Thousands to get £200 payment with three rules to claim cost of living support
Thousands of people will receive a £200 payment to help with the cost of living starting next month. Some will be contacted during October and invited to complete a full application for any remaining cash in the previous round of funding, and then the next allocation will be available in November.
The Department for Work and Pensions has pumped another £421 million into the Household Support Fund, which is then shared among local authorities to distribute to struggling residents. In Birmingham, the money is distributed as £200 hardship grants that go directly into bank accounts.
Birmingham City Council's pot of money is handled by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council which is dealing with final requests for the April-September round of funding before reopening to hand out the October-March allocation. It says there are three main rules to bear in mind before submitting a request for support.
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These three key eligibility criteria state that you should be a Birmingham resident, need to be experiencing financial hardship - particularly with regard to covering costs linked to food and energy - and that you must NOT have had a £200 payment during the past 12 months. If that specified length of time has now passed since you received help previously, you will be able to reapply.
Organisers said: "Enquiries will reopen in early November 2024. If you are not currently on the waiting list, or it has now been 12 months since you received your last grant payment, you will be able to submit a new enquiry once the next round opens in early November 2024.
"BVSC will be distributing grants of up to £200 to Birmingham households, currently facing financial hardship, with the funds intended to help households with food costs and energy payments. Please be aware that you may be expected to provide proof of address and proof of means-tested benefits (if you are in receipt of them) in the case that you are invited to apply.
"Receiving a grant from this fund will not impact any other benefits you may be receiving or may be entitled to. You do not need to pay any fee to apply for a hardship grant. Should any organisation request a fee from you to apply, please do not give them any personal details and contact BVSC immediately to report them."
Payments are made directly into an applicant's bank account. If you don't currently have one, you will need to follow this guidance on opening a Basic Bank Account so you can receive a payment if eligibility is confirmed.
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