A new round of funding is now open. The Southend Emergency Fund have funding available again to support families and individuals under the Household Support Fund.

The purpose of the fund is to award grants to support small third sector organisations who provide assistance to vulnerable households.

Household Support Funding is available to any group/organisation supporting residents in Southend. Up to £4,000 per application can support up to £200 for each households, or individuals up to £125 each.

The aim of the scheme is to give vulnerable households financial support and peace of mind. Households eligible to receive funding are those which have any of the following:

• People with disabilities
• People with caring responsibilities (unpaid carers)
• Pensioners
• Those escaping harm and abuse
• People who are homeless, with addictions or are street workers

The areas of support vulnerable households could receive is outlined below;

• Grocery supermarket vouchers (restricted)
• Support packages created by groups based on food items
• Toiletries
• Direct payments to utility companies
• Utility top up cards

The funds cannot be used to

• Assist with mortgage payments and arrears
• The provision of advice services such as debt advice
• Purchase of mobile phones / IT equipment
• Pay administration / management costs
• Purchase storage / cooking equipment
• Contribute towards costs in relation to being a ‘Warm Space’
• Provide cash payments or similar transfers direct to personal bank accounts

Top Tips

• The fund is to support individual residents of Southend. When writing your application, ensure you are clear about who and how the funding will help.
• Let us know how you have identified and assessed a need.
• Provide details about how the funding will be used for specific support (e.g. purchasing emergency food or paying electricity bills), how much (e.g. £20 per week on food, £30 for energy bills) and how funds will be distributed (e.g. organisation to purchase food for parcels, top-up card for energy)
• Be sure to include how many households your project will support.
• This funding is available to all groups supporting the residents of Southend, with no restrictions based on income/turnover.

Applicants can apply for up to £4,000 to support vulnerable households in Southend – up to £200 each per household and £125 for each individual.

PLEASE NOTE that if you have received funding in the previous round of Household Support Funding, you must have submitted a report for your previous project before submitting a new application. You can submit your report online via the Southend Emergency Fund website.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY