Food vouchers and housing, HSF

Food vouchers

In July, we will issue a £25 Sainsbury voucher to households in receipt of Local Council Tax Support on 1 July 2024.

The voucher can be used in any Sainsbury store for goods including food, household items such as washing powder, nappies, soaps and shampoo as well as clothing and bedding, if available in store but are not valid for use on alcohol, tobacco products, stamps or lottery.

How to apply for food vouchers

Households in financial crisis can apply to one of our partners for a £25 food voucher.

You can apply on the food voucher application form (MSWord, 95KB)

The form explains who is eligible and what you need to do.

You can apply 

• if you received Local Council Tax Support on 1st July 2024 - apply for a one-off voucher
• if you did not receive benefit - apply for up to 2 x £25 vouchers, one at a time, before the end of September 2024
• if you receive support from Isle of Wight Children's Services - send the food voucher application to AdminCSRT@iow.gov.uk

If you do not receive support from Children's Services, but are in financial hardship, you can visit one of our partners and apply in person. They will give you a form to complete.

The partners are

• your child’s school or academy
• Newport Help Centre at County Hall
• Citizens Advice
• Living Well and Early Help team at Aspire Ryde

Contact us

If you have a question, or would like the food voucher application form in an alternative format, you can email hsf@iow.gov.uk

We are working hard to expand the list of partners. More details will be added when they are available.

Help with exceptional housing costs for vulnerable households

The IOW Council's Housing Department will support vulnerable households with exceptional housing costs, where existing housing support schemes do not meet need, or for cases of genuine emergency.

The fund cannot be used for support with ongoing rent or mortgage payments. Eligibility for Discretional Housing Payments (DHPs) must be considered first, and consideration given to whether there is a statutory risk of homelessness and therefore a duty of support is owed through the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG).

Direct financial support exceptional housing costs, potentially including rent arrears but excluding any mortgage payments. The value of any individual funding award will be dependent upon individual circumstances.

Who is eligible?

The following households are eligible:

• Families on benefits or low incomes
• Single households on fixed incomes
• Care leavers with a tenancy
• Households where fuel bills account for a significant portion of income.

When this support is available

From 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024

Where to get support

Visit our Housing Department webpages or call 01983 823 040