Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund (HSF) is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to support those most in need with food, energy, or water bills, or wider essentials where appropriate.
Household Support Fund round 6
Support is available for all Pendle households who are in financial hardship. Our HSF programme is made up of the following elements:
Application scheme
The Household Support Fund application scheme is administered by Citizens Advice East Lancashire. This scheme enables households in financial hardship to apply for additional financial support for food, energy bills and wider essentials.
Please do not apply for this if you have receievd HSF support since March 2024.
Support for households
A number of Pendle community organisations have been awarded funding to provide food support. See Food Banks.
Advice and guidance
For money and/ or benefit advice and guidance, contact Citizens Advice East Lancashire or Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
Energy and winter essentials support
Support is available for eligible homes to keep warm this winter, including grants for insulation, heating systems and boilers. see our cosy homes pages
Direct payment award
We will make direct payments of £75 to people who:
- live in the Borough of Pendle, and
- are pensionable age, and
- who get Council Tax Support
You do not need to contact us, we will send a letter in the post to all eligible pensioners before Christmas.
Please keep the letter as you will need it to collect the cash payment.
You will need your letter and a form of identification to take to a Post Office to receive the £75 cash payment. More details on how to collect the payment are in the letter.
You can ask somebody else to collect the cash for you, as long as you give them the identification needed.
Pension Credit support
To be eligible for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment, pensioners must claim Pension Credit by 21 December, and this can be backdated by 3 months where eligible.
Citizens Advice East Lancashire and Open Door can help you work out your eligibility and with your pension credit claim. You can also contact the national Pension Credit support on 0800 99 1234.
All schemes will operate until March 2025, or before should the funding be used up before then.