Somerset residents struggling to pay the bills this winter could be eligible for support with the cost of food, energy, water, and other essentials.
Somerset has been allocated £3.8m from the Government’s Household Support Fund which will be used to ensure there is a wide range of support available to those who need it between now and the end of March.
Proposals for how the money will be used have been developed by the Community Resilience Partnership, a collaboration between Mendip District Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset West and Taunton District Council, South Somerset District Council, Somerset County Council and partner organisations in the voluntary and community sector.
Some £1.7m will be distributed via Somerset Citizens Advice, supported by a network of local partners from the voluntary and community sectors, to help households with food, utility bills, and other essentials.
Applications can be made through a dedicated and secure online application portal and support will generally be provided in the form of vouchers.
Visit https://hsf.citizensadvicesomerset.org.uk/ to apply.
You can call the Citizens Advice Somerset Adviceline on 0808 2787 842 between 10am and 4pm from Monday to Friday.
See https://www.cse.org.uk/projects/view/1367 for more information about the Safe & Warm Somerset helpline.