Community Hub

1 About us

West Sussex County Council established the Community Hub in March 2020. It was set up to ensure all residents had access to food and essential supplies during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The Community Hub continues to give help and support to residents who are experiencing hardship by providing information, advice and guidance.

At the hub, we receive and process general support enquiries 365 days a year. We also get more specific queries and applications about the schemes we support. Currently these include:

• the Household Support Fund
• the Homes for Ukraine Scheme 
• Smoke Free West Sussex

2 Homes for Ukraine

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) supports eligible families, couples and individuals leaving Ukraine in response to the current situation.

The Community Hub helps hosts of people leaving Ukraine and their guests by:

• carrying out safeguarding checks
• sharing local area information
• offering advice and guidance about the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

The hub also acts as the main point of contact for support and information.

3 Household Support Fund

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the UK government is giving money through the Household Support Fund.

The fund helps people who are struggling to pay for essential items. It also tries to support families early so that they don't end up in crisis or deeper financial difficulty. 

The Community Hub administers the part of the fund that people need to apply for.

You can find more information, including how to apply, on the Household Support Fund page.

4 Cost of living

The Community Hub offers support and advice to anyone who needs help with the cost of living.

5 Useful links

Government links

• Cost of living hub (GOV.UK)
• Get help with the cost of living from your local council (GOV.UK)

Food banks

• Trussell: Ending hunger together

Wider support

• UKHarvest: West Sussex signposting

Citizens Advice

• Citizens Advice - free and reliable advice in West Sussex

Carers support

• Carers Support West Sussex

District and borough links

Adur and Worthing

• Cost of living support (Adur and Worthing Councils)
• Getting support (Adur and Worthing Councils)

Arun

• Cost of living resources available - Arun District Council
• Arun Wellbeing - provided by West Sussex County Council and Arun District Council

Chichester

• Help with finances (Chichester District Council)
• Supporting you (Chichester District Council)

Crawley

• Help with money worries (Crawley Borough Council)
• Crawley Borough Council support - West Sussex Energy

Horsham

• Cost of living support (Horsham District Council)
• Horsham District Wellbeing - provided by West Sussex County Council and Horsham District Council

Mid Sussex

• Cost of living support (Mid Sussex District Council)
• Mid Sussex Support - Welfare Together

6 Privacy notice

You can find details about how we use and manage your personal data on our privacy notice.

7 Contact details

For general enquiries, including information, advice and support, complete our online form:

If you want to submit an application for financial support, visit our Household Support Fund page.