Household support fund

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. 

It is unlikely applications for the following will be successful: 

• Mortgage support – however, homeowners may still qualify for other elements of the fund such as food, energy, water and essential household expenditure. 
• Paying off non-essential debt.
• Parking fines, ultra low emission zone or congestion charges. 
• Where financial support has already been provided through another grant or fund. 
• Expenses in connection with legal costs – fees, costs, fines, damages etc.
• Expenses for self-employed business support.
• Repairs or improvements to the home, except boiler servicing or repair and essential white goods. 
• Any need that occurs outside of the UK. 
• Medical expenses/treatment. 
• Respite care. 

To assess applications, we will need details about the applicant and members of their households and the reasons why an application is being made. To support an application we may need to see one, or more of the following:

• Income and savings information.
• Bank statements.
• Receipts.
• Other information to allow us to make an informed decision.

We will try to support as many residents as we can with the limited funds available. We aim to provide support to those who need our help the most. This includes:

• Residents with dependent children.
• Residents with disability or health problems.
• Households with residents over 70 years old.
• Lone parents.
• Those who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless including those living in temporary accommodation.
• Survivors of domestic abuse.
• Those leaving care or hospital.
• Those facing an emergency crisis such as, a recent fire or flood.

Once we receive an application and supporting evidence it will be assessed based on the information provided and a decision made.

As part of the application process applicants will be asked to give an indication of the amount of financial support they require. When the application is being assessed the Officer will determine how much will be awarded, however it will not always be possible to provide the full amount requested due to the Fund being just over £230,000.

Normally there will be one payment from this Fund. In exceptional circumstances repeat applications will be considered.

There is no right of appeal against a decision not to make an award, or about the amount of an award. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can ask us to review your application within five days of our decision.

Requests for a review should be made in writing and must state the reasons why you do not agree with the decision and why you are asking for a review. The review will be conducted by a senior officer who was not involved in the original decision.

You will be notified of the outcome of the review within 14 days of your request.

In October, the Government announced funding to financially support vulnerable households over the winter months. It is known as the Household Support Grant and runs till 31 March 2022.

We have been allocated £234,649 to provide support to households who would struggle to buy food or pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living costs this winter, as the economy recovers from the pandemic.

At least 50% of the total funding must be spent on families with children.

The Tandridge Household Support Scheme Local Eligibility Framework has been developed to help us administer the scheme, which will:

• Use discretion to identify and support those most in need.
• Use the funds to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford food, energy or water bills and other essential household expenditure.
• In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, we will support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need.
• Work with local services, community groups and other partners to identify and support households within the scope of this scheme.