Household Support Fund

Thank you for visiting our Household Support Fund (HSF) page. 

The UK government recently announced an extension to the Household Support Fund to support struggling households with bills and essential costs from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. There is continued support available for those struggling with the costs of living.

Household food and energy bills support

Citizens Advice Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) manages some of the Household Support Fund (HSF) on our behalf, providing household grants to help with food and fuel bills.

Citizens Advice (BCP) will be issuing Household Support Fund (HSF) grants on behalf of the BCP  Council to provide short-term financial support for low-income households struggling with food and energy bills.

To qualify for the Household Support Fund (HSF), you:

• must live in the BCP Council area
• over the age of 16 and living independently of parents or carers
• do not have the money to pay for essentials
• can provide the required proof of your identity, BCP Council residency and household financial information, including a summary for every person in your household not in full-time education. You may also be required to provide proof of income, such as a recent bank statement

Please note:

Please be aware that demand for the HSF grant is high and it may take 8 weeks for your application to be processed. Please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee that you will receive the grant and your application may be rejected due to lack of funds. While we try to support as many applicants as possible, the funds are limited compared to number of applications we receive.

Criteria is based on need of support and eligibility. You will need to provide evidence of residency in the BCP Council area and a form of ID such as a Drivers Licence or passport. Those deemed as having sufficient savings or income may not meet the criteria of ‘struggling to afford household essentials’.

Grant vouchers are only issued to the named applicant, or the person nominated by them to receive vouchers on their behalf.

When and how to apply:

Grants are usually open for applications on a quarterly basis.

The last round closed on 21 February 2025.

We will update this page once the new dates for applications have been confirmed.