A one-off hardship grant payment of up to £200.00 is being made available to help eligible households who are experiencing financial hardship. The fund is strictly intended to support households to cover essentials such as food and energy (gas, electricity, and water) costs.
You must be a Birmingham resident (or temporarily housed in another Local Authority area by Birmingham City Council) in order to apply for this scheme.
You cannot reapply if you have previously received a hardship grant payment from the Hardship Grants Community Fund (HSF) since April 2022.
Eligible households with children under 18, households of working age adults or households of pensionable age must be identified as experiencing hardship, and have confirmed their entitlement (e.g., in receipt of, or an application is in progress) to receive one or more of the following means tested benefits:
Council Tax Support
·
Housing Benefit
·
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
·
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
·
Income Support
·
Pension Credit
·
Social Funds (Cold Weather Payment, Funeral Payment, Sure Start
Maternity Grant)
·
Tax Credits (Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit)
·
Universal Credit
·
MEANS TESTED free school meals vouchers / Healthy Start vouchers
for pre-school aged children
Please note, as part of the application process, applicants must consent for their details to be shared with The Department of Work and Pensions and Birmingham City Council, which may form a validity check on details provided during an application.
As part of the application process, applicants will be asked about their support needs and may be signposted or referred to other local available support such as: benefits and debt advice, mental health support, utilities support, food bank/pantry etc.
More information about the Hardship Grants Community Fund, available as part of Birmingham City Council’s Household Support Fund can be found on BVSC’s website. Further details about the wider support available from Household Support Fund and the city’s response to the Cost of Living emergency can be found on Birmingham City Council’s website