 21. 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. 16. It originally covered the period . The Fund can be used to support wider essential needs not linked to energy and water should Authorities consider this appropriate in their area. To apply for help, please submit an application. There is no requirement for Authorities to undertake a means test or conduct a benefit check unless this specifically forms part of the Authoritys local eligibility criteria. This guidance applies to Authorities in England only and when finalised should be read in conjunction with the Household Support Fund Grant Determination issued alongside it. By | January 19, 2023 | 0 | January 19, 2023 | 0 It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. The final MI return will be used to determine total eligible spend to 31 March 2023 and a final grant payment will be made to your Authority for this period when the information in your return has been verified. This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-guidance-for-local-councils/household-support-fund-final-guidance-for-county-councils-and-unitary-authorities-in-england. 61. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Where Authorities proactively identify households, they should consider how they can ensure that they are focusing on those in the most need to prevent escalation of problems. We may need the Authority to explain why that is the case and provide supporting evidence. 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. For the purpose of this section: 53. For example, any application process should be easy to access and to navigate. Updated the guidance for the extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022. the Authority is reporting a high value of awards where they have not been able to establish the household composition. We are also providing Authorities with details of those in receipt of Guarantee Credit and/or Savings Credit element of Pension Credit and their appointees if appropriate, as well as for all claimants on ESA (IR). energy and water bills, essentials linked to energy and water bills, wider essentials, and (in exceptional circumstances) housing costs. 115. 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. The grants will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Check whether the de minimis regulation exception applies. The money can be used to support households in the most need who would . The Household Support Fund was created to help those in need. This list is not exhaustive. The fund is provided to the council by the Department of Work and Pensions. 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. The MI template should be completed as per guidance below. 116. Food. Authorities must use their judgement to decide what legal powers and funding can be used to support individuals who are ineligible for public funds or statutory housing assistance. Shown below are some examples of how to complete the template. The additional funding will be used by local authorities to support vulnerable households. We expect Authorities to work with district councils to ensure support is going to those with genuine need and to help minimise the risk of fraud on housing support. Professional referrals and the housing costs application form will remain open until all the funding has been used. A recent copy (withinthe last 3 months) of the bank statement for the bank details used in your claim, this needs to be the bank account that your household bills come out of and clearly shows your name, address, account number and sort code. Please indicate that you have done this in row 4 of the table Is the section 151 Officer/CFO copied into the return to DWP? If the MI is incomplete or incorrect it will be returned to the Authority by the DWP for correction and re-submission which must also be copied to your Chief Financial Officer/Section 151 Officer. As paragraph 5 above, Authorities should also have a process to consider applications for support. The award was not made as a result of an application nor proactive support. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. Authorities are expected to collect or verify information to establish whether the award is made to a household with children or a household with pensioners or a disabled person. 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. 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. It can also be used to support water bills . However, when an LA chooses to use all or part of this funding for an application-based process, they must make sure that this support is clearly advertised to residents. Published. Help with heating or other home energy costs. 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. household support fund application form wolverhampton. Funded by the UK government, the scheme is for those most in need of support to help with significantly rising living costs. 63. 49. 14. Total amount provided to vulnerable households this is the total amount of The Fund that has been paid or awarded to vulnerable households. 79. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. The guidance for completion is provided on a separate tab within the MI template. Where a homeowner is having difficulty with their mortgage payments, they should contact their lender as soon as possible to discuss their circumstances as lenders will have a set procedure to assist. V SB LAW; Th hng; Trch nhim x hi; Thnh vin; Dch v cung cp. 31 March 2022. Where an award is made to a household with multiple children, it should be classed as a single award. A single grant payment will be made in arrears on the receipt of a fully completed and verified MI return. Facilities grants can range from minor works such as installing ramps to major works such as extensions (up to a maximum of 30,000). Nhn hiu; Sng ch; Kiu dng cng nghip Only one application per household will be considered for the period October 2022 - March 2023 and priority will be given to those households on low income who do not qualify for the cost of living payments. Paragraph 65 has been added to clarify reporting requirements when Household Support Fund payments are made instead of a different payment method. 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. To ensure that the objectives of The Fund are being met during the course of the grant and reduce administration costs for all concerned, including the need for DWP to recover underspend, grant payment will be made in arrears upon DWP being satisfied with the MI returns. https://www.gov.uk/cost-living-help-local-council. 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. 114. how they plan to provide support to vulnerable households, in other words, paying into bank accounts, use of cash and vouchers, provision of goods. By doing this you confirm that the Section 151 Officer has agreed the correctness of spend reported. 122. We are also introducing a further data share for those in receipt of HB only. The Household Support Fund is money from the government that we use to help low-income households with food and fuel poverty. 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. Further information on Searchlight can be found in the Local Authority Searchlight Training Pack available in the Searchlight folder on Glasscubes (the LA/DWP online collaboration tool). HSF3 is also a very small part of the overall support that the government is providing to households. The HSF is funded by the Department for Work & Pensions. This includes support for single households, families with or without children, older people and disabled people. The rules around immigration status have not changed. Housing costs. 100. 19. 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. 36. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. 31. Some of the funding will be set aside for applicants who come directly to the council for assistance. 112. Uk government, the scheme is household support fund application form wolverhampton available to Sheffield residents who have. Authorities who have signed and returned the relevant section (Annex C) of the current DWP/LA MoU have legal permission to access DWPs Searchlight portal and specific UC, Pension Credit, ESA (IR) and HB only data through a monthly data share for the purpose of The Fund. By Tangible Items we mean products that are of a physical nature such as clothing or household items. Surrey Crisis Fund additional support - 150k. 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. 113. 34. 9. They may also have additional heating, water or transport costs. If you are in employment, are liable for energy costs and struggling with costs of energy to heat your home, you can apply on-line for a utility voucher from our new discretionary scheme. As more households have been affected by the rising cost of living and energy prices, we have introduced some guidance around support around your first application to help us in reaching as many households as possible. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. To 745 Manchester residents in real need of Support and advice for Council tenants, private tenants landlords. Each award needs to be allocated four times one allocation for each of Tables 3-6 so that when you report on the total spent on: 81. The Fund should primarily be used to support energy bills for any form of fuel that is used for the purpose of domestic heating, cooking, or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. Essential household items (white goods, small appliances), Other essentials (warm clothing and bedding), Addition for each child in household: 15.00. 8. We'd prefer you choose to submit your application form via email, as this saves paper and reduces admin costs for the taxpayer. Authorities may find this information useful in identifying those most in need. For example, some disabled people may have increased utility bills due to the usage of equipment, aids or adaptations associated with their disability. To help mitigate this risk, Authorities should involve District Councils and other organisations chosen to administer The Fund to help identify vulnerable families, households and individuals. Household Support Fund April 2023 to March 2024. the total amount you have paid will be the same across the four tables. Total LA spend this is the total of the above. Eligibility varies according to your council, but you will need your National Insurance number to apply as well as details of your household occupants, your earnings and expenses. Apply for the Houshold Support Fund. 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. Household Support Fund extension 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. 25. 54. 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). Authorities have the flexibility within The Fund to identify which vulnerable households are in most need of support and apply their own discretion when identifying eligibility. 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. We expect Authorities to offer application-based support throughout the duration of The Fund, either continuously over the majority of The Fund Period or in regular intervals throughout the scheme. If you are not a tenant of one of the organisations listed above, then please apply for the Household Support Fund by visiting grantapproval.co.uk. 24. You should also follow government procurement procedures where relevant. Authorities may also wish to establish if other forms of support are available to the household. 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. For example, households with children and pensioners; food, energy bills, essentials linked to food and energy bills, wider essentials and (in exceptional circumstances) housing support. 6. A food bank operates on an open basis where anyone can turn up and pick up food and supplies. In other words, residents should have the opportunity to come forward to ask for support. Authorities should also consider providing support to disabled people in their area. How the money will be allocated. If multiple awards are made to the same household throughout the period of The Fund each award should be counted separately. Please visit South & East Lincolnshire Council's Partnership Household Support Fund or if you don't digital access call 01529 305825. Authorities can also proactively identify households who will benefit from support, as with previous schemes. 76. 129. Local Authorities(LAs) have discretion on exactly how this funding is used within the scope set out in the accompanying grant determination and this guidance. This brings the total funding for this support to 2.5 billion since October 2021. Funds should be spent or committed before 31 March 2023 and cannot be carried over for future usage. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Every area must operate at least part of their scheme on an application basis. The Fund can be used to provide support with essentials linked to energy and water (for example period products, warm clothing, soap, blankets, the purchase of equipment such as fridges, freezers, ovens, slow cookers), in recognition that a range of costs may arise which directly affect a households ability to afford or access energy, food and water.