Thousands of households will receive £15 cash for food this month – check if you’re eligible
THOUSANDS of households will get £15 cash help in the form of food vouchers this month to help pay for the rising cost of groceries.
The support will be dished out under a new round of £421million funding given by the government to the Household Support Fund.
Councils have been given a slice of the new pot of funding on offer, which will be distributed to hard-up households to help pay for bills and essentials.
West Northamptonshire Council has announced it will be handing out part of its £2.6million portion of cash in the form of food vouchers.
The £15 vouchers will be given to low income households with children, to help pay for food during the October half term break.
The council will be contacting schools in the local area, who will dish out the vouchers ahead of the holiday.
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The council hasn’t outlined if you need to apply for the vouchers, or if they are given out automatically.
It also hasn’t specified the eligibility criteria for who can qualify.
We’ll update this story when we know more.
Can I get help if I don’t live in the area?
If you don’t live in West Northamptonshire, then you can still get help under the Household Support Fund.
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But what support you can get will vary, because each council is in charge of how to spend the funding available.
Some decide to dish the help out automatically, while you’ll need to apply to some authorities for the support.
Others choose to distribute funding out in the form of vouchers, while others give out cash payments.
To get more information on what support is available, and how to get it, you’ll need to contact you local council.
You can find yours using the gov.uk council checker tool.
To be eligible for the help, you usually have to be in receipt of Council Tax Support.
What can I get?
Councils are currently deciding how to distribute their new round of funding.
That means, in a lot of cases, households won’t know exactly what they can get under the latest round of support just yet.
But in the last round of funding, you could get up to £500 in free cash support from some councils – like Bromsgrove and Redditch.
Other authorities were offering vouchers – like Coventry City Council.
Residents of Effingham, near Guildford, could get up to £300 free cash to help them through the cost of living crisis.
While Lewisham Council sent payments to families with children receiving free school meals, and pensioner households if they apply for the help.
What other help can I get?
There’s plenty of other help on offer if you’re not eligible for help through the Household Support Fund.
Energy companies offer hardship funds, for example you can get £750 from British Gas if you’re a customer.
Households on pension credit or low incomes may qualify for the warm home discount scheme worth £150.
It’s worth checking if you can get help with your food bills.
If you’re pregnant or have a child under the age of four then you may qualify for Healthy Start vouchers to help pay for basic foods such as milk or fruit.
You can apply for free school meals for your child if you’re claiming certain benefits including Universal Credit.
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If your Universal Credit payment is not enough to cover your rent, you can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).
This will give you extra money if your council decides you need help to meet your housing costs. You don’t need to repay a DHP.