Skip to content

Find help and support to help with money worries

Different people will be facing different sorts of challenges and Kent Together is here to help you find the support that’s right for you. You can use the links below to help you find the information and support you need.

If you need help using this information, call Kent Together on 03000 41 92 92 (text relay 18001 03000 41 92 92). If you need access via British Sign Language, you can contact the Sensory Services Team via SMS on 07920 154 315 or via SignLive VRS on the community directory.

The Kent Together helpline cannot provide you with any financial advice, but we can help direct you to a service that can help.

Check what you could be entitled to based on your individual circumstances, and how to apply with our benefit calculator.

Your local district or borough council can help with benefit queries, including housing benefit and Council Tax discounts and rebates. Go to the benefits section of their website:

Pension Credit - If you're over State Pension age, you may be eligible to get Pension Credit to help with the cost of living.

Help with energy bills - If you are experiencing financial difficulty and paying your energy bill is a concern, there is help available.

Ways to save energy at home - Small changes to your daily habits, or small changes to your home can help you reduce how much energy you use and save you some money. You can also check the grants and financial support available.

Check if you are eligible for a social tariff to reduce your broadband bill.

Check if you are eligible for support to pay your water bill.

Apply for energy bill support if you do not get it automatically.

Local food banks are there to help people who are having difficulty buying enough food - search for local food banks.

Local children's centres may be able to help families with food and clothes if they have children under 5.

You can also try selling and re-use sites like Freecycle, Gumtree, or local Facebook selling pages. Please check the guidelines for buying safely. Or go to your local charity shops for clothes and household items.

Healthy Start Scheme - if you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 years old, you could get help to buy milk, fruit and vegetables. As part of the scheme you can also get free Healthy Start vitamins.

Salvation Army – a charity who can provide emergency assistance to people in need.

Free pre-school places - All 3 and 4 year olds and some 2 year olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of free early education and childcare over 38 weeks of the year. If you are a working parent, your 3 and 4 year olds may be entitled to another 15 hours of childcare.

Tax-Free Childcare - eligible working parents can get help towards their childcare costs.

Free school meals - If your child is under 19 and in full-time education, and you receive certain benefits, you may be able to get free school meals for them.

You local district or borough council can help with all housing related queries, including applying for council housing. Go to the housing section of their website:

Help with homelessness - If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, get useful information and guidance. Don’t wait until you are homeless before seeking help.

Shelter - a charity offering online housing advice and an urgent helpline. They can help if you have nowhere to sleep, or might be homeless soon, if you have somewhere to sleep, but nowhere to call home, or you are, or could be, at risk of harm.

You can look through our vacancies to apply for a job or apprenticeship with us.

If you're out of work and would like support finding a new job, Jobcentre Plus can help. Find your nearest Jobcentre Plus.

You can also search for full and part-time jobs on GOV.UK.

Bus travel – older and disabled people can apply for free bus passes, and there are discounted bus passes for children and young people to travel to school.

Hospital transport - speak to your GP and ask about patient transport. You can also see if you are eligible for the NHS Travel Scheme.

Kent and Medway Journeyshare – find someone to share your journey to work with and save money on transport costs.

Kent Money Advice Hub - free and confidential advice to support you if you have money worries. The service is available online and also by telephone, WhatsApp messaging and video calling as well as at kiosks in some community locations.

Citizen’s advice – advice about benefits, debt and housing. Trained advisors you can talk to about claiming benefits or getting more from your current benefits, or how to speak to organisations you owe money to.

Turn2us - a national charity providing financial support to help people get back on track. You can access a benefits calculator and grant search to find charitable funds you may be eligible for.

Stepchange - an independent charity who provide free, confidential and expert debt advice and money guidance

National Debtline - provides free advice and resources to help you deal with your debts. You can access National Debtline by phone, webchat, or get advice through the website

Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space (MHCBS) - this service can provide protection to those suffering a mental health crisis who are struggling with debt.

If you are an organisation that supports Kent residents

ReferKent

We have launched an online referral system, called ReferKent, for external organisations to make referrals between one another rather than signpost. This gives reassurance that someone will contact the person who has been referred.

If you are an organisation that supports Kent residents go to our ReferKent page to find out more and sign up.

Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund scheme supports vulnerable Kent households in need of help with significantly rising living costs. If you work for an organisation in Kent that supports adults or families who are struggling to afford household energy bills then they may be eligible for a £100 one-off energy voucher.

The scheme is available until 31 March 2023 or when the funding has been allocated. Email helping.hands@kent.gov.uk for more information on becoming a professional referrer.