Due to the limited amount of funds available we will prioritise items necessary for day to day living, such as, food and essential items.
This may include, but is not limited to:
- Food - provided in kind, through vouchers or cash.
- Energy and water - support with energy bills for any form of fuel used for the purpose of domestic heating, cooking or lighting and water bills including for drinking, washing, cooking and for sanitary purposes and sewerage.
- Essential costs linked to energy and water - support with sanitary products, warm clothing, soap, blankets, boiler service or repair.
- Repair or purchase of essential household appliances.
- Servicing and repair of heating systems.
- School uniform and other essential clothing.
- Broadband and phone bills.
- Transport related costs.
In exceptional cases of genuine emergency where existing support schemes do not meet the exceptional need, the Fund can be used to support housing costs. The ongoing housing support for rent should be provided through the housing cost element of Universal Credit (UC) or through Housing Benefit (HB) rather than this Fund. In addition, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) must first be considered before emergency housing support is offered through this Fund. We must also first consider whether the claimant is at statutory risk of homelessness and therefore owed a duty of support through the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG).
In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, households in receipt of HB, UC, or DHPs can still receive housing cost support through this Fund, if it is deemed necessary by us. However, the Fund should not be used to provide housing support on an ongoing basis or to support unsustainable tenancies.
Individuals in receipt of some other form of housing support could still qualify for the other elements of this Fund, such as food, energy, water, essentials linked to energy and water and wider essentials.
The Fund can exceptionally and in genuine emergency be used to provide support for historic rent arrears built up prior to an existing benefit claim for households already in receipt of UC and HB. This is because these arrears are excluded from the criteria for Discretionary Housing Payments. However, support with rent arrears is not the primary intent of the fund and should not be the focus of spend.