In the Budget, the UK government announced that they will be extending the Household Support Fund for six months. This grant scheme runs from 1 OCtober 2024 to 30 March 2025, and is funded by central government.
Shropshire Council has been given a further grant of £2.1 million from the scheme. This money is to help people in Shropshire to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford household essentials including energy and water bills, food, and wider essentials.
Shropshire Council and partner organisations are continuing to work together to ensure that people most in need are supported with this funding, in line with guidance set out by the government.
The fund can be used to support households with:
- Energy and water bills
- Food
- Essentials linked to energy, water and food
- Wider essentials
- Housing costs (in special cases) but not for mortgage payments
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, larger families, single-person households, and those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events.
The fund will be delivered through both targeted and application-based support to ensure help is available to a wide range of vulnerable households in most need with the cost of essentials.
Targeted support
Free school meals
The fund will continue to provide free school meals holiday vouchers during the remaining 2024/25 academic year. For children in receipt of eligible benefits-related FSM on roll in Shropshire schools and children in receipt of 24U funding and Early Years Pupil Premium in early years settings.
If you’re on a low income and you think you could be eligible for free school meals, please visit our free school meals pages.
Application-based support
- Tenbury NILS Scheme provide residents in financial need with a grant to help with essential household items.
- Community Resource provide residents in financial need with a one-off hardship grant payment.
- Marches Energy Agency (MEA) – will be providing winter warmth grant for vulnerable individuals living in a cold house.
- Welfare support team Shropshire Council’s welfare support team offers support to low income and vulnerable households in need with food, energy, and water bills, and with other essential living costs.
- Affordable warmth and energy efficiency offers support to residents through Keep Shropshire Warm energy advice and support service, Help-to-Heat vouchers to qualifying households and those in sustained energy arrears, and discretionary grants (criteria applies).
One-off payments
A £300 targeted payment to pensioner households on low incomes who are in receipt of council tax support and/or housing benefit but not pension credit. (criteria applies).
A £100 payment to care leavers.
Preventative Support
Grant funding opportunities will be made available to community-run Warm Hubs, administered by the Marches Energy Agency. Community Organisations can find out more about the funding opportunities and submit an expression of interest to warmhubs@mea.org.uk
Shropshire Council Community & Family Hubs providing support, advice, and a safe & warm space.
Other support funds
Housing
This includes:
- Keep Shropshire Warm Energy Advice and Support Service
- Help-to-heat vouchers to qualifying households and those in sustained energy arrears.
- Discretionary grants provided to support applications to Sustainable Warmth Shropshire programme for necessary ancillary/enabling works
On average, for every £1 spent with the household support funding, an additional £4 can then be accessed through the other government funds to carry out much-needed improvements to the homes of vulnerable Shropshire residents.
If you’re on a low income and you think you could be eligible for help with energy costs and grants for home improvements to help reduce energy costs please visit our affordable warmth and energy efficiency pages.
Welfare Support Team
Shropshire Council’s Welfare Support Team offers support to low income and vulnerable households in need. Households can apply for help with food, energy and water bills, and with other essential living costs. For more information, and to find out how to apply, please visit our Welfare Support Fund team page.
Partner organisation hardship grants
These provide support to meet the emergency need of vulnerable households in financial distress or hardship to meet the cost of unaffordable essentials. This includes energy bills, white goods, (cookers, washing machines and fridge/freezers) and energy efficiencies to help with reducing future energy costs.
Please note that all applications must be referred by a third-party organisation.
- The Tenbury NILS Scheme provides residents in financial need with a grant to help with essential household items
- Community Resource provides residents in financial need with a one-off hardship grant payment between £50 - £500 to help keep their home warm