There are lots of different places you can access help if you're in a crisis:
It could be that you need urgent help with food or fuel or that you need help to obtain an essential item for your home.
On this page you will find lots of useful information on how to access services and support in a crisis. Scroll down to learn more.
Local Welfare Provision:
Local Welfare Provision (LWP) is a discretionary scheme run through your local council. It’s a limited fund of money and is designed to help vulnerable people in times of emergency or crisis.
Your local council decides which types of crisis situations they should prioritise with their funding. Some of the things Local Welfare Provision may be able to help with include:
- Emergency help with food.
- Emergency help with gas and electricity.
You can tap here for more information on Local Welfare Provision.
Food banks - free food and basic provisions for people in need:
A food bank is a place where stocks of food, basic provisions, and non-perishable items are supplied free of charge to people in need. They’re separate to the food pantries we help to run (see below).
To access a food bank, you need a referral voucher which can be provided through our Money Advice Team or your council’s Local Welfare Provision (LWP). You can call us on 01204 328000 if you’d like us to guide you through the process.
If you live outside of Bolton, please visit your local council’s website for details on how to apply for Local Welfare Provision. You can tap here to find your local council on the gov.uk website.
If you live in Bolton, you can tap here for more information on how to make a claim for Local Welfare Provision with Bolton Council.
You can also tap here for more information on things our Money Advice Team can help you with.
Our food pantries - low cost food, drink, and other household essentials:
We also run food pantries in different areas of Bolton. At these sites you’ll be able to shop for food, drink, and other household essentials at low cost with a temporary membership fee.
You’ll get a warm welcome, a choice of goods and one-to-one support for anything troubling you. If you — or someone you know — could use some support from one of our food pantries, please tap here to visit our food pantries page.
Eligibility criteria do apply, but we’ll always do what we can to support you.
Hardship Fund (from Be One Homes):
We offer a hardship fund for our tenants who may need financial support or are suffering crisis with:
- Emergency fuel payments.
- White goods where other schemes have been exhausted.
- Essential transport costs where other schemes have been exhausted.
- Food parcels.
- Downsizing.
- A percentage of the under occupancy charge, where required property is not available or ready.
- An exit strategy for furnished tenancy charges where employment has commenced and the package is no longer sustainable.
Please contact us on 01204 328000 for help and support.
Hardship Payment (from the Department for Work and Pensions):
Hardship payments are reduced-rate payments of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC) that are made in limited circumstances, including if you’ve been sanctioned.
You or your partner or children must be experiencing hardship and in most cases you must show that you or your family will suffer hardship unless benefit is paid. In some cases for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), you must be in a ‘vulnerable group’.
If you want to apply for a hardship payment, ask at your local Jobcentre and they will help you fill out the form.
Remember: we can help with rising food/energy costs and more:
We can support you or someone you care about with money and debt, accessing benefits, living independently, finding work and/or training, and safeguarding. Just ask.
