Hardship Grant Community Fund Household Support Fund - Round 4 After receiving cabinet approval on 27 June 2023, the Household Support Fund Round 4 is available to ease the financial burdens faced by its vulnerable citizens living in Birmingham. The Household Support Fund, provided by the Government’s Department for Work and Pensions, is a fixed amount of money available to Local Authorities nationally to be used to support those households in most need, with essentials such as food, energy and essential goods and supplies including water. These funds are not impacted by the recent issuing of a Section 114 notice by Birmingham City Council (BCC) more details about this can be found on BCC’s dedicated Section 114 webpage. Hardship Grant Community Fund Birmingham Voluntary Service Council’s (BVSC) Hardship Grant Community Fund (HGCF), part of BCC’s wider Household Support Fund (HSF) activity, will be running through until 31st March 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. When does the scheme run? Applications commenced in July 2023, and we will continue to accept applications until 31st March 2024, or until all available funding has been awarded to households if this is sooner. Who is eligible? You must be a Birmingham Resident You must be experiencing financial hardship, particularly with regards to covering costs linked to food and energy. Your household must not have received a HGCF grant since July 2023* *Please be advised that each household is only eligible to receive one grant payment, of up to £200, per financial year. (April 2023 - March 2024) You may be required to provide proof of address and/or proof of means-tested benefits (if you are in receipt of them) if you are eligible to complete a grant application. How do I apply? Please complete your enquiry form using the link below to secure your place on the waiting list. A member of the team in your local area will contact you to complete your full application. Please ensure you provide the correct contact details on the enquiry form to allow our partner to reach you. Click here to enquire Alternatively, please scan the QR code, with the camera on your mobile phone or tablet to open the link and then click on the Enquiry Form tab. If you are unable to access the website above, then you can use the phone number provided below to progress your enquiry. Please be aware that your enquiry will be processed more quickly if you use the enquiry form, so we strongly encourage you to do so if you are able to. Our telephone number is 0121 634 7100. Further information Frequent internal audits within the application system actively monitor submitted applications for signs of fraud and details of any attempts to make fraudulent applications and/or fraudulently receive grant funding will be shared with West Midlands Police. Receiving a grant from this fund will not impact on any other benefits you may be receiving or may be entitled to. You can find out about what financial support you may be eligible to claim using the Government’s Benefits Calculator. If you have reached retirement age, you can use the Government's Pension Credit Calculator to find out about your entitlement. This grant is free at the point of access, under no circumstances should you be required to pay a fee to apply for or to receive a grant from the Hardship Grant Community Fund. Grant payments are made directly into a bank account in the applicant’s name. If you do not currently have a bank account, please click the link below for details on how to open a Basic Bank Account. Opening a basic bank account What additional support is available? You can find more information and resources on BCC's Cost of Living Support Page and on the Government’s Cost of Living Hub. You can also find out about what other support may be available for you, as well as finding out useful tips for saving money on the Help for Households campaign page. How can I make contact with BVSC? If you would like to leave us a Comment, Suggestion, or make a Complaint, please click the link below. Compliments, Comments and Complaints Policy