Financial support - Winter 2021-22
Staffordshire County Council are offering financial support to residents through Winter 2021-22 by giving out:
- Vouchers for food and essential supplies - currently closed.
- Vouchers to heat your home - applications are currently closed.
Applications for the household support grant are now closed due to the allocated budget being spent in full.
If you need help completing the application form, you can contact Staffordshire County Council’s Customer Service Team on 0300 111 8000.
We aim to respond to your application within 5 working days.
The vouchers are available to Staffordshire residents facing financial hardship this winter.
- Please note children who receive Free School Meals (FSM) are not eligible for a voucher.
- You are only able to apply once for the grant, please do not put in multiple applications unless you are requested to by the household support team
- We will be in touch within 5 working days following receipt of your application
- Please note failure to provide all the evidence required will result in rejection of your application
You could be eligible for help if you meet one of the below criteria…
- The household must have a gross annual income of less than £16,190
- Unemployed and in receipt of benefits
- Claim means tested benefits (a full list of benefits can be found here)
- Have a disability and in receipt of disability payments
- Are elderly and in receipt of pension credits
- If you do not meet the criteria listed above but are struggling financially a professional can apply on your behalf. This must be someone from an organisation your family is working with and you are receiving support from them such as Early Help team, Family Support Provider, School Link worker or Health Visitor.
Please ensure that when submitting benefits evidence, you include the following details:
Universal Credit statement or screenshot
- Show the account holders name/s
- Show a payment being made within the last three months
Example: a screenshot of a payment received. Click on your payment statement within your Universal Credit portal and screenshot the top half that shows your name, address, the assessment period/date and the payment amount.
When providing a bank statement, ensure that the following information is clearly visible:
- Name of account holder/s
- Benefit amount (payment made within the last 3 months)
- Type of benefit
We cannot accept any application where payments/benefits submitted provide evidence for only one adult. Benefits and payments evidence must be provided for ALL adults on the application. This is especially important when providing bank statements. The statement must clearly show a named recipient to be accepted, where they are not the account holder.
Income support/PIP/ESA/benefits letters
When submitting a letter in support of your benefits entitlement, please ensure the following:
- Letter is dated within the last 3 months. If the letter is not dated within the last 3 months, you will need to submit a bank statement, to show that you are still receiving benefits into your bank account.
- Letter must clearly show your name and address and include any additional adults. Please provide separate documents for additional adults, where they are not under the main applicants claim.
- Letter must clearly state what benefits you are entitled to.
- Letter must clearly state what payments are due to you.
- We cannot accept letters awarding social fund payments, confirming claims for benefits, or where the letter is undated, missing key information or blurry.
Please ensure that documents can be easily and clearly read. We can only enlarge photos, we cannot focus them. If we are unable to read your documents, your application may be rejected and you will be asked to resubmit your documents.
More information about the schemes:
This project is a short term grant allocated to Staffordshire County Council through the Household Support Fund and will only be available whilst we have funds remaining. Please note completing the application does not guarantee your acceptance for the vouchers, we will contact you within 5 working days from receipt of your application to confirm if you have been successful. Please ensure that you have completed the application in full to prevent any delays or an unsuccessful application.
Families facing substantial financial hardship are able to apply for an Assistance Grant for Food and Essential Supplies.
Grants will be made available to Families via an eVoucher. The eVoucher will be awarded by Text or Email, depending on preference. The eVouchers will be redeemable at Aldi, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose or Marks & Spencer’s.
Applicants will be required to meet eligibility criteria before being considered for an Assistance Grant.
Applications are currently closed.
Individuals and families struggling to pay their fuel bills, could get up to £350 worth of financial help.
Grants will be provided by pre-paid meter credit or paid directly to your energy provider. The grants can be used to add credit to your account or to clear prior debt.
If you are in an emergency situation and you do not have heating, or your heating has broken, we will deliver electric oil filled heaters to your home. You will also get a Winter Warmth Pack (which includes hats, gloves scarves and hot flasks) for each individual who lives in the house.
Your information will be cross checked against the wider Staffordshire Warmer Homes offer, to see if we can help you to get a long-term central heating solution fitted in your home, as well as insultation, or more energy efficient measures that can save you money.
Further assistance
Please contact the relevant department for any queries you may have in relation to your applications.
Food and Essential Supplies applications, please email: householdsupportfund@staffordshire.gov.uk
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance
- Pension Credits
- Child Tax Credit (provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credits and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Child Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support Under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
If you are struggling financially, you may be able to claim benefits.
You can check your benefits entitlement using Staffordshire’s 'entitled to' benefits calculator. It is a free online calculator that enables people to find out what benefits they may be entitled to.
It takes around 10 minutes to complete and all details provided are anonymous.
Entitled To - Benefit calculator