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 for the next six months to support struggling households with bills and essential costs until April 2025.

We are pleased to announce that the Household Support Fund application process will resume from 11th November 2024 and will remain open until 13th December 2024.

This initiative is designed to provide financial assistance to eligible households facing challenges in meeting their daily needs. If you are in need of support, we encourage you to apply within the application period.

The Household Support Fund (HSF) is provided by the Government. The Department for Work and Pensions has extended the Household Support Fund, which is administered by BCP Council through Citizens Advice BCP. The fund is designed to provide short-term financial support to vulnerable households struggling to afford household essentials. Citizens Advice BCP manages and allocates this fund on behalf of BCP Council.

BCP Council also offers other options of support that can be found on their website:
https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/communities/cost-of-living-help

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

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’.

To be eligible:

• You must live in the BCP Council area
• You will be over the age of 16 and living independently of parents or carers
• You are struggling to pay for essentials because you don’t have enough money to pay for them
• You 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 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.

Please check your junk mail if you cannot find email confirmation of your application being submitted.