Hardship support

We recognise that people might be worried about money at this time due to the cost of living and/or a number of other issues such as:

  • Money not stretching far enough and having to make hard decisions about how to use it
  • Relationship breakdown
  • Money stopped or benefits reduced
  • Change of circumstances
  • Lost Job/reduced hours
  • Unexpected expense or lost money
  • Disasters such as a flood or other damage

The council of the Isles of Scilly can offer support or signpost to organisations that can support you,  please see the information below:

  • The Household Support Fund:

The Isles of Scilly has been allocated some funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Known as the Household Support Fund (HSF).  The Fund will be available to support those most in need through an application to the Isles of Scilly Charitable Trust through Adult Social Care.

You can apply for help from the Household Support Fund by contacting one of the following:

Adult Social Care

Children’s Services

Or emailing hardship@scilly.gov.uk and we will respond within 2 working days.

Please note that eligibility requirements apply and there is a cap on the amount of financial support that can be issued for each application but please do make contact if you are struggling with urgent financial hardship:

  • Our new Isles of Scilly Winter Wellbeing booklet has also been produced and has a wealth of useful information and contact details for supportive organisations, hard copies will be circulated and a link to the booklet can be found here: Winter wellbeing_2022-23 A5 (cornwall.gov.uk)

There are a number of other departments and organisations that can help you to make your money stretch further:

Please also contact Children’s Services if you have concerns or questions that relate to children or young people's well being. More information can be found here

Children's Services | Council of the ISLES OF SCILLY

 

Government:

  • There have been a series of announcements from the government regarding support with energy bills, extra support for people with disabilities, Cost of Living payments and more. The information about all these, and any new help that is announced, or changes to existing help, is on the government’s Help for Households hub. There is also information about help with transport costs, childcare payments, finding work, energy-saving tips, etc: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/

  • Money Helper, formerly the Money Advice Service, also has some helpful advice and calculators or tools, particularly around debt, budgeting and pensions guidance.  https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en

  • For information about the Cost of Living payment, and how people receive it, see the Department of Work and Pensions. There is full information there. Scammers have been attempting to take advantage of the confusion around this payment, and there is advice on this page about how to avoid scams. The real payment will not ask you to DO anything, whether call, click a link, email, or fill in a form in order to receive cost of living payments. They are made automatically.

    You can read the details of how payments will be made here:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cost-of-living-payment

Ensuring you claim all the benefits you’re entitled to:

Energy & financial support resources:

All energy and water providers are obliged to keep a ‘priority services register’ of vulnerable customers. This could include people who are elderly, disabled, or require electricity for medical equipment. They are required to give special service to those people, and will prioritise reconnecting them in the event of a power cut or outage. Contact your provider for information. Many local banks are also offering support for people experiencing financial difficulties. See your bank’s website for advice.  Support in this area also available from Community Energy Plus – CEP (see above for contact details), Citizens Advice (see above) and Age UK as well as: 

Other Practical Support:

The BBC food pages have a whole section of recipes for £1 per portion or less, as well as information on how to make the most of your food budget, and using slow cookers, pressure cookers, or microwaves as a cheaper alternative to putting the oven on. There are also recipes to use up leftovers, and avoiding the supermarkets tricks to get you to spend more.

They also have extensive money-saving tips, around energy, and other topics, and the latest news on the Government’s support packages.

 

Mental Health

People are also reminded that there is a wealth of support available for anyone struggling with their mental health. 

If you are worried about your own or someone else’s mental health call the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 24/7 NHS mental health response line on 0800 038 5300. It's free to access by anyone, any age, any time, day or night.