Household Support Fund
Household Support Fund 4 Round 2 Opens in phases across November and December 2023 for each of the different eligible categories.
Citizens Advice Plymouth will be supporting households in need who meet our eligibility criteria* and are experiencing financial difficulty. HSF4 is being provided by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Assistance will be available across the following provisions:
Food
Eligible clients will be given £180 worth of supermarket vouchers for either Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury, Aldi, Iceland. (please check if the voucher can be used online before selecting).
Fuel
Eligible clients with a prepayment meter will be given £147 of top up vouchers codes for pre-payment meters (not available if you use an app, must be card or key) or a £150 credit voucher for credit accounts (where bills are paid monthly or quarterly) or smart meters.
White Goods
Eligible clients* can apply for an essential appliance, including delivery, installation, and old appliance removal where applicable.
Household Furniture/Essential items
Eligible clients* can apply for an essential household item or furniture. This will include delivery, but many items will require self-assembly. Vouchers for clothes may also be provided.
Applications
Phase 1 – Household with child(ren) under 18:
Open for professionals to refer: Monday 6th November 10am.
Open for general public: Thursday 9th November at 10am.
Closed 11th November 2023
Phase 2 – Pension age:
Open for professionals to refer: Wednesday 15th November 10am.
Open for general public: Monday 20th November at 10am.
Closed: Monday 27th November at 9am.
Phase 3 – Disabilities or health conditions:
Open for professionals to refer: Monday 27th November 10am.
Open for general public: Thursday 30th November at 10am.
Closes: Wednesday 6th December at 9am.
Phase 4 – Single households getting help with housing costs:
Open for professionals to refer: Wednesday 6th December at 10am.
Open for general public: Friday 8th December at 10am
Closes: Friday 15th December at 9am.
*Applications may close sooner than the date stated if the maximum number of applications are made.
Criteria
Households can only apply for this fund if anyone in the household did not access support in the previous rounds of the Household Support Fund anytime between 10th December 2022 and 5th November 2023. Only one application can be made per household, and the fund is only for residents living in Plymouth. Any applications received that do not meet this initial criteria will be rejected.
Key Information
This fund is not suitable for emergency support, as applications will take time to process. We will aim to process applications within 6-8 weeks however this will vary due to demand and when evidence is received. We will contact you when assessing your application. If evidence is not received when submitting the application or you do not meet the eligibility criteria you will receive an email or text to confirm your application has been rejected.
Evidence must be provided when submitting your application so in advance please gather your relevant evidence as per the application form which includes: photo ID, proof of income document, council tax statement, energy bill or bank statement, these must be recent documents and have your full name and address on them.
Households who meet the eligibility criteria will be asked to provide evidence and identification when completing their application, without sufficient evidence and proof of who you are we will not be able to process the application and as above, it may be rejected.
If you apply as an individual to the professional referrals form or for the wrong criteria, your application will be rejected, you can still apply for the correct phase if eligible.
If households require help to complete the application they can contact our Household Support Fund team on 01752 982 889. Please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you, please do not call for application updates, we will not be able to provide this. We will contact you when processing your application.