Household Support Fund Phase 4
Household Support Fund Phase 4 is now closed.
Data will be published as soon as it's available.
For information:
As part of its response to the rising cost of living, the Government is once again funding a Household Support Fund
The Government has announced that the fourth phase of Household Support Fund payments should be used to support households most in need; particularly those that were not eligible for other Government support, such as the Cost-of-Living Payments. For more information on the other cost of living support available, see the Government's Cost of Living Hub.
If you have children who get Free School Meals:
- You'll get £55 for each eligible child for the summer holidays in 2023.
- You'll get £15 every week for each eligible child for the autumn 2023, Christmas 2023, and February 2024 holidays.
- You'll also get £15 every week for each eligible child for the Easter half term holiday in 2024.
We're setting aside £285,000 to run a Holiday Activity Fund during the autumn and February half-term holidays.
If you're a Care Leaver:
- You'll get £8 every week for 52 weeks to help you if you're living in your own home, to top up your incomes.
Targeted help
Some residents may get payments from the council even if they get other help from the government.
This includes:
- £300 for households getting Housing Benefit but no other government benefits and who don't qualify for a Government Cost of Living payment.
- £250 for large households (five or more people) that get Council Tax Support
- £250 for households getting Council Tax Support and where at least one person gets a disability benefit, and there are fewer than five people in the household, including at least one dependent child (a child under 20 where the parent still receives Child Benefit payments for them).
- £150 for households (with fewer than five people) where the applicant or their partner is above the age to qualify for Pension Credit but doesn't receive Pension Credit and their income is less than £10 above what the government says you need for living costs.
Payments:
Eligible residents, who pay their council tax by Direct Debit will automatically receive their payments into the bank account used to pay their council tax.
Those that pay their council tax in cash (by PayPoint, standing order/ bank transfer or online), or have no council tax to pay, will be sent a Post Office Payout Voucher, which can be cashed at any local Post Office branch.
We made direct payments during the week beginning 3 July 2023. Post Office Payout vouchers were also sent out from this date. These payments were intended to provide residents with support to the end of October. If your situation remains the same, we expect to issue a further payment in November or December providing further support up to the end of March 2024.
Other parts of the fund:
- £0.8m will also be provided to work with advice agencies and the third sector in Manchester. This will also incorporate funding for Care and Repair, for the provision of insulation for hot water tanks and fitting draft excluders.
- £200,000 has been allocated to the Council’s Welfare Provision Scheme to increase its capacity to meet the growing number of requests for support with energy, food and household costs.
- £150,000 to the Covid Health Equity Manchester Group (CHEM) to give targeted help to residents and communities experiencing racial inequalities, disabled people and inclusion health groups.
- People who would be entitled to (but are not claiming any) qualifying benefits and, therefore, have not received any Cost-of-Living payments: We will advise residents contacting the Cost-of-Living Advice Line for support to claim the benefits their situation suggests they may be entitled to. On confirmation of an award of any qualifying benefit, including Council Tax Support. We will consider eligibility for an HSF4 award based on household circumstances.