WITH the cost of living still high in the UK, many families will be struggling to make ends meet.
However, there are lots of ways to get financial help over the summer months.
If you’re wondering about whether you’re eligible for financial help, charity Turn2us provides an online tool where you can check your eligibility for more than 1,400 grants.
From help with your energy bills to feeding your family over the school holidays, we’ve rounded up all the schemes you can benefit from if you’re feeling the summer fpinch.
Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund (HSF) is a government-backed scheme that gives financial help to families struggling to afford essential living costs.
It provides extra cash for food, energy bills and other essentials like school uniforms and kitchen appliances.
The £742-million fund is distributed among councils across England, with each council given the freedom to decide how to use the money.
Depending on where you live, you could be able to get up to £500 payments this summer through the fund.
Households in Worcestershire can get up to £500 in cost of living cash this summer, but you’ll need to be earning less than £31,000, or £24,570 if you’re a single adult with no children.
Birmingham households can apply for payments of up to £200 this month, intended to help with energy, grocery and water costs.
City of Doncaster Council is also distributing one-off cash payments of up to £300 in June to families with dependent children, to help cover food costs.
The council defines a dependent child as one for whom you receive Child Benefit.
Doncaster residents could also get £100 to help cover energy bills.
Meanwhile, some councils, such as Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Enfield Council, are giving hard-up residents free white goods or help towards the cost of them.
Other areas that have schemes open now include Calderdale, Cheshire West, Hull, Leeds, North Somerset and Reading.
The funding given to councils varies by location, so you should check the HSF section of your local council’s website to see what you can get and how your council will pay you.
Councils normally specify that you need to be in receipt of benefits such as Universal Credit in order to be eligible.
Some councils have very limited windows to apply for the support, so if there is a date that applications open, be sure to make a calendar note and apply as soon as it opens.
Social tariffs
If you’re a pensioner or on benefits, you could save hundreds of pounds on your internet and phone bills by signing up for social tariffs.
These are discounted broadband and mobile packages offering by some providers to those receiving certain government benefits.
They also often come with no exit fees, although you should check the supplier’s terms and conditions.
Virgin Media O2 is offering several social tariffs from as low as £10 for its Essential Plan mobile phone tariff with 10GB of data, unlimited texts and minutes.
The regulator Ofcom has a list on its website of all the firms offering social broadband and mobile phone tariffs.
Child Benefit
Child Benefit is worth up to £1,354 a year for your first child and up to £897 for each additional child.
However, payments automatically stop on August 31 or after your child has turned 16 – but you can renew your claim if your child is continuing in further education.
If you’re a parent of a child aged 16 to 19, you should expect to receive a letter from the taxman this summer reminding you to extend your Child Benefit claim.
You can receive the payment up until your child is 19, as long as they’re enrolled in an apprenticeship programme or one of the following education schemes:
- A levels or similar, for example, International Baccalaureate
- T levels
- Scottish Highers
- NVQs and most vocational qualifications up to level 3
- Home education – if it started either before your child turned 16 or after 16 if they have a statement of special educational needs
- Study programmes in England
- A pre-apprenticeship
Charity grants
Aside from government-funded support, many charities around the UK offer grants to help struggling families.
Children’s charity Buttle UK offers grants worth up to £2,000, with support packages including money for essential items and help for children’s emotional, social and educational needs.
Family Fund, meanwhile, supports families raising disabled or seriously ill kids, and provide grants for things like white goods, bedding and furniture.
Charity Glasspool also provides grants to help people buy white goods, bedding, and items for children and babies.
There are no specific eligibility requests for this charity, but it says it expects anyone applying to have already made an application for local welfare schemes.
Kids eat free deals
A huge range of popular restaurants and cafés around the country offer a helping hand to families who may struggle to afford to feed their kids over the summer holidays.
Asda’s ‘Kids Eat for £1’ deal runs in more than 200 of the supermarket’s cafés all year round, not just during school holidays.
And unlike a lot of other deals, you don’t need to buy an adult meal to qualify.
Morrisons cafés offer families a free kids’ meal all day with any adult meal over £5.
Restaurants such as Bill’s and Bella Italia are also known to offer free or discounted meals for kids, perfect for over the summer holidays.
If you’re struggling to buy food, you may also be able to get a referral to a food bank.
You can ask about this at your nearest Citizens Advice, through your local council or various charities.
Free kids clubs
Low income families can get help from their local council through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
It can be used to sign children up to sports, music and arts clubs, and it also offers them a nutritious meal each day for free.
The help on offer varies by council but families who receive free school meals are usually eligible.
In some areas you can get holiday club places for the equivalent of at least four hours a day.
You should contact your local authority to see what’s available, whether you’re eligible and how to apply.
Help with NHS prescriptions
You can get help with NHS costs like prescriptions, dental care and sight tests through the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS).
It’s means-tested, so how much help you get will depend on your weekly income and essential outgoings, as well as your savings.
To apply, you’ll need to complete an HC1 form, which can be done online or by post.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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