Households being handed £225 cost of living cash – are you eligible?

HOUSEHOLDS are being handed out £225 as part of a new cost of living support scheme – are you eligible for the funding?

The Household Support Fund aims to provide financial aid to those most in need.

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What can be awarded under the scheme

The government funded scheme is available to everyone who lives in Medway, including those who are not currently receiving benefits.

If eligible for the fund, it can be used for food and home essentials, school uniforms, energy and water.

As well as this, it can be used for any essentials linked to energy and water, and also housing costs in exceptional circumstances.

The scheme is administered to a fixed budget, and runs until the end of March 2026.

Crisis support can be awarded to applicants in the form of supermarket vouchers, school uniform vouchers, energy cards and referrals for vouchers.

For school uniforms, the scheme offers £100 for every dependent school age child.

A voucher worth £100 will also be issued to eligible applicants to help cover water costs.

The same amount will be made available to cover fuel expenses as well.

With regards to energy and housing costs, this will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Up to £225 will be issued to those eligible, to aid with food and household essential expenses.

The amount awarded is dependent on the number of people living in each household.

What will not be awarded

Medway Council has also issued guidance on what will not be awarded to households.

This includes any application made that is felt to be not an immediate need.

Those with sufficient income or savings will also not receive funding.

While financial support will be offered to help cover the costs of school uniforms, other clothing will not be covered.

However, exceptions will be made under certain circumstances.

For example, for those who are fleeing their homes due to flooding, fire, or domestic abuse.

Phone costs or associated expenses are also not covered by the support fund.

The council highlighted that Council Tax support will not be awarded, but those struggling can seek help via the Discretionary Relief Scheme or Extreme Hardship Scheme.

Eligibility requirements and how to apply

In order to be eligible for this support you must meet Medway Council’s requirements.

These include being a resident aged 16 or over.

Applicants must also be in crisis or demonstrable hardship, and have less than £500 in their bank account.

They must also not have access to any other funds that could be relied on to meet the need that they are applying for.

You can apply through Medway Council’s website.

Applications must provide contact details, as well as a name, address, date of birth and National Insurance number.

Household details, including who you live with, must also be provided, as well as your latest monthly bank statements.

Once the application has been processed, the council will contact the household with the outcome.

This comes after The Sun reported earlier this month that the Household Support Fund (HSF), worth a huge £742million, has been extended once again, with the latest round running until March 2026.

The pot is being split between councils across England, which can dish out the cash to struggling residents.

As well as this, The Sun also reported that households in need can apply for £500 of free cost of living funds.

With energy bills set to climb by £1,737 next month, this scheme hopes to support those most vulnerable during the winter months.

Run by the charity Act on Energy in the West Midlands, the payment scheme is designed to provide support for families with children under 18, or young adults as old as 21 who are in full-time education.