Home essentials in a crisis

Before you apply we'll expect you to have claimed any national benefits, grants and loans which are appropriate to your situation.

Your local district council may also be able to help you if you need help paying rent or rent in advance through a Discretionary Housing Payment.

You must have spoken to a benefits or Job Centre Plus advisor about the following before applying to us for help:

• Budgeting Loan/Budgeting Advance
• Short Term Benefits Advance
• Hardship payments

If you have had your benefits stopped as a result of a Department for Work and Pensions sanction we will not be able to help you unless exceptional circumstances apply.

If you are not eligible to receive benefits in the UK, we will not be able to help you.

To make an application, you must:

• be aged 16 or over
• live in Kent (if you pay your Council Tax to Medway Council you will need to contact their local welfare provision scheme)
• live on a low working income, or receive a means-tested benefit if not in employment
• have no access to savings or support from other sources.

Providing evidence

We will ask for evidence of your benefits and savings, and we may also ask for things like:

• proof of any reasons you give for needing help (such as unusual expenses) through receipts or screenshots of your online or mobile banking, showing the transactions
• proof of your earnings if you are working
• anything else relevant to the circumstances detailed on your application form.

Apply

To ask for our help:

• apply online (if you are applying on behalf of someone else, please do not log in to complete the application)
• visit one of our gateways or your nearest Citizen's Advice Bureau.

To complete the application you will need:

• your National Insurance number
• details of anyone who lives in your house, including their National Insurance number(s)
• details of your income and that of your partner or other adults living with you (this includes benefits payments and any income from employment).

Once you have applied for help from us, we will contact you with information on agencies that may be able to help you in your situation long-term and enable you to manage your financial crisis. We will then tell you if we are able to provide the items you need, and explain how we will get the goods to you.

If we can't help you, we will explain why and tell you about your right to ask for a review of your situation. We will also let you know where you can go to get more advice or information.

Appeal a decision

If we have declined your application within the last 7 days and you feel the decision should be reviewed, you can appeal in the following ways:

If you have an account

Log in and appeal against a declined application

If you don't have an account

Appeal against a declined application using our online form

We don't offer money. We can provide essential home items such as:

• groceries (for up to 7 days)
• baby food, milk and nappies
• furniture (beds and seating)
• crockery
• bedding/curtains/carpets
• essential electrical appliances (fridge, cooking appliance, washing machine)
• clothing

and help with:

• utilities (prepayment gas and electric, for up to 7 days)
• emergency travel arrangements via public transport (for example to flee a crisis)

Most of the home items we provide will be secondhand.

These are just some of the situations under which we may offer you help. They are just examples and should not be used to decide whether or not you are eligible for our help. If you aren't sure, please contact us.

• Your ESA has been suspended and you have already made an appeal.
• You have had an essential but unexpected payment to make (this does not include regular bills or direct debits, and we will need to see evidence of your unexpected payment).
• You are waiting for a new benefit claim to come through.
• Your money has been stolen or you have lost it.
• You have spent your money on hospital travel.
• You are fleeing domestic abuse.
• You have left care.
• You have left prison and used your discharge money for travel.
• You are a victim of fire or flooding.

If we cannot offer help or you need more help, you can try the following:

Food

You can try your local food banks or the Salvation Army. If you have children under 5, you can also try your local children's centre for both food and clothes.

Clothes and furniture

You can try the Salvation Army, Freecycle, Gumtree, local Facebook selling pages or your local charity shops. If you have a social worker involved with you or your family, they may look into trying Family Fund with you.

Power and utilities

Speak to your provider first to see if they can offer emergency credit. The British Gas Energy Trust may be able to help, or the Salvation Army.

Energy efficiency or heating grants

• Find out more about the Green Homes Grant by visiting Simple Energy Advice.
• The Kent and Medway Warm Homes Scheme
• First time central heating grants enable homeowners on a low income to have gas central heating installed.

Collective switching schemes

You could save money on your energy bills by joining a collective switching scheme. This combines buying power through auctions to access more competitive tariffs. Participation is completely free with no obligation to switch your current energy tariff or energy provider. Examples of schemes in Kent include:

• Energy Deal (operating across Kent)
• Sevenoaks Switch and Save

Utility company schemes

If you are in receipt of a pension, disabled or chronically sick, have a long-term health condition, are in a vulnerable situation, have a hearing or visual impairment, or other additional communication needs, you could be eligible to join the priority services register. The register allows you advance notice of power cuts, priority support in an emergency and more. Contact your energy supplier to sign up to the priority services register.

Support with energy arrears or debt

Find out whether your energy provider can offer you some help:

• The British Gas Energy Trust
• EDF Energy Trust
• E.ON Energy Fund
• npower Energy Fund
• Scottish Power Hardship Fund
• OVO Energy Fund
• Simple Energy Advice offers impartial and independent advice to help you reduce energy bills and make your home warmer and greener, as well as information for home improvements.
• Age UK offers advice, tips and options for a home energy and benefits check to ensure you have everything that you are entitled to.

Financial advice

• Citizens Advice can help you check for any benefits or financial support to help you with energy bills or allow for you to make energy improvements to your home.
• Energy Saving Trust has lots of information about how to save energy at home and some financial advice.
• Turn2us is 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.

Other assistance

• You could get £140 off your electricity bill over the winter with the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
• You could get a £25 Cold Weather Payment for each consecutive 7-day period where the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0 degrees Celsius or below.
• People born on or before 5 October 1954 could get a Winter Fuel Payment of between £100 and £300 to help pay heating bills in winter.
• You can have some of your bills paid directly out of your benefits payments if you’re having difficulties, as well as deducting an amount from each payment.
• The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) means that certain energy suppliers will provide tariffs that pay for electricity exported back to the grid.
• For certain technologies, the Renewable Heat Incentive enables you to receive money from government for generating heat from renewable or low carbon sources.

Hospital travel

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

Education and technology support

Find out how to get support with technology needed because of COVID-19 including:

• laptops and/or tablets for children unable to attend school
• internet access for disadvantaged children
• grants for digital education
• funded training and support to set up and use technology effectively.

Support if debt is affecting your mental health

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