1 Overview
The UK government launched the Household Support Fund (HSF) in October 2021. West Sussex County Council uses the fund to help residents in urgent need of support across the county.
On 30 October 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the fund would continue for another year - from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 - to support residents in need.
The fund helps households who are finding it hard to:
- pay essential utility bills
- cover basic living costs
- afford food
- meet housing costs in genuine emergencies
It also supports activities that help prevent families from facing similar financial hardship in the future.
The council distributes the funding in several ways, including:
- through District and Borough Councils
- by accepting applications to the Community Hub
- in partnership with organisations like Citizens Advice, Carers Support West Sussex and local food banks
As well as wider community support, this funding also enables us to continue providing supermarket vouchers during the holidays for children eligible for term-time free school meals.
2 How we help
The Community Hub manages the part of the Household Support Fund that people need to apply for.
It offers help to households with food costs, mainly through supermarket vouchers. The voucher amount depends on the size of the household. It is meant for immediate needs.
It is a one-time support offer. This avoids people depending on the support for a long time. Alongside the voucher, the Hub helps people to understand where to go to get longer term support.
We run the support in two rounds, from 1 April to 30 September 2025 and 1 October 2025 to 31 March 2026. This means that support is available to West Sussex residents throughout the financial year.
3 Available support
Food and household essentials vouchers
If your application is successful, you will receive supermarket vouchers. The value of the voucher depends on the size of your household. Households with:
- 1 or more adults receive £50
- 1 child receive £50
- 2 or more children receive £75
Energy support
If you are concerned that your supplier may disconnect your energy and you have no other support, complete an application.
How we support you
Be aware that for any support we offer, we:
- do not give cash payments
- only provide 1 support offer per household
- assess applications case-by-case against specific criteria
If vouchers are not suitable in your case, there is a hot meal delivery option.
4 Eligibility
You may be able to get support if you are:
- in a low-income household in need - you don't have to receive benefits
- a disabled person facing severe problems in meeting your needs
- a care leaver
- caring for others and facing difficulty because of your caring duties
- not able to access public funds for any reason and have a care need
This list is not complete. There may be other situations where you can get support.
5 Apply for support
Once we receive your application, our team will review your situation to see if you meet the eligibility criteria.
You will need documents to support your application, such as:
- proof of your identity - either photographic or an official letter
- a recent bill or official letter to prove your address and that you live in West Sussex
- evidence of benefits, including any discounts or reductions
- other relevant evidence of your household’s current hardship
The easiest way to send us your documents is to scan and submit them with your form.
We cannot process your application without the supporting documents.
You don’t have to be getting benefits to access help. If you do receive benefits, they won’t be affected by applying for help from the Household Support Fund.
Apply for help from the Household Support Fund (external link)If you have any questions about the fund, you can contact us.
Fraudulent claims
West Sussex County Council will investigate claims that we believe are false. If someone lies on their application form or gives fake documents, they may have broken the Theft Act 1968. They could face criminal proceedings.
6 Voucher information
You can only use vouchers for the purpose we gave them for. You cannot sell them.
Evouchers sent via email may take up to 72 hours to arrive.
If you don't give an email address, vouchers will be posted to your address. This may take longer.
On the Evouchers website you can find out how to:
- claim your vouchers - with step by step instructions
- log in and view vouchers
- use your voucher online - including information about voucher expiry dates
- check the balance of a voucher
7 Privacy notice
You can find details about how we use and manage your personal data on our privacy notice.
8 Contact details
If you need help from the Household Support Fund, apply for support.
Wider support
- UKHarvest
- Do you need help? - Citizens Advice in West Sussex
- West Sussex Wellbeing - provided by West Sussex County Council