Food voucher support scheme opens for the summer

Eligible Kent residents for the summer food voucher support scheme will receive a one-off £90 voucher for use towards their food shopping costs.

Applications are open now until 26 August - or when this funding pot has been spent. It is on a first come, first served basis with one voucher per qualifying household.

Families who receive free school meals are not eligible to apply for this scheme, as they are already supported through their child's school with funding from the HSF.

The money comes from the Department for Work and Pensions and is administered by the Financial Hardship team at KCC.

Professionals from partnership organisations such as Citizens Advice, NHS trusts and housing associations are also referring people into the scheme.

A winter support scheme will follow later in the year and applicants will then have the option to choose between energy or food vouchers, or a combination of both.

Leader of KCC Linden Kemkaran said: “This funding is for those in need and for those who are struggling with rising living costs. Applicants are reminded that this is taxpayers’ money so please spend it wisely on food and essential household items only.

"We thank our partners for their support in ensuring those who are eligible for this help are receiving it."

Successful applicants will receive the £90 food e-voucher by text or email, or by post as necessary, within 20 working days in most instances. Vouchers should be redeemed as soon as possible, before the expiry date indicated by the issuing supermarket.

The vouchers can be spent on a stipulated range of items at a participating supermarket chain, chosen when the online application form is completed.

A proportion of the funding pot has also been made available for Kent’s district and borough councils to put in place support schemes which target specific local need across the county.

Counter-fraud checks will be made on all applications, which includes cross-checking applicants’ details against the DWP database. Additional evidence may be requested to prove their residential status within an eligible Kent district.

Applicants for the £90 food voucher must:

• be 16 or over
• be a Kent resident, permanently living within one of the 12 local authority areas covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bromley, and Bexley)
• be in receipt of means tested benefits, or household income less than £33,000 per annum before tax
• not be receiving free school meals support for any child within their household (they will be receiving a payment via their children’s school).

Families who receive free school meals and are not eligible to apply for this scheme will receive a £10 food voucher per week, per child for the school holidays (13 vouchers throughout the year), with an additional £20 top-up in the summer and a £40 top-up in the winter.

To find out more, visit the webpage for our Household Support Fund.

All applications must be submitted via the online form. For support with the application, contact the Citizens Advice freephone helpline on 0300 3048003 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) with staff authorised to take the necessary details and submit the online application on the caller’s behalf.

Since the inception of HSF, over 70,000 food and energy vouchers have been issued to households in Kent by the team.