Household Support Fund

There is help available for residents of the Borough struggling with household bills, food and clothing.

The Department for Work and Pensions has made available £2.36m to those most in need of support which will be administered by the Council. Automatic payments will be made to the following residents:

• Families entitled to Free School Meals will receive, on average, £3.75 per weekday per pupil during the school holidays.
• Care leavers.
• Families with no recourse to public funds
• Early Help families that are not eligible for Section 17 support.
• Short Breaks Families but not attending schools.
• Early Years families accessing 2-yr old offer.
• Residents in receipt of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction and not in receipt of any of the following benefits:
  • Universal Credit
  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income Support
  • Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit
  • Working Tax Credit

If you are in the above groups, there is no need for you to apply to this fund. The Council will contact eligible residents directly to make a payment.

Claiming a payment

If you are not in any of the above groups, you still may be entitled to a Household Support Fund payment.

If you have not received a Cost of Living Payment from the Department for Work and Pensions and are in receipt of any of the benefits listed above then you can submit an application.

Start form

Housing and Employment Food Support

The Housing and Employment Service will provide emergency financial assistance to Kensington and Chelsea households struggling to buy food.

A maximum of £250 per household can be provided depending on circumstances and will be paid directly to residents’ bank account or administered as a cash payment via cash points.

Residents will need to meet the following criteria:

• Be a resident of Kensington and Chelsea, this includes residents who have been temporarily placed outside of the borough by the Council.
• Have limited or no savings. 
• Be able to provide a recent bank statement/UC Payment Statement.

More than one application can be made per household up to the end of March 2024, to a maximum of £250. The amount of payment will depend on the household’s circumstances and is benchmarked on data from Joseph Roundtree Foundation and an analysis of Census data.

In addition to providing emergency financial support for food costs, the Housing and Employment Service works with residents to identify ways to improve their financial situation permanently for instance, through securing work or career progression, income maximisation, debt reduction and budgeting support.

Contact the team

You can contact the team by emailing [email protected] or call us on 020 7361 2070.

Help and Advice agencies

Kensington and Chelsea Foundation Energy Support

If you need financial support to help with fuel bills, you can contact the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation to make a Household Support Fund claim. The contacts for Kensington and Chelsea Foundation are below:

Nucleus Legal Advice Centre

The centre help provide access to justice for disadvantaged members of the community through the provision of information, advice, assistance, representation and education in social welfare law.

Visit the Nucleus Legal Advice Centre website.

Phone – 020 7373 4005

Citizens Advice Kensington and Chelsea

Citizens Advice Kensington and Chelsea is an advice agency and charity that provides free advice to people who live and work in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Visit the Citizens Advice Kensington and Chelsea website.

The Government’s Cost of Living Support

Find out what support is available on the GOV.UK website to help with the cost of living. This includes income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing, and travel.