The school holiday food voucher scheme, funded through the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF), has now ended. The Household Support Fund (HSF) was introduced as a short-term measure to help households with essential costs such as food and energy, as an initial response to the cost-of-living crisis.
In April, the Government launched the new Crisis Resilience Fund. This includes the new Crisis Payments Scheme, which targets support where it is most needed and supports households and families to become financially stable in the longer term. Support will be available for those in need via the Crisis Payment Scheme and the council will announce full details of this shortly.
Our money and benefits section
To support residents to maximise their income, the council has launched a new online Better Off Calculator. This secure tool allows you to check what benefits and other support you may be entitled to, including the impact of the two-child cap being lifted, and to see how your income might change in different circumstances.
These web pages along with our Crisis Resilience Fund (CRF) Community Partners, can provide practical information on:
- Maximising income from benefits, childcare offers and work-related support
- Help with debt, budgeting and managing household bills
- Food support, local welfare assistance and other crisis help
- Links to trusted local and national organisations offering free, confidential advice.
You may also be interested the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme which provides children with activities and meals during key school holidays. Every child attending HAF receives a balanced, nutritious meal each day with a minimum of four hours of activities per session, including sports, arts, cultural activities, food education and life skills.
Visit our money and benefits section for more information.