Help if you're worried about money
Extra help is available for households in Brighton & Hove struggling to pay for food, energy and other essential costs.
Extra help is available for households in Brighton & Hove struggling to pay for food, energy and other essential costs this year.
The funding is part of the government’s Household Support Fund. Due to the limited nature of this fund, we are only able to make one award to each household.
We will not be able to accept subsequent applications to this fund from the same household.
The extra support is available until 31 March 2024.
The funding does not provide cash. We'll offer vouchers or find another way to help you access essential goods and services.
You can also find information on help to pay for energy bills.
The funding is also being used to provide food support in the city. This includes the vouchers for families who receive free school meals during the holidays, and the support available through Children’s Centres and community organisations.
Post Office vouchers
If you receive a letter from Brighton & Hove City Council inviting you to claim an award from the Household Support Fund via a Post Office voucher, we can confirm this is a genuine correspondence.
Please take your letter, which acts as your Post Office voucher, and your proof of ID to any Post Office branch to claim your payment.
This is a payment from the government’s Household Support Fund. You do not have to complete an application form or provide any proof of income. You will not need to repay this sum.
How to apply for help
If you receive benefits and need help to pay for essentials, apply for help from our Local Discretionary Social Fund.
If you don’t receive benefits and need help to pay for essentials, request support from the Household support fund through the Community Hub.
If you already claim Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and need extra help to pay your Council Tax, apply for discretionary council tax support.
For further support and advice about managing your essential household costs, you can contact the Community Hub.
Community help and advice
You can also get help and advice through these community organisations:
- Ageing Well (Impact Initiatives)
- Brighton & Hove Food Partnership
- Black & Minority Ethnic Community Partnership
- Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project
- The Bevy
- Bevendean Food Bank
- Brighton Grub Hub
- Brightstore
- Carers Centre
- Case Central
- Children's Centres
- Chomp (One Church)
- Cornerstone
- East Brighton Food Co-op
- Food and Friendship
- Hangleton & Knoll Project
- Hollingbury Food Bank at the Gathering Place
- Justlife
- Lunch Positive
- Old Boat Community Centre
- Pankhurst Pantry
- Salvation Army
- Sussex Homeless Support
- Switchboard
- Trust for Developing Communities
- Voices in Exile
- Warmth for Wellbeing (CAB)
- YMCA Downslink Youth Advice Centre
Cost of living donations
If you’d like to make donation to help local appeal to help people in poverty in Brighton & Hove with their food and energy costs through vouchers, food parcels and low energy items, please donate to the Brighton & Hove Cost of Living Crisis Appeal.
This fund has been set up by Brighton & Hove Citizen’s Advice and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, with the support of Brighton & Hove City Council.
Any donation you give will go directly towards helping people in the city struggling to make ends meet.