Household Support Fund

We have received further funding from the Department for Work and Pensions, extending the Household Support Fund for 6 months to support the most vulnerable households in the most need with food, energy and utility bills as well as for other wider essential costs. 

The scheme is available until 30 September 2024 or until funds are fully exhausted. Trafford’s allocation is £1,458,075.

We are distributing the Household Support Fund through:

• Free School Meals Holiday Awards during the May and Summer holidays
• Direct awards to continue to support low income households benefit with disabled members, carers, care leavers and pensioners
• Online applications from residents through the Trafford Assist (Emergency) scheme
• Trafford Community Hubs continued funding
• Welfare Rights Information and Advice Support

Free School Meals Holiday Awards - school holiday support

For school holidays, we will be providing support to parents and carers to purchase food for their children during the May and Summer school holidays.

Eligibility

Households who are registered with us as having children eligible for means tested free school meals and/or are in receipt of Council Tax Support will receive support of £30 per child for the May holidays and £60 per child for the Summer holidays.

How to apply

 If your child qualifies and you live in Trafford, you will need to apply online. Your child’s school will email you with more details and how to apply.

For more information about the award visit our free school meals holiday award page.

Support for Low Income Pensioner, Disabled, Carers and Care Leaver Households*

The above households will receive one award per household to help towards essential costs related to energy, food and water.

Eligibility

Direct awards are based on data held, including household size, within our relevant systems as at 1 August 2024 and vouchers will be issued in September 2024.

How to apply

You do not need to apply. If you are eligible, we will send out support to households who are entitled by a Post Office Cash Voucher.

Details on how to cash your Post Office Payout® Voucher can be found: Post Office Vouchers.

The Trafford Assist (Emergency) Local Welfare Scheme

Trafford Assist is Trafford's Local Welfare Assistance scheme designed to help residents with food and fuel in an emergency. Find out more at Trafford Assist.

Trafford Community Hubs

Support for wider essentials, activities and services will be provided by the six Community Response Hubs that are hosted by voluntary sector organisations located across Trafford. They can by approached directly, visit the Community Hubs website and ask about the Household Support Grant.

Welfare Rights information and advice support

Our Welfare Rights Team will give you free, independent advice on how to claim benefits. They will help you understand which benefits you are entitled to claim and explain how you can appeal if you think decisions made about your benefits are not correct. You can find out more about Welfare Rights on the Trafford Directory.

Other support

You can find out what other support is available to help with the cost of living. This includes income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing and travel.

• Cost of living support - GOV.UK 
• Help for Households - Get government cost of living support
• Check benefits and financial support you can get - GOV.UK 
• Pension Credit calculator - GOV.UK 
• Trafford Assist

Scheme criteria

We reserve the right to vary the terms of the scheme including the value of awards made under the scheme, at any time, and without notice, should it be necessary to do so.

* Support for Low Income Pensioner, Disabled, Carers and Care Leaver Households eligibility criteria is a maximum of one award in total per household as long as one (or more) of the criteria is met :

Pensioner - in receipt of some Council Tax Support but not in receipt of a qualifying benefit (such as Pension Credits)

Disabled - a member of the household is in receipt of:

• a council tax disabled band reduction or a council tax severely mentally impaired discount or exemption and/or
• an ‘at home’ adult social care package who have been financially assessed as having some Council funding towards the cost of their care, but are not in receipt of a qualifying benefit (such as Income based ESA/JSA, Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Tax Credits) and/or
• an ‘at home’ children’s social care package funded by the Council

Carer - in receipt of a Council Tax Carers reduction and/or exemption

Care Leaver - in receipt of a Council Tax Care Leavers reduction and/or exemption

The Government and the Council will not accept deliberate manipulation and fraud - and any resident caught falsifying their records, or evidence of need to gain grant money will face prosecution and any funding issued will be subject to claw back from future awards, as may any grants paid in error.

All data submitted in relation to an application for this scheme will be shared across departments of Trafford Council, National Government and approved suppliers of anti-fraud services, for the purposes of preventing fraud, in line with GDPR regulations.

We do not accept any liability for any issues that may arise for residents because of applying for, receiving, or not receiving grant payments under this scheme.