Household Support Fund extended from 1st April to help families in need

An additional £842 million is available from 1st April 2023 to help the most vulnerable households across England with essential food and energy costs.

Department for Work and Pensions’ £842 million Household Support Fund extension comes into effect today
Extra money given to councils to provide further help to most in need with essential food and energy costs until 31 March 2024
Vulnerable households and families encouraged to check their council website for details of support available

The funding, allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to councils in England, will extend the Household Support Fund for another year.

Councils in England will decide how best to spend their allocation of the fund – now worth £2 billion across its lifetime – by drawing from local knowledge and making direct contact with people in the community.

They will be able to support the most vulnerable households in their local area – helping them with the cost of essentials like groceries, toiletries, and warm clothes, as well as providing further support with energy bills.

People can find out how much their area was awarded at gov.uk and are advised to check their council’s website or call their office to find out what support is available locally to them through the Household Support Fund.

Mims Davies MP, DWP Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, said:

This significant extension to the Government’s Household Support Fund is hugely welcome – as it has already helped millions of vulnerable families across England through these financially-testing times and will continue to do so over the next year.

Last week, I visited one council that is using their allocation to well on a range of issues from food insecurity to tackling bed poverty.

There, the Household Support Fund has resulted in hundreds of cots and beds being provided to vulnerable households to increase comfort and wellbeing.

This is just one example of the important locally led schemes providing tailored support help to those that need it most in challenging times.

This fund is of course just one part of our extensive Cost of Living support package for families that is complementing our efforts to halve inflation – one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities - to reduce prices for us all.

Devolved administrations have also been allocated funding in parallel as a result of the Barnett Formula to spend at their discretion, bringing the total amount of new funding to almost £1 billion.

Further Information

The Household Support Fund comes on top of extensive support for those in need in the coming months with many receiving direct payments in 2023/24. Millions of UK households will receive the first £301 payment of up to £900 in Cost of Living Support directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between 25 April and 17 May. This is on top of a £150 payment for those on disability benefits, and £300 on top of Winter Fuel Payments for pensioner households.
The Household Support Fund was first launched on 6 October 2021, and has been extended several times. This latest extension lasts until 31 March 2024, representing the fourth edition of the fund.
Local Authorities have discretion on how they design and deliver their scheme depending on local need, within the parameters of the guidance set out by the Department for Work and Pensions. Some examples of how local authorities have used the fund:
Leicestershire: The Council created a partnership with Leicester City Football Club – community cooking events during the Whitsun week.
Bexley: Bexley Council established an energy cafe to support residents to address increasing fuel costs. The cafe provides advice and signposting to resources as well as providing energy resource packs. Bexley also provided support with fuel costs for refuge accommodation for domestic abuse and victims in the community.
Wokingham: Wokingham Council have delivered over 650 energy saving packs, including air fryer/slow cookers, heated blankets, thermal clothing, draft excluders, LED lightbulbs. They have also funded Hot Meals/Lunch Clubs and Warm Rooms, primarily for pensioners, including door to door; and church led events run by the voluntary and charity sector.
Devon: Devon Councils worked with the Cosy Devon Sustainable Warmth project, using the fund to pilot a scheme to provide minor but rapid energy efficiency improvements to the homes of eligible households via a Cosy Devon open application process.
Blackburn with Darwen: Blackburn Council have been able to support more households by bulk ordering food via a distributor for food boxes. Support has been provided via crisis food providers plus a network of food clubs, larders and community centres to reach as many people as possible. This has included grab bags over school holidays.
Derbyshire: Derbyshire Council have empowered schools, health professionals and other people who work with families to target the families with children on their behalf. These professionals then fill out a form and provide it to the council, who then assess the application. Typically, a voucher is sent out to the claimant to redeem at the Post Office the very next day.
Funding distribution is targeted at the areas with the most vulnerable households.