The Household Support Fund is designed to provide crisis support to households struggling with essential living costs, such as food and utility bills. It also offers preventative support, including budgeting and cookery classes, and the purchase of energy-efficient appliances like fridges and cookers.
HSF7 will support a wide range of residents, including:
- families with children of all ages
- pensioners
- unpaid carers
- care leavers
- disabled people
- larger families
- single-person households
- those facing unexpected financial shocks
- Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Boater (GRTB) communities
- people experiencing homelessness.
Cllr Clare Cape, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Co-ordination with the NHS, said, We know that many people across Wiltshire are still feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis. The Household Support Fund is a lifeline for those who are struggling to make ends meet. By working closely with our partners, we can ensure that support reaches the people who need it most, helping them to stay safe, warm, and well.
Wiltshire Council administers the fund and collaborates with a range of third-sector partners to deliver targeted support. This includes organisations such as the Centre for Sustainable Energy, Wiltshire Community Foundation, Community First, Wiltshire Citizens Advice, Wiltshire Money, White Horse Housing Association, Selwood Housing, SNG and Kennet Furniture Refurbiz.
Support is often provided proactively to residents already engaged with council services, such as care leavers, those in supported housing, and individuals working with safeguarding or tenancy sustainment teams.
Belinda Eastland of White Horse Housing Association shared how the fund has helped their tenants, The last year has been a particularly challenging year for our tenants as it included a rent increase of 7.7 per cent and a 53 week rent year and we also had a large number of tenants migrating from legacy benefits, such as Housing Benefit, to Universal Credit which resulted in many waiting for payments.
We're grateful for the support of the Fund, together with our own budget, it has allowed our Housing Officers to target most of our tenants in some way. We helped 155 households with children, seventy-two pensioners and thirteen households where there were people with disabilities. We are a smaller housing association that makes it a priority to get to know our tenants and understand the challenges they face. That is why we work hard to apply for this Fund via Wiltshire Council, because we know they will make a real difference.
Wiltshire Money, another key partner, coordinates financial inclusion efforts across the county. Benedict van der Linde, Wiltshire Money Partnerships Manager said "Thanks to the assistance of the Household Support Fund, we can continue our mission of supporting organisations across Wiltshire so that they can provide the best information, advice, and guidance to their clients regarding financial inclusion issues. Through our work, we will increase the capacity of these organisations to provide preventative support to individuals, households, and the wider communities they serve.
"This is particularly important as Wiltshire residents continue to be affected by the cost-of-living crisis. We will provide a range of events, training workshops and advice sessions for the voluntary and community sector helping to build skills, capacity, knowledge, and networks. This, in turn, will help to address the challenges faced by low-income marginalised and disadvantaged groups."
Schemes vary from year to year, depending on evidence of need, meaning that people who received support from a previous round, may not be eligible for support during this round. Residents can find full details of the HSF7 schemes and eligibility criteria by visiting: https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/13714/HSF7-overview-eligibility-and-how-funds-can-be-used.
For cost-of-living advice and support, or to speak to someone about eligibility for HSF support, residents can contact the Wellbeing Hub by emailing [email protected](opens new window) or calling 0300 003 4576 (Monday to Thursday, 9am-5pm; Friday, 9am-4pm, excluding Bank Holidays).
Residents should be prepared to provide evidence of need, this is different from being means tested for benefits.
Wiltshire Money, coordinated by Wiltshire Citizens Advice, are the lead body for financial inclusion activity within Wiltshire and provide a strategic framework for local, regional, and national organisations to coordinate, collaborate and share knowledge.
They run various events and training courses throughout the year, including the quarterly Wiltshire Money Forums. Wiltshire Money work with over one hundred organisations across Wiltshire, including Housing Associations, Utility Providers, and small local charities.
This is the seventh round of funding, made available to Wiltshire Council since 2021. How previous rounds have been distributed can be found on our Freedom of Information pages - www.wiltshire.gov.uk/data-protection-foi-log