About the Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund was set up by the government to help people who are struggling with the increase in living costs and feeling the financial pressure of paying their bills.
In North Yorkshire, there is a direct award e-voucher payment to people who are eligible. The fund is also used to supplement other schemes that help residents with their household costs.
For the fourth phase, the eligibility criteria for the direct award was updated based on guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions so that we could help people across North Yorkshire who missed out on other support, as well as other households in need. Because the guidance changed, you might have received a payment as part of a previous phase of the Household Support Fund and not this time.
People who were eligible for the direct award in this fourth phase could claim a Household Support Fund e-voucher payment to pay for food and other essentials.
The following groups received a letter that explained how to claim and use their e-voucher in the amounts below.
Criteria |
Amount |
Timings |
---|
People in North Yorkshire getting housing benefit on or between 26 January 2023 and 25 February 2023 who did not qualify for the cost of living payment made in April and May 2023 for people on low income benefits or tax credits. The cost of living payment was paid to people getting Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. |
This group received a single e-voucher for £450 |
Letter sent out in September 2023.
Deadline to claim 24 October 2023.
|
People in North Yorkshire getting the maximum discount to pay their council tax bill through the means-tested Council Tax Reduction Scheme as of 14 August 2023. |
This group received a single e-voucher for £110. |
Letter sent out in September 2023.
Deadline to claim 24 October 2023.
|
January second payment
There was a second e-voucher payment of £450 made in January to people who were getting housing benefit on or between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023 but did not qualify for the cost of living payment for people on low income benefits or tax credits made in October and November 2023. If someone became eligible since September 2023, this might be the first time they’ve had a Household Support Fund e-voucher payment. The deadline to claim this payment was 20 February 2024. The January second payment did not include people getting the maximum discount to pay their council tax bill through the means-tested Council Tax Reduction Scheme.
Frequently asked questions