STRUGGLING households this winter could get help with buying furniture or white goods.
The Sun has found one council offering upto £750 and we explain all the ways your family could get extra support.
Local councils, grants and furniture poverty charities are all willing to help households who are tight for cash. We explain how these schemes work.
Charities and organisations that can help
Research by End Furniture Poverty found one in five people live in an area where there is no local authority crisis support.
If you can’t access help towards furniture and white goods from your council, you may still find help from charities and organisations such as Turn2Us, Buttle UK and Glasspool Trust.
They offer grants towards items like washing machines or cookers if you cannot afford to buy or repair them, and this money doesn't need to be repaid.
These grants help people to avoid borrowing emergency money which usually involves getting into debt and owing more cash back as a result of interest rates.
Turn2Us is a good website to use to search for support in your local area, and it sometimes gives you suggestions on charities to contact. You can also use the grant checker on their website to check your eligibility for support.
read more on the sun
BURGER QUEEN 
The Queen’s favourite fast food revealed – and it isn’t McDonald’s or KFC
Leo DiCaprio can't keep his eyes off Camila Morrone on Caribbean beach
Joshua shows off insanse body transformation from skinny kid in Nigeria
Inside abandoned Underground station you can hire out for £3,000 an hour
Other charities like Glasspool Trust are able to dish out grants, but they cannot be applied for directly. You would need a support worker registered with the trust to make the application for you.
Likewise, Buttle UK can provide essential living packages to families in need but applications have to be made by support workers with the company.
For families that are raising severely ill or disabled children, charity Family Fund can help with grants, and this can be applied to directly unlike some of the others.
Help from your landlord
If you reside in social housing and are on a low income or certain benefits, you should check whether you are in a furnished tenancy agreement.
If you are, your landlord will repair or replace an item that is not working properly.
Not every social landlord provides furnished tenancies, but it's worth double checking your agreement.
Help from the Household support scheme
The Household Support Scheme is running nationwide with a pot of £500million to be dished out.
The scheme is in its fourth month, and is due to end March 31. But some councils may run out of funding before this date so it's best to apply sooner rather than later.
For example, Rutland council is giving its vulnerable residents £100 cash, The Royal Borough of Greenwich is giving out £115 in cash and vouchers, and Nottinghamshire County Council is providing £30 vouchers.
The funding aims to act as a life ring for those who can't cope with costs over winter.
Thousands of families are feelings the effects of inflation which has caused energy, fuel and clothing costs to soar.
What's more, for those short of cash it's hard to pay for other living essentials like furniture and white goods that need repairing or replacing.
Haringey Council is one of the local authorities that is offering upto £750 free cash towards white goods and furniture, but not all councils are.
Each local authority has been given a different portion of the pot, and how they award the money is up to them.
To find your local authority, you can use the government’s local council checker tool.
Most read in Money
WHEEL DEAL 
Three-bed house on quiet street for sale at same price as a second-hand Fiesta
Four radiator mistakes that could make your bills rise – how to avoid them
Aldi £15 bargain that everyone's talking about – it can give you a DIY Greggs fix
Over 1.3million people eligible for Universal Credit missing out on £7,300
Haringey Council has specified they’ll be giving either cash via a BACS payment, or vouchers towards essential bills or white goods and furniture.
Cash payments are aimed at helping families out of a state of emergency this winter.
The cost of living crisis means some are having to choose between heating and eating, or heating and clothing their children.
The maximum amount of cash towards essential living costs is £150, but residents could get up to £750 for white goods and furniture.
Funds are provided on a case by case basis, so this could be less if the authority believes the level of need is lower.
Haringey Council has also set some of the funding aside for The Youth Fund which is in place to support young people who face challenges intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Payments will be awarded to meet the support required but will not exceed £100 per person.
The money could be used to maximise talent in education or buy interview clothes to support employment opportunities.
Who is eligible for the scheme?
Residents must live in the London Borough of Haringey, be over the age of 16, and be in receipt of qualifying benefits or on a low income.
To view the full eligibility requirements, you can check Haringey Council’s website.
As a guide, low income means earnings of less than £500 per week for a family or £350 per week for an individual.
Households that are deemed more vulnerable than others will be prioritised.
This could include those with disabilities, those with health problems, lone parents, victims of domestic abuse or other more at risk residents.
How to apply
Haringey authorities has automatically contacted some households via letter who they believe may be eligible for the funding this winter.
If you haven't been contacted, you can still apply through the Haringey Support Fund page on their website.
Applications can be made by the applicant or their appointee, carer, advocate or a third party acting on their behalf.
Giving details of household income and savings are part of the application process, so be prepared to provide evidence and information.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team?
Email us at [email protected]
Source: Read Full Article
