PLEASE NOTE: This scheme is currently closed.
Havant Borough Council has launched its Food Voucher Scheme for vulnerable households and pensioners in the borough, as part of the extended Household Support Fund.
The food vouchers are a one-off voucher that can be used in supermarkets to help with the rising cost of living, freeing up money for other bills.
The vouchers are currently being issued directly to the following eligible recipients:
- £20 per household in receipt of Council Tax Support - Letters will be sent direct in the post to eligible households with instructions on how to access and use your voucher.
- £40 per household in receipt of Housing Benefit - Letters will be sent direct in the post to eligible households with instructions on how to access and use your voucher.
Some pensioners will be eligible to receive both vouchers - individually and then as a household.
The vouchers will be distributed through partnership working with eVouchers Ltd. who will contact residents who qualify in the following two ways:
- Working age recipients will receive a letter with a QR code to claim the voucher online (an offline option can be made available in certain circumstances)
- Pensionable age recipients will receive a physical voucher. The nearest supermarket has been pre-selected, prior to issue, based on postcode.
The food voucher scheme has been made possible by the Household Support Fund. It was recently extended by the Government and has been administered locally by Hampshire County Council under their connect4communities framework. The scheme also has a discretionary fund allocated to schools, colleges, and early years settings to enable them to provide direct support for necessities for families that are most in need.
Through the fund, the council has also been working with partner organisations to provide emergency payments to those facing exceptional circumstances or a genuine emergency.