Suffolk County Council allocates Household Support Fund money to residents in the following ways:
Support for children during school holidays
Where a child is eligible for income related free school meals, families will be contacted directly by their child's school regarding supermarket voucher grants, available to them for May half term 2024 and the 6 week summer holidays 2024. Further information is available from the Free School Meals team at freeschoolmeals@suffolk.gov.uk
If your child is currently attending a Special Independent school and you reside in Suffolk, you may be eligible for a supermarket voucher if your household meets the income thresholds for Free School Meals. Your child’s school will contact you directly with information on how to apply.
If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, but not currently on a school roll due to either; no suitable placement being available in line with their Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP); or being recently excluded from a state-funded school, you will still be eligible to receive a voucher in the school holidays. This will be issued to you directly by Suffolk County Council.
Where a child is not eligible for free school meals because they are not attending a state funded school, a family can seek support directly from the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme.
Direct support through an application to the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme
The Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS) helps those experiencing financial hardship. This could mean you are struggling to afford the basics, such as food, heating, clothing and fuel, or to pay your household bills. There are lots of reasons why you may be in hardship and if you are eligible, LWAS can provide financial help.
The scheme is not intended as emergency or long term support. The quickest way to make an application is via the webform, using your smartphone, tablet or computer. If you have all the information and documents required to make an online application then the webform will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. If you are unable to make an application for support yourself, please contact your local Citizens Advice.
To find out whether you are eligible for support and to make an application please visit the Local Welfare Assistance Scheme.
Housing support via District and Borough Councils
If you need further help with housing support, it is recommended that you discuss your circumstances with your local Housing Needs Team so they can help identify what options may be available to you and the support required. Please note, the team are unable to support with mortgage assistance as part of the Household Support Fund. To contact your local housing team, please visit:
Provision of food and non-food items for Suffolk foodbanks/pantries
Funding is allocated to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) partners to support with the provision of food and non-food items which are made available to those most in need through their local foodbanks/pantries. For the directory of Foodbanks in Suffolk, please visit Suffolk Infolink.
