Household Support Fund

The first phase of the Household Support Fund e-voucher scheme ended on 29 March 2022, and to be eligible you needed to be getting means-tested help to pay your council tax bill through the council tax reduction/support scheme as of 21 March 2022 and have a child under the age of 19 living at home with you.

We are currently working out details of the new scheme for North Yorkshire residents, following the announcement on 23 March 2022 that the Government will continue to fund the Household Support Fund scheme. Details of the new scheme will be published on this page and we’ll be in touch if you are eligible for a payment.

You may be eligible for other financial support, such as the North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund (NYLAF) and Warm and Well in North Yorkshire, a scheme that helps people struggling to pay their energy bills.

If you’re on a low income or claim benefits you can apply for a reduction in the council tax you pay. Find information about the council tax reduction/support scheme and a postcode checker that will take you to your local borough or district council.

Free school meals are also available to all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils and to children whose parents receive certain benefits.

Citizen’s Advice North Yorkshire provide free, confidential and impartial advice to help people find a way forward with whatever problems they face, including money and benefits. You can get advice in person, over the phone, on a web chat or by email by contacting Citizen’s Advice North Yorkshire direct.

An e-voucher is an electronic voucher that is sent on email and can be used in a store or when shopping online. They are sometimes known as a virtual gift card. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website.

People who applied before 21 December 2021 received one e-voucher payment for £125 in December and a second for £150 in January 2022. Anyone who applied after 21 December 2021 received one e-voucher for £275. When we contact you to confirm that your details have been checked and validated, your information will then be passed to our voucher supplier who will contact you with a link to access your e-vouchers within five working days. From the date you receive your link from the voucher provider, you’ll have one month to select your voucher choices.

You’ll have one month to select your voucher choices and depending on which supermarket you choose will depend on how long you have to use your e-vouchers. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website.

Payments will be made as an e-voucher and you can choose from seven different supermarkets including Aldi, ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. You’ll be able to use your e-vouchers in store, although ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose also offer the option of online shopping. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website. You can also check for supermarket home delivery slots. From the date you receive your link from the voucher provider, you’ll have one month to select your voucher choices.

You don’t need to spend your e-voucher all in one go, but you’ll need to select which supermarkets you would like to spend your e-vouchers with when you get your link. After you’ve decided which supermarkets you would like to spend your e-vouchers with, you won’t be able to change this later on. Each supermarket involved in the scheme will have different terms and conditions for using their e-vouchers. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website. From the date you receive your link from the voucher provider, you’ll have one month to select your voucher choices.

You can use your e-vouchers to pay for food and other essentials. Vouchers cannot be used to pay for fuel, scratch cards/lottery tickets, tobacco products or pre-paid gift cards. Each supermarket has different exemptions, you can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website. From the date you receive your link from the voucher provider, you’ll have one month to select your voucher choices.

You can choose to split your e-voucher across one or all seven of the supermarkets involved in the scheme, however, once you’ve made your selection you won’t be able to make any changes. If you choose to get a paper voucher because you don’t have online access you won’t be able to split it and will need to choose one supermarket.

The e-vouchers should be used by the eligible applicant named in the Household Support Fund letter.

There are four supermarkets offering the option of online shopping with delivery. ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. You’ll be able to choose a supermarket that suits your needs when you select your e-vouchers. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website. You can also check for supermarket home delivery slots.

If you can’t get to any of the supermarkets involved and online delivery isn’t an option, please ask family, friends or neighbours if they can help. If you don’t have anyone else to lean on, we can signpost you to community and voluntary organisations offering support in your area. You can call our customer service centre on 01609 780780 Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm, or if you’d prefer to hear from us by email you can fill in a contact form.

You can check your balance online and over the phone, depending on which supermarket you select for your e-vouchers. You can find more information about the terms and conditions of each of the supermarkets involved here and on the voucher provider website. From the date you receive your link from the voucher provider, you’ll have one month to select your voucher choices.

Your e-vouchers will be sent to the email address you provide, but if you can’t see them in your inbox please check your junk folder. If you still can’t find the voucher email you can call the voucher provider, Hawk Select, on 0800 5872294. Their opening hours are Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm and Sunday 9am to 6pm. Find other ways to contact Hawk Select, including email. If you do need to get in touch with Hawk Select, someone from their customer service team will get back to you within 24 hours. You can also contact Hawk Select if your e-voucher doesn’t work.

If you’ve deleted your voucher reminder email you can call the voucher provider, Hawk Select, on 0800 5872294. Their opening hours are Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm and Sunday 9am to 6pm. Find other ways to contact Hawk Select, including email. If you do need to get in touch with Hawk Select, someone from their customer service team will get back to you within 24 hours. You can also contact Hawk Select if your e-voucher doesn’t work.

If you don’t have online access, we can help you fill in your form over the phone. We’ll print your vouchers and arrange for them to be sent out to you in the post. If you choose to use this option then you won’t be able to split your vouchers across a number of different supermarkets. You will need to choose one supermarket for the full voucher amount. If you need help you can call our customer service centre on 01609 780780. You can call us Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm, or if you’d prefer to hear from us by email you can fill in a contact form.

If you request printed vouchers, you should get them within ten working days after you’ve confirmed your supermarket choice.

Your vouchers cannot be replaced if they are lost, damaged or stolen so please look after them the same way you would cash.

North Yorkshire residents who receive means-tested help to pay their council tax bill as of 21 March 2022 and have a child under 19 living at home with them were eligible for a Household Support Fund e-voucher payment. We’ve been working alongside the district councils to identify people who match this criteria. The Department of Work and Pension have given us discretion to use existing benefits data to make sure that the funding goes to people who qualify. For more information on how we process your personal data, go to privacy notices.