This is a non-repayable grant to help people living in Sheffield with food and energy costs. It is funded by the UK Government.
You can apply for help from the fund once every 3 months for help with paying for:
- food
- gas and electricity
- telephone and broadband (phone costs, top-ups, broadband charges etc)
- housekeeping (groceries, toiletries, etc)
- clothing
- wider essential needs not linked to energy and water, should the local authority consider this appropriate in your circumstances
It cannot be awarded for:
- payment of debts
- mortgage costs
- statutory activities / requirements that either the Council or another public sector organisation is responsible for delivering
- rent or housing arrears under normal circumstances
- white goods (visit LEAP appliances for support replacing broken or damaged white goods)
If you need help paying rent or housing arrears, you must apply for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, a Discretionary Housing Payment or a Homelessness Prevention Grant.
If you can prove you are ineligible for these benefits, in extreme circumstances we may be able to help with rent arrears or deposits for new tenancies.
Please be aware that applications to the Household Support Fund can only be made once every three months. This is to ensure that support can continue to be offered throughout the year.
What to include with your application
In most circumstances, we will not require any evidence from you to process your application. If we do require information from you, we'll write to you and request this.
This could include a recent bank statement for every adult account holder in the household. These bank statements should:
- include the application date
- show at least 30 days of transactions
- be for all accounts held by all adult account holders in the household
- show incoming and outgoing payments and current balances
- show the sort code, account number and account holder name
- be saved in pdf format (not screenshots)
If you're looking for additional support with your application, we've partnered with a select group of trusted organisations, known as Trusted Assessors, who are ready to assist you. These organisations specialise in various areas, offering their expertise and tailored assistance, both to make your application process smoother and to provide support in their respective fields.
Discover our network of Trusted Assessors
What happens next
A council officer will look at all the information on your application before deciding if we can make an award. The information you provide will help us decide:
- whether you meet the eligibility criteria
- the amount you may be awarded
If you have provided us with an email address, written confirmation of the decision will be sent to you by email. If you do not have an email address, the decision notice will be sent to your home address by second class post.
If you have no recourse to public funds, you may in some circumstances be eligible for assistance. Your immigration status will not be affected by any award made under the Household Support Fund.
If you need to appeal
If you don’t agree with our decision, you can contact the Household Support Fund team and ask us to look at your application again.
You must appeal in writing within one month of the date of your decision. You should provide any information you feel may help your application and we’ll review our decision and write to you with the outcome within 28 days of receiving your appeal.