Struggling to pay bills and make money stretch further? There is help out there
Prices are still rising in spite of inflation easing – with food and energy prices extortionate. If you are worried about paying for food, electricity and other household costs in a cost of living crisis, you are far from alone. We have rounded up some of the options available
How to know if you are eligible for universal credit and other benefits
If you’re not sure where to start, Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk) offers information and services to advise you what government support is available.
You could be entitled to benefits and tax credits if you are working or unemployed, sick or disabled, a parent, a young person, an older person or a veteran. Use the benefits calculator at charity Turn2Us to find out what you are entitled to (www.turn2us.org.uk). The government’s Help for Households website (helpfor households.campaign.gov.uk) explains what support you could be eligible for. These are some schemes which may help:
Scottish Welfare Fund
This is offered in Scotland to provide a safety net for people on low incomes. These include crisis grants and community care grants. You can apply online (mygov.scot/scottish-welfare-fund) through your local council’s website.
Discretionary Assistance Fund
In Wales, there is the Discretionary Assistance Fund (gov.wales/discretionary-assistance-fund-daf ). This includes an emergency grant for essential costs, such as food, gas, electricity, clothing or emergency travel if you are experiencing extreme hardship, have lost your job or are waiting for your first payment.
How to get help from your energy supplier
A number of energy suppliers offer grants to help customers pay their energy bills. British Gas grants are available to everyone who has an energy debt of up to £2,000 and you don’t have to be a British Gas customer (britishgasenergy trust.org.uk/grants-available). You’ll need to seek help from your local money advice centre and be able to show that you’ve thought about how you will manage your costs in the future.
How to get charitable grants
Find out the grants available to you using the Turn2Us grant search on the charity’s website. There is a huge range for different people – including those who are bereaved, disabled, unemployed, redundant, ill, a carer, veteran, young person or old person. Grants are also usually available to people who have no recourse to public funds and cannot claim welfare benefits. Turn2Us helps people to access grants an
