Household Support Fund 6 (HSF6)

Overview

The Household Support Fund (HSF) was put in place by the government to help households that would otherwise struggle to buy food, pay essential utility bills, or meet other essential living costs during the current cost-of-living challenges.

Household Support Fund 2024 (5) closed on 30th September 2024. For details of its expenditure visit Freedom of Information frequently asked questions and scroll down to Household Support Fund.

The extension to this fund, known as Household Support Fund 6, began on 1 October 2024 and will conclude on the 31 March 2025.

Wiltshire Council has confirmed that it will continue to work in partnership with a number of local organisations and internal departments to distribute the £2.7 million Household Support Fund 6 from UK Government. Information on how and where to apply is available on the How and where you can apply page.

Scam warning

We are aware that texts are circulating pretending to be government announcements requiring an application to your local council for a replacement winter fuel payment. 

Please do not click on any links asking for personal information or bank details to check eligibility. If in doubt please contact the Wellbeing Hub (opens new window).

Wiltshire Council and Evouchers will never ask you to reply with personal or bank details to receive a Household Support Fund award. 
 

Eligibility

Local Authorities have the flexibility to identify which households are in most need of support and apply their own discretion when identifying eligibility. The expectation is that HSF should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support government has recently made available but who are nevertheless in need and who require crisis support.

HSF is intended to cover a wide range of low-income households in need including:

• families with children of all ages
• larger families
• pensioners
• unpaid carers
• care leavers
• households with a disability
• homeless
• Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, and Boater communities
• single-person households
• those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events
• as part of the Armed Forces Covenant, we will also ensure there is support for those who are serving, have served and their families where need has been identified

How HSF funds can be used

The HSF funds can be used to support low-income households in our community with:

• energy bills for any form of fuel that is used for the purpose of domestic heating, cooking, or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders
• water bills including for drinking, washing, cooking, as well as for sanitary purposes and sewerage
• the cost of food
• essential costs related to energy, food and water such as warm clothing - including uniforms, blankets, the purchase of equipment such as fridges, freezers, ovens, slow cooker, period and hygiene products
• one-off payments to prevent a crisis
• housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this need
• support with other bills including broadband or phone bills
• essential transport-related costs such as repairing a car, buying a bicycle, or paying for fuel
• repair or replace white goods and appliances with more energy efficient ones, or to invest in simple energy efficiency measures which will pay back quickly, such as insulating a hot water tank and radiators, fitting draft excluders to external doors, and replacing inefficient lightbulbs or white goods

Whilst immediate needs will be prioritised, councils are encouraged to use the fund to provide support that has a long-term sustainable impact, for example for the purchase of household items which will reduce bills in the long-term, beyond March 2025. 

Examples of sustainable support may include kitchen appliances, efficient heating systems, courses or advice to provide support in the longer term. The fund may also be used to provide supplementary advice services, including debt and benefit advice, where appropriate.  

This round also includes preventative support to deliver provision to prevent vulnerable residents from falling into - or falling further into - crisis. This could include specific activities to support individual households or wider support within the broader community, such as financial advisors and other lifestyle choice practitioners operating in the community via community food providers and providing funding to local community groups who deliver preventative services.