Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, is now open for referrals. Please note that the funding is almost fully expended and the fund could close at any time, with no notice.

This is a continuation of the funding round that opened in October 2024 and previous applicants are not able to reapply.

Support available

Food vouchers

Households with children - £20 per adult per week, £15 per child per week (for maximum of 2 weeks)
Single households - £25 per week (for maximum of 2 weeks)
Multiple adult households - £20 per adult per week (for maximum of 2 weeks)

Fuel vouchers

Family household - £98
Single household - £56

More information about government support with the cost of living

Restrictions to the grant

The grant is not:

Intended to cover payment of rent or other housing costs
To be used for general advice on managing debt and/or finances

At this time only ONE application per household can be considered.

Full details on the support available and any restrictions is detailed in the policy document:

Household Support Fund policy PDF, 284.01 KB Opens new window

Eligibility

Leicestershire County Council recognises that all households may potentially be suffering hardship and seeks to provide support from the Household Support Fund to any household that meets its criteria. Families that have received Free School Meal vouchers may also require support with food, fuel or other utility costs.

Criteria

Applications must meet the following eligibility criteria:

The applicant must be a resident of Leicestershire over 16 years old
A family/household with or without children who are experiencing financial hardship, which means that they are struggling to feed their family, to heat their home, or with other household/utility costs etc.
Had their and/or their children’s identity verified by the professional submitting the application, for example, by using a form of photo ID (confirming the lead claimant’s identity) e.g., driving licence, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate
Had their pensionable age verified by the professional submitting the application, for example by using a form of photo ID (confirming the lead claimant’s identity) e.g., driving licence, passport, birth certificate
Had their proof of address verified by the professional (confirming their residence) e.g., benefits letter, bank statement, utility bill, Council Tax bill. If homeless confirmation that they are currently homeless in Leicestershire (from a professional)
Eligibility confirmed by the suitable professional making the application. Evidence of financial hardship could include but is not limited to: difficulties and/or arrears due to inflationary energy costs those who have been made redundant and have not yet received universal credit, or other loss of household income

Applications

No direct applications will be accepted. A referral must be made on behalf of applicants, from a professional support worker or agency.

A member of the public who doesn't have anyone to complete a referral should contact a professional that works in the following settings:

Registered charities and voluntary organisations
Schools/education settings
Food banks
Care organisations
Children’s Services
Adult Social Care
Housing
Revenues and Customer Support
Public Health
Care and NHS professionals including nurses and GPs. Referrals received from other parties will also be welcomed
District and borough councils

Trusted partners and professionals can complete the referral form online when the scheme is open.

Successful applications

If your application is successful, you will receive confirmation of your vouchers. Find some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below:

Food vouchers

If you are in receipt of food vouchers, you will receive instructions on how to claim your vouchers online.

The code must be used to get the full amount of vouchers in one go. The vouchers are valid for three months from the date they are sent to you by Evouchers.

If you are struggling to access your vouchers because you don’t have access to the internet or a mobile device to receive and store the vouchers on, and don’t have any friends or family to help, then your vouchers will be sent to the professional submitting your application.

Food vouchers can be used in any of these supermarkets chains and you can choose the most convenient supermarket for you:

Aldi
Asda
B&M
Farmfoods
Iceland
Marks & Spencer
Morrisons
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose

Fuel vouchers

If you are in receipt of Wonde/fuel e-vouchers, you can visit the e-vouchers website for helpful advice which explains how you can redeem your PayPoint energy or cash out voucher.

What if there's a problem with my code or vouchers?

If you are in receipt of Wonde/fuel e-vouchers and you are experiencing issues, please email support@evouchers.com.

After reading this, I think I’m eligible for Free School Meals, what do I do?

If your child does not currently receive free school meals but you think they qualify, please apply online through the free school meals website as soon as possible. This is the quickest and easiest way for your eligibility to be assessed.

Other forms of support through the Household Support Fund

Food vouchers for families with pupils eligible for Free School Meals

Vouchers will be provided to the parents/carers of all pupils who are eligible for free school meals. These will be distributed through schools.

If your child attends a Leicestershire school or further education college and is eligible, they will be issued with vouchers to the value of:

£15 per child per week over the October 2024 and February 2025 half terms
£40 per child for the Christmas holidays
£30 per child for Easter 2025 holidays

Leicestershire pupils who attend schools in other areas will be provided with vouchers or in-kind support by the local authority in which the establishment is located.

We will arrange the provision of vouchers for:

non-Leicestershire pupils who attend Leicestershire establishments and
pupils eligible for Free School Meals in independent school provision

Families with children aged 0-5 eligible pre-school aged children in Leicestershire attending early years provision at a childminder, pre-school or day nursery may be entitled to the food vouchers if they usually attend sessions before and after lunch.

Children who reside in Leicestershire, and attend early years provision at a childminder, pre-school, or day nursery and are accessing their 2-year-old Free Early Education (FEEE) or Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) will be issued with vouchers to the value of: