Urgent cost of living support
Food
If you are in urgent need of food and supplies, please search for your local Food Bank and on the Trussell Trust website
Follow this link to get advice and ideas on how to reduce cost of food, shopping and still eat healthily from The Consumer Council.
Additional financial support
Discretionary Housing Payments and Council Tax Support are short term awards for people in extreme financial hardship to help you meet your housing or Council Tax costs. You can find out if you qualify on the UK Government website
The Household Support Fund is a government scheme delivered locally by County Councils. The fund is available to support families with children and individuals most in need. You can find out more on your local council website
Advance Hardship Fund
If you are struggling with the day-to-day cost of living and experiencing financial difficulty you will be able to apply for a one-off amount of funding to assist with essential items such as:
- Utility Costs
- Food
- Clothing
- Micowave
- White goods
To fill out and submit an application to the Hardship Fund click here
Your Regional Housing Officer or Housing Outreach Worker will also be able to help you to apply.
Please note that cash cannot be paid. Successful applicants to the fund will either receive delivery of the required item or a voucher.
Homelessness or at risk
If you are worried about losing your home or are homeless then you should contact the Housing Options Team who can provide you with advice and guidance on what steps you should take. You can find out more information on your local council website.
Mental Health support
If you are looking to find the right support for your mental health or someone you care about local NHS services have advice on Emergency, Urgent and Non-Urgent support you can access.
Non-Urgent
If you recognise that you need support for you mental health, you can contact your local GP Practice to book an appointment or access services through your local branch of Mind
Urgent
There are three things you could do to access immediate support:
- Call the Mental Health Central Access Point Freephone on 0808 800 3302 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
- Call NHS 111
- Visit a crisis cafe. A full list of venues can be found by searching 'Crisis Cafe near me' on Google.
Emergency
If there is a threat to life and you have a physical health emergency you should always call 999 as soon as possible.