Help from your local council or a local charity
Your council and Citizens Advice may be able to give you
vouchers or a prepaid card to help pay for essentials
like food or fuel. You could also get household appliances like a fridge.
Contact
Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice
or
West Sussex County Council Community Hub
to see what other help is available.
If you are a carer you may be able to get some support, from
Carers Support
for help and equipment from them, such as pill dispensers, night lights etc.
If you are a carer registered with Carers Support, you may be eligible to apply for a grant from their
'Carer Health and Wellbeing Fund'.
The money from the fund can be used flexibly on purposes which would enhance a carer’s health and/or wellbeing; for instance carers have previously used the money such as gym or swimming sessions, breaks away, massage and de-stressing therapies
Apply for a charitable grant. You might be able to get extra money from a charity. Some of the grants are open to everyone, others might be available based on certain situations for example your health or previous job. Do a search on the
Turn2Us website to see.
Help with free toiletries from libraries
Essential Toiletries Kits are available FREE of charge from West Sussex Libraries for a limited time. The Kit will contain shampoo, body wash, roll-on deodorant and toothpaste, which will all be in a brown paper bag. Available in all 36 libraries across West Sussex.
Just visit the library and find the display of Essential Toiletries Kits. Help yourself to a kit, add a toothbrush (either an Adult or Child), then tick a data sheet to say which group best represents your household.
Available while the stocks last.
Help with school costs
If you’re on a low income or claim Universal Credit, you might be able to
get free school meals.
You can apply for free school meals on gov.uk. In all West Sussex County Council maintained, and free schools and academies, are available to pupils in receipt of, or whose parents are in receipt of a qualifying benefit. It is important to register for free school meals if you are eligible, even if your child is reception or years one and two who get a free school meal regardless of income. This is because free school meal eligibility may automatically mean that you get other support.
You might also be able to get help from your
local education authority
with some costs such as uniforms and school transport.
Help with debts
If you have lots of debts and are struggling to pay, there are things you can do to help you get out of debt. You can call the debt helpline on
0800 240 4420
(Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) for help or
contact us in a variety of ways.
You might be able to talk to the companies you owe money to (your creditors) and arrange a way to pay them, or make a formal agreement called a 'debt solution'.
You’ll need to decide what the best solution is for your situation. It’ll depend on things like:
-
the type of debts you have
-
the total amount of debt you have
-
how much money you can pay towards your debts
See the
debt section on the main Citizens Advice website
for general help and guidance on debts.
The government sponsored
Money Helper
can also help you find support, including a money navigator tool.
