Cost Of Living Support

KCC has several Schemes in place to support vulnerable Households who are experiencing financial hardship:

1. The Pensioner ‘Just Missing Out’ scheme:

 

This scheme will run from Thursday 28 November to 12pm 5 March 2025, or until all funds are allocated.

1.1      This scheme is targeting support for Kent pensioners who will be missing out on the Winter Fuel payments due to the UK Government reforms to this provision and will be made available at the end of November to members of the public and professionals following checking of scheme eligibility. This scheme will operate using an on-line application form that will be available on the Kent Together Cost-of-Living pages and linked to from the main KCC HSF landing page: www.kent.gov.uk/householdsupportfund

1.2      The online application form enables the person completing the form to either a) make a self-referral for support or b) complete an application on behalf of another person. For clarification purposes any person working or supporting another individual must use the professional route within the application.  Any queries regarding access to the scheme or eligibility can be passed directly to kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk

1.3      The application form will allow applicants to determine the type of support they receive. The award valuation is pre-determined at £200 however, the applicant can choose to have this towards food, energy or a combination of food and energy as follows:

• £200 Supermarket food voucher
• Or £200 Energy voucher/card
• Or £100 supermarket food voucher and £100 Energy voucher/card

 

1.4      This scheme is available to Kent residents that received support from the previous HSF5 schemes as well as residents that did not, providing they meet the stated eligibility criteria:

2. Who is eligible for the Pensioner ‘Just Missing Out’ Scheme?

 

2.1        This criterion has been set to maximise reach to those most in need, including pensioners who remain in employment.

• Aged 66 or over.
• A Kent resident, permanently living within one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bromley, and Bexley).
• Not in receipt of or eligible for Pension Credits
• ***Single occupancy households receiving upwards of £218.15 per week or £11,343.80 per year
• ***Couple households receiving upwards of £332.95 per week or £17,313.40 per year

 

***Below this, applicants would be eligible to apply for Pension Credit and able to receive the Winter Fuel payment [if applying before 21 December 2024].

• Combined household income (including both benefit and employment payments) less than £40,000.00 per annum.
• Have savings of £1000 or less

 

2.2        Pension aged residents with no recourse to public funding are still eligible for the scheme.  If a National Insurance number is not available, please ask the applicant to email kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk detailing the circumstances and reasons why the applicant should receive this support, or alternatively to speak to a supporting professional to submit an application on their behalf.

2.3       Energy cards will be sent by email only.  If the person requesting the energy card does not have a smart mobile phone or online access they are encouraged to apply for food where the vouchers can be posted to their home address, as online access will be required to activate energy cards. (see Section 4 for more information regarding energy card activation).

 

2.4       There is a limited amount of funding available for this scheme and funds will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, with only one award per household per scheme.

 

2.5        There is an expectation for professionals to complete due diligence checks of applications to ensure that beneficiaries meet the eligibility criteria as set out below.

2.6        Applications made by members of the public will NOT require additional evidence to demonstrate their residency within a Kent district due to digital capability challenges within this cohort, instead, all applications will receive further system checks to ensure criteria is met.

3. Food voucher/Energy card issuing timescales

3.1      An automated message will be shared with applicants and professionals to enable a clear understanding of timelines for delivery of food vouchers/energy cards to the end recipient. Applicants and professionals will receive a message to confirm receipt of their application, and the outcome of the application once assessed.

3.2      If they have not received a confirmation message acknowledging submission it will be unlikely the application was submitted correctly. If successful, the applicant will receive their award within 20 working days where possible, however this will be dependent on demand levels, which are expected to be high.

3.3      Energy cards issued virtually via ‘Evouchers’ will require online activation before use. For households that are digitally excluded, and do not have a friend, family member or supporting professional to help with the card activation are encouraged to apply for food support only, where vouchers can be posted directly to beneficiaries.

4. Prepaid Energy Card – Evouchers (Wonde):

4.1      Should a beneficiary require additional support or have any energy card related queries or difficulties, they can be signposted in the first instance to the Evouchers Customer Service line, this support is available: Mon-Sun 8-8pm, (Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day). Alternatively, Evouchers can be contacted by email: support@evouchers.com

4.2      Should a person wish to check the balance of their energy card: Check the balance and transaction history of a Prepaid card – Evouchers

4.3      Difficulties with Energy cards not being accepted: https://help.evouchers.com/hc/en-gb/articles/25041722543889-Energy-prepaid-card-not-accepted-by-energy-provider

4.4      Other FAQ’s:  Prepaid cards – Evouchers

5. Supermarket and PayPoint/PayZone vouchers – Wonde:

5.1      Should a beneficiary require additional support or have any difficulties redeeming their supermarket food or PayPoint/PayZone energy vouchers, they can be signposted in the first instance to the Wonde Customer Service email: support@evouchers.com

 

6. The Winter Food & Energy Support Scheme:

6.1      This scheme is currently scheduled to run from 12pm 9 January to 12pm 5 March 2025 or until all funds are allocated.

6.2      This Winter support scheme will be launched early January and will be available to members of the public and professionals following checking of scheme eligibility. This scheme will operate using an on-line application form that will be available from the main KCC HSF landing page: www.kent.gov.uk/householdsupportfund

6.3      The application form enables the person completing the form to either a) make a self-referral for support or b) complete an application on behalf of another person. For clarification purposes any person working or supporting another individual must use the professional route within the application.  Any queries regarding access to the scheme or eligibility can be passed directly to kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk

6.4      The application form will allow applicants to determine the type of support they receive. The award valuation is pre-determined at £100 however, the applicant can chose to have this towards food, energy or a combination of food and energy as follows:

• £100 Supermarket food voucher
• Or £100 Energy voucher/card
• Or £60 supermarket food voucher and £40 Energy voucher/card

 

6.5      This scheme is available to Kent residents that received support from the previous HSF5 schemes as well as residents that did not, providing they meet the stated eligibility criteria:

 

7. Who is eligible for the Winter Food and Energy support?

 

7.1     This criterion has been set to maximise reach to those most in need, including people in employment.

• Aged 16 or over.
• A Kent resident, permanently living within one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bromley, and Bexley).
• Responsible for paying the household energy bill (only one award per household) if applying for energy support.
• Combined household income (including both benefit and employment payments) less than £40,000.00 per annum.
• Are not in receipt of FSM support during school holidays*.
• Have not received support through the Pensioner Just Missing Out scheme

 

* Any household in receipt of Free School Meal (FSM) holiday support will not be eligible to receive support as all eligible FSM households should receive a voucher valued at £10 per eligible child per week (covering 6 Holiday weeks October/Christmas/February/Easter) plus an additional one off £40 supermarket food voucher at Christmas via their child/children’ school. If a household is in receipt of means tested Free School Meals and does not know if they are eligible for this support, please signpost them to contact the Free School Meal team at FreeSchoolMeals@kent.gov.uk

7.2      Residents with no recourse to public funding are still eligible for the scheme.  If a National Insurance number is not available, please ask the applicant to email kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk detailing the circumstances and reasons why the applicant should receive this support, or a supporting professional can submit an application on their behalf. Self-referrals of this nature will still be required to attach supporting evidence to their application.

 

7.3      If successful, support will be provided in one of the following denominations depending on what the beneficiary requested:

 

• £100 energy voucher/e-card card to be used to pay for energy costs to the household.
• £100 supermarket food voucher used to pay for food costs.
• £60 supermarket voucher & £40 energy voucher/e-card

 

7.4      Energy cards will be sent by email only, online access will be required to activate the energy card.  If the person requesting the energy card does not have a smart mobile phone or online access they are encouraged to apply for food vouchers as an alternative,  as these vouchers can be posted to their home address and do not require online access to use. (see Section 4 for more information regarding card activation. With further information and support available at https://help.evouchers.com/hc/en-gb).

 

7.5      There is a limited amount of funding available for this scheme and funds will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, with only one award per household per scheme.

 

7.6      There is an expectation for professionals to complete due diligence checks of applications to ensure that beneficiaries meet the eligibility criteria as set out below.

7.7      Applications made by members of the public will require additional evidence to demonstrate their residency within a Kent district. This can be achieved through taking a photograph or screenshot of a council tax bill/exemption form only, where an applicant does not have this please ask them to email kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk. The photograph or screenshot will be attached at the point of application.

7.8        Any application made independently without being supported by a professional will require the above evidence.  All applications made via this route will be subject to checks before approval.

 

8. 8.Free School Meal Voucher Support:

8.1      Eligible families receiving benefits related free school meals will receive voucher support direct from their eligible child/children’s school. Food vouchers will be available to FSM (Free School Meal) eligible children for the October/Christmas/February/Easter school holiday periods = 6 weeks at £10 per week per eligible Child, plus an additional one off £40 supermarket food voucher at Christmas; with plans to distribute these vouchers currently underway. Any queries concerning eligibility, accessing vouchers or general enquiries made in this regard should be directed to the Free School Meal team FreeSchoolMeals@kent.gov.uk.

 

 

9. Scheme Processing timescales

 

We aim to process applications for the Pensioner Just Missing Out scheme and the Winter Food and Energy support scheme as quickly as possible, usually within 20 working days of a successful application being made, however we anticipate there will be high demand for support, and this could impact on timescales.  The applicant and referrer (if applicable) will receive email confirmation of the application outcome.

Additional Queries

Any additional queries can be directed to: kcc-hsffoodandenergysupport@kent.gov.uk  or via our direct contact number 03000 412424

 

Support available in Eastry TODAY!

If you or a neighbour need support, click on the links below to find out what’s available.

Organisation	What’s on offer?	Contact
The Deal Food Bank	Offers free food ‘at home’ deliveries to Eastry Mon to Fri.  Register to get free food vouchers at: Citizens Advice Blossom Centre Bechange Community Warden Your local Primary School	St Richards Church (top of Mill Hill) Tues 12pm – 2pm. Trinity Church 10am – 12pm Fridays 01304 728428 or 01304 361084 info@dealarea.foodbank.org.uk
Sandwich Age Concern	Meet, Eat & Heat; spend the day, enjoy a hot meal and company. Meals on Wheels, befriending & a shopping service.	19 -21 Cattle Market, Sandwich CT13 9AP Call: 01304 614237 office@ageconcernsandwich.com
Deal Centre Age UK	Open Monday to Friday for hot meals and good company.	3 Park Street Deal, CT14 6AG 01304 372608 ianda@ageukskc.org.uk
Chequers Community Kitchen	Healthy meals delivery service for vulnerable and isolated people of all ages.  Ask for a menu.	Chequers Kitchen The Chequers, Golf Rd Deal, CT14 6RG 01304 362288 info@chequers.kitchen
Sunrise Cafe Dover	Sunrise Cafe offers affordable food in a warm environment where everyone matters, where everyone is valued and where everyone is included. It operates a ‘pay what you can afford’ model so that no one goes hungry and customers are asked to pay what they can afford.	168-172 Snargate Street Dover CT17 9BZ 01304 448070 Info@sunrisecafedover.com  Opening Hours Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 8am – 2pm Thursday 8am – 1pm Sat 8am – 12pm Closed Sunday.
Dover Foodbank	We provide nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis.	Dover Baptist Church,  27-32 Maison Dieu Road,  Dover, CT16 1RF info@dover.foodbank.org.uk 07870 361 180 (text only)
Olio – Free sharing food app	OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items too.	OLIO is super easy! To make an item available, simply open the app, add a photo, description, and when and where the item is available for pick-up. To access items, simply browse the listings available near you, request whatever takes your fancy and arrange a pick-up via private messaging.
Dover District Council winter funding for vulnerable residents	Dover District Council funding for vulnerable residents living in a cold home (elderly/health conditions/low income/in receipt of benefits) to help with heating/boiler repairs and insulation to help reduce energy costs.	01304 872414 energy@dover.gov.uk community@dover.gov.uk
Deal Warm Welcome Hubs Each weekday this winter at least one venue per day will be opening its doors to welcome people. There is no charge, people can pay what they can, if they can.	Mondays: 12-5pm, 3-6pm Tuesdays: 12.30-4pm, 3-6pm Wednesdays: 12.30-4.30pm Thursdays: 3.30-6.30pm Fridays: 12-5pm Saturdays: 12-2pm	Mondays: Deal Salvation Army, West Street Golf Road Community Centre Tuesdays: Trinity Church, Union Road Golf Road Community Centre Wednesdays: St George’s Church, High Street Thursdays: Leaps & Bounds, Southwall Road Fridays: Deal Salvation Army, West Street Alternate Saturdays: Talk it Out Friendship Group, Deal Ability Centre, 43 Victoria Road