Scottish Welfare Fund Glasgow: what is the government support, how do I apply online, and who is eligible?

People across the UK are currently facing one of the biggest increases in the cost of living.

The steep increase in inflation has left many in a financially compromised position.

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement on 23 March revealed that an extra £500 million has been allocated across local authorities and devolved administrations within the UK.

So what is the Household Support Fund and does Glasgow have an equivalent?

What is the Household Support Fund?

The Household Support Fund was originally announced by the government in 2021.

The fund was created to help families, and support them financially throughout the winter months when household facilities generally see an increase in cost.

The fund was originally £500million, and was expected to run from October 2021 to March 2022. The fund was originally made for England but in the announcement some of the money was allocated to Scotland.

Rishi Sunak announced that this scheme would be extended saying: “I want to do more to help our most vulnerable households with rising costs”

“They need targeted support. So I am also doubling the Household Support Fund to £1 billion.”

The chancellor announced that £41 million of the extra £500 million would be made available to the Scottish Government to distribute their own support fund.

What is the Scottish equivalent?

The closest thing to a Scottish equivalent would be the Scottish Welfare Fund that was created in 2015 to support the most vulnerable households financially.

Within the umbrella of the Scottish Welfare fund there are two grants available.

The first being the crisis grant which aims to  help people facing a disaster or emergency.

A disaster might mean a fire or a flood. Or for example running out of food, which might be caused by a sudden loss of income.

Crisis grants are normally paid to meet living expenses for essentials like food or heating.

The second grant available is the Community Care Grant.

This aims to help vulnerable people set up home, or continue to live independently, within their community.

It also is available to help families under exceptional pressure.

As well as this it is available to help people following a period of care or homelessness, or to help where there’s a risk of care or homelessness.

The Community Care grant also works to help people meet additional costs associated with looking after someone on temporary release from

Who is eligible?

For the Scottish Welfare fund you may be eligible if you are aged 16 or over and on a low income.

You may not be eligible if you have access to other money, or if you have already applied for a grant within the past 28 days.

Those applying for a crisis grant specifically may not be eligible if you have already received three of the grants within the last 12 months.

How can I apply for the fund?

You can telephone Glasgow council on 0141 276 1177 to apply for the Scottish Welfare Fund or to find out about other ways to apply.

You can also apply in writing by completing an online form from their website and sending it to your council.