Cost of living support
Household
Support Fund
LATEST UPDATE:JUNE 2024
After receiving cabinet approval in April 2024, the Household Support Fund Round 5 is being made available to ease the financial burdens faced by its vulnerable citizens living in Birmingham.
Please be aware that the scheme is now open for new enquiries.
Applications will be accepted from May 2024 until 30th September 2024, or until all funding has been exhausted if sooner. Approved enquiries within the system will continue to be prioritised in the order they have been submitted.
More information is available on the main HGCF webpage. An eligibility criteria continues to apply to all applicants; these details can be found on the same page.
The Household Support Fund, provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, is a fixed amount of money available to the Local Authority to be used to support those households in most need, with essentials such as food, energy and essential goods and supplies including water.
Receiving a grant from this fund will not impact on any other benefits you may be receiving or may be entitled to. You can find out about what financial support you may be eligible to claim using the Government’s Benefits Calculator. If you have reached retirement age, you can use the Government’s Pension Credit Calculator to find out about your entitlement.
This grant is free at the point of access, under no circumstances should you be required to pay a fee to apply for or to receive a grant from the Hardship Grant Community Fund.
What additional support is available?
You can find more information and resources on BCC’s Cost of Living Support Page and on the Government’s Cost of Living Hub.
You can also find out about what other support may be available for you, as well as finding out useful tips for saving money on the Help for Households campaign page.
Hardship Grant Community Fund
Birmingham Voluntary Service Council’s (BVSC) Hardship Grant Community Fund (HGCF), part of Birmingham City Council’s (BCC) wider Household Support Fund (HSF) activity, will be running until 30th September 2024.
BVSC will be distributing grants of up to £200 to Birmingham households, currently facing financial hardship, with the funds intended to help households with food costs and energy payments.
When does it start?
Applications will be accepted from May 2024, and BVSC will continue to accept applications until 30th September 2024, or until all funding has been exhausted if sooner.
Who is eligible?
- You must be a Birmingham Resident
- You must be experiencing financial hardship, particularly with regards to covering costs linked to food and energy
- Your household must not have received a £200 grant payment in the last 12 months*
*Please be aware that you may be expected to provide proof of address and proof of means-tested benefits (if you are in receipt of them) in the case that you are invited to apply.
You may be required to provide proof of address and/or proof of means-tested benefits (if you are in receipt of them) in the case that you are invited to apply.
How to Apply
Website
To apply, potential applicants must complete the enquiry form below, answering questions aimed at determining their suitability for a grant payment. All applicants will be contacted via email regarding the outcome of their enquiry and the next steps.
Alternatively, please scan the QR code, with your mobile phone or tablet camera to open the link and then click on the Enquiry Form tab.
Telephone
If you are unable to access the website above, then please use the phone number provided below to progress your enquiry.
0121 634 7100
Please be aware that your enquiry will be processed quicker if you use the form, so we strongly encourage you to do so if you are able to.
Support from Gateway FS
In October 2021 the Government announced the Household Support Fund, a £500m fund for people in England who were likely to suffer food or fuel poverty over the winter.
In Birmingham, the City Council decided to distribute its share of the money directly to households in need. To do this, they chose ten voluntary sector organisations – one in each constituency – to administer the funds. In light of our existing role as Early Help and Neighbourhood Network Lead, Gateway Family Services was chosen to cover the Edgbaston constituency.
So, in the week after Christmas 2021, we put together the Household Support Fund Admin Team……..
