Deadline: 31-Mar-2026
The Birmingham City Council is inviting applications for its Household Support Fund to provide crisis support to vulnerable households in most need with the cost of essentials.
The fund is primarily designed to support households with food and energy needs, including fuel for heating, cooking, and lighting, as well as water bills. It also extends to essentials linked to energy and water, such as sanitary products, warm clothing, soap, blankets, boiler repair, and essential equipment like fridges, freezers, and ovens. Wider essentials can also be covered, including broadband or phone bills, clothing, and essential transport-related costs. In exceptional emergency cases, housing costs may be supported if other schemes do not meet the need, though options like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, and Discretionary Housing Payments must be considered first.
Administrative costs, including staff, publicity, IT, and evaluation, may be funded from local authority allocations, but must remain at a reasonable level. Authorities also have the discretion to conduct local evaluations to understand the impact of the scheme. Any such findings must be anonymised, aggregated, and shared with the DWP by April 2025.
Eligibility is not limited to those on benefits, as authorities are expected to use their discretion and local data to identify vulnerable households most in need of support. These include families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled people, and those facing unforeseen financial shocks. Disabled people in particular may have higher energy, water, or transport costs due to their needs, while care leavers and carers may face unique barriers and responsibilities.
However, support can also be extended to households identified by professionals such as social workers, health visitors, and housing support officers. Authorities are encouraged to work with neighbouring areas to avoid duplication and ensure wider coverage.
The Household Support Fund will operate until 31 March 2026, giving households sufficient time to apply if eligible. If a successful enquiry has been submitted since the scheme opened on 23 June 2025, the applicant is placed on a waiting list and will be contacted within four weeks to complete the full application. Applicants are asked to remain patient while the team works through the waiting list, and they should ensure voicemail is switched on and their phone can accept calls from withheld or private numbers.
It is important to note that completing the enquiry form does not guarantee entitlement to a grant payment. Eligibility is checked during the application process, and applicants may need to submit additional documents before any grant is provided. Households not currently on the waiting list, or those for whom 12 months have passed since their last grant, may also apply.
For more information, visit Birmingham City Council.
