Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund is a government fund (provided by the Department for Work and Pensions) designed to support vulnerable households across the country.
The fund launched in October 2021 with an initial £500 million of funding nationally. The latest refresh of the fund is the fourth allocation that has been made available to Local Authorities from the Department of Work and Pensions.
In Buckinghamshire, we're responsible for distributing our share of funding in line with government guidance. This includes supporting low-income households and those experiencing financial hardship with:
- energy costs
- food costs
- other household essentials
How we're using the funding
From 1 April to 30 September 2022
In March 2022, the government extended the Household Support Fund to 30 September 2022 with an additional £500 million of funding.
We spent our £2.4 million funding on:
| Type of support | Total spending |
|---|---|
| Holiday food vouchers | £834,184 |
| Partners/community projects | £110,665 |
| Heart of Bucks Crisis Fund | £222,800 |
| Helping Hand (direct support) | £261,540 |
| Support for pensioners | £800,000 |
| Other | £170,000 |
For more details about how we've used this money to support people in Buckinghamshire, view our Household Support Fund Report.
From 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023
The government extended the Household Support Fund from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 with an additional £500 million of funding.
We spent our £2.4 million funding on:
| Type of support | Total spending |
|---|---|
| Holiday food vouchers | £820,000 |
| Partners/community projects | £300,000 |
| Heart of Bucks Crisis Fund | £250,000 |
| Helping Hand (direct support) | £500,000 |
| Support for targeted cohorts including pensioners and care leavers | £360,000 |
| Other | £170,000 |
From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
In November 2022, the government announced:
- an additional £1 billion of funding
- a 12-month extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
We spent our £4.8 million funding on:
| Type of support | Total spending |
|---|---|
| Holiday food vouchers | £2,276,000 |
| Partners/community projects | £500,019 |
|
Grants (support with utilities and other arrears) |
£461,046 |
| Helping Hand (direct support) | £614,273 |
| Support for targeted cohorts | £580,046 |
| Other | £340,000 |
From 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024
In March 2024, the government announced:
- an additional £500 million of funding
- a 6-month extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024
We plan to spend our £2.4 million on:
| Type of support | Total spending |
|---|---|
| Holiday food vouchers | £955,500 |
|
Partners/community projects |
£200,000 |
|
Grants (support with utilities and other arrears) |
£250,000 |
|
Helping Hand (direct support) |
£230,000 |
|
Support for targeted cohorts |
£595,747 |
| Other | £167,943 |
Final spending figures for this period will be available after 30 September 2024.
Applying for support
If you or your family are on a low income and experiencing financial hardship, contact our Helping Hand Team to apply for support.
For other forms of support including:
- help with heating, bills and home essentials
- help buying or accessing food
- advice on benefits, debt and money
- help finding a warm space
see Help with the cost of living (Helping Hand).
For an overview of UK Government support, visit the Cost of Living Hub (GOV.UK).
