HOUSEHOLDS eligible for up to £200 free cash are being urged to take action now after letters were issued.
The hard-up residents qualify for the Household Support Fund but need to provide their bank details to receive payments.
Households in the North West are eligible for up to £200 payments[/caption]
Care leavers and pensioners in Cheshire West and Chester are eligible for free money worth up to £200.
Care leavers under the age of 25 and on a low income can get a £100 payment.
Meanwhile, low income pensioners not receiving Pension Credit qualify for £200 payments.
Carers providing at least 35 hours a week of care to someone with a disability or who is ill and receiving Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction are eligible for £50 payments.
If you qualify for a payment you should have received a letter through the post telling you.
Cheshire West and Chester Council says all these letters should have landed on doormats by February 25 latest.
The correspondence asks you to provide your bank details so any payment can be issued, but you have to do this by March 31.
If you do not, the council says it will be unable to pay you what you are owed.
Further instructions on how to ensure you receive payment are on the letters.
What is the Household Support Fund?
The Household Support Fund is a £421million pot of cash that has been shared between councils in England.
Local authorities then have to decide how to distribute their share, and who to.
That means whether you can get help through the fund varies depending on where you live.
However, the fund, which was first launched in 2021, is designed to help those on a low income or benefits.
So, if you are struggling with the cost of living or are on a benefit like Universal Credit, you may be eligible for help.
That said, the funding from the latest round of Household Support Fund has to be allocated by March 31.
Household Support Fund explained
Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund.
If you’re battling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items and services, the Household Support Fund can act as a vital lifeline.
The financial support is a little-known way for struggling families to get extra help with the cost of living.
Every council in England has been given a share of £421million cash by the government to distribute to local low income households.
Each local authority chooses how to pass on the support. Some offer vouchers whereas others give direct cash payments.
In many instances, the value of support is worth hundreds of pounds to individual families.
Just as the support varies between councils, so does the criteria for qualifying.
Many councils offer the help to households on selected benefits or they may base help on the level of household income.
The key is to get in touch with your local authority to see exactly what support is on offer.
And don’t delay, the scheme has been extended until April 2025 but your council may dish out their share of the Household Support Fund before this date.
Once the cash is gone, you may find they cannot provide any extra help so it’s crucial you apply as soon as possible.
That means your local council might have already allocated its share from this round.
The best thing to do is contact your local council to see if any help, which may come in the form of free money, supermarket or energy vouchers, is still on offer.
Meanwhile, the Household Support Fund will also be extended from April until March 2026.
So it’s worth contacting your local council from next month to see about any additional support on offer then.
Other help you might be able to get
If you don’t qualify for the Household Support Fund, you might be able to get help through other means.
The first thing worth doing is checking whether you qualify for benefits – billions of pounds worth is going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.
There are three free online calculators you can use that give you an estimate of what you might be entitled to:
If you’re struggling to cover the cost of food, you can get emergency food parcels from a Trussell Trust food bank.
You can find your nearest via www.trussell.org.uk/emergency-food/find-a-foodbank.
To get a food parcel, you need a voucher from a community organisation like Citizens Advice or your GP.
You can then exchange this voucher for a food parcel at the food bank.
If you can’t cover the cost of energy bills, you may qualify for a grant worth up to £2,000 from your supplier.
Other energy firms will debt-match you on any repayments you make.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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