Household Support Fund
The governments’ Household Support Fund was introduced in September 2021. Three rounds of funding have been distributed by councils in England to directly support vulnerable households with meeting daily needs, such as food, clothing and utilities.
- Visit our Cost of Living page for more information about support and advice available to help with the cost of living.
Household Support Fund – third round
Our third allocation of the government’s Household Support Fund, received from Surrey County Council, will help us to support residents most affected by cost-of-living pressures up to March 2023.
We are distributing the funding through local partners to target help where it is most needed.
Supermarket vouchers
If you are in need you may be able to access a supermarket voucher via the following partners
- If you are a Raven Housing tenant please contact the Moneywise team: 0300 123 3399
- All other residents can contact CARB – Citizens Advice Reigate and Banstead: 0808 278 7945 (free phone number)
Fuel top-up payments
Fuel top-up payments are available to residents struggling with the cost of pre-payment fuel top-ups. Thirteen local organisations have received funding to support their offer of fuel top ups to people currently accessing their support or who are eligible for support, including:
- Food Clubs - at St Marks Church, Tadworth, and Redhill Baptist Church, Epsom and Ewell
- Food banks at St Matthews Church, Loveworks and Merland Rise Church
- Citizens Advice Reigate and Banstead (CARB): 0808 278 7945 (free phone number)
- Raven Housing’s Moneywise team (tenants only): 0300 123 3399
- Renewed Hope homelessness charity
- East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service (ESDAS) (existing clients only)
- Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council
- Horley Lions
- Redhill Victorian Almshouses (for their residents only)
- Surrey Community Action
Additional funding for voluntary sector
We have also distributed additional funding to local voluntary sector partners to help them provide enhanced support to residents. This support covers:
- Food Clubs operating in Reigate & Banstead will receive additional funding to increase their food supply. Residents can join a food club for £1 per year and can then access a selection of food each week at the cost of £2 per week
- Stripey Stork has received a grant to help purchase additional essential items for children and families in need.
- ESDAS (East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service) has received a grant to provide essential items to survivors of domestic abuse
- I Choose Freedom have received a grant to provide support to families in refuge accommodation and those moving on from refuge across the borough
- Community Centres in the borough will be providing Warm Hubs
Household Support Fund - second round
The second round of the government’s Household Support Fund ended on 30 September 2022. We used our allocation of the fund to offer a one-off £110 payment to households with someone over 65 years old currently claiming Council Tax Reduction. We also provided funding to Food Clubs and other local voluntary sector partners to provide support locally.
Household Support Fund - first round
In 2021 to 2022, we spent our full allocation of the first round of the Household Support Fund (£382,000) by supporting 4,294 financially vulnerable households in a variety of ways.
We offered £100 supermarket vouchers to households with children receiving Council Tax Reduction and to households referred to the scheme by other Council departments or our partners (Raven Housing and Citizen Advice Reigate & Banstead). We also provided grants to local voluntary and community organisations and Food Clubs to deliver targeted help, such as hot meals and essential items to people struggling financially; and our our Housing Team supported households struggling to cover housing costs where no other funding or support was available.