Household Support Fund

Money to help if you're struggling with food, bills or energy costs

The current round of the Household Support Fund closes on 31 March. Applications made before this date will processed as quickly as possible.

We'll have more information on the new round of the fund soon.

We are waiting on guidance and more details from the Government, which funds the scheme, before we can open the new round.

Details on how to apply will be added to this page later this month.

Household Support Fund

You can apply if you’re struggling to pay for:

Food
Bills
Energy costs
Other everyday essentials

The Household Support Fund has been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to councils in England.

Wokingham Borough has received more than £1million to help people locally.

Household Support Grant

The Household Support Grant provides support to anyone who is not part of a family where children receive means-tested free school meals.

If you have applied and received a grant from Age UK Berkshire or Citizens Advice Wokingham between April and September 2023, you can now apply again. New applications are welcome.

Higher amounts are being paid to households which are likely to spend more money on daily essentials like food and energy.

If you have a child who receives means-tested free school meals

You can get £20 per week, per child, during school holidays
Apply for Holiday Food Vouchers – details below

Pensioners, carers, disabled people and/or households with four or more people

You can get a grant of £240

All other households

You can get a grant of £120

How to apply for Household Support Grant

Support is available to households who feel they are struggling with rising costs of living as well as people in receipt of benefits. Apply now:

Call Citizens Advice Wokingham on 0808 278 7958
Apply on Citizens Advice Wokingham website
Call Age UK Berkshire on (0118) 959 4242
Email Age UK Berkshire

Apply for a Holiday Food Vouchers – if you have a child who receives free school meals

The Holiday Food Vouchers scheme provides support to families where there are children who receive means-tested free school meals.

If you received this support from First Days Children's Charity since April 2023, you do not need to apply again. You will automatically receive support.

From October 2023 you can get £20 per week, per eligible child, during school holidays. This has been increased from October half-term 2023 onwards to provide more support during the winter months.

The amount you get in total depends on the number of children in your family who receive means-tested free school meals.

Once you’ve successfully applied, payments will be made for every school holiday until Easter 2024.

If you miss any school holidays due to applying later, you will get a back payment up to the previous school holiday when you’ve applied.

Apply now through First Days website

Funded by Government

£842 million of additional funding has been made available to help the most vulnerable across England. In Wokingham Borough we have been given £1million.

The funding is an extension of the Household Support Fund and has been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to Councils in England, who use it to support those in need in their local area.

Visit the Government's cost of living help pages for more information.