Southwark Better Living Fund

This year, support will be available for Southwark residents experiencing a crisis or at risk of hardship.

The fund will mainly support our lowest-income and most vulnerable residents. This includes:

• children and young people
• the elderly
• the sick and/or disabled with care needs

The Better Living Fund offers the following available support. Throughout the year, more information will be added about other forms of support.

Household Support Fund scam

We are asking our residents to be aware of scams relating to the Household Support Fund. Recently, we have been made aware of a SMS scam, relating to the “DWP Energy Support Programme”, Household Support Fund and/or the “Winter Heating Allowance”. If you receive this text, treat this as suspicious.

If you receive a call, text or email claiming to be from us, check if it is genuine before following any of the instructions. Stop! Think Fraud has more information about how to stay safe from scams.

If you think you have received a fraudulent message, you can report a scam text message.

Find out more information on Winter Fuel Payment.

Holiday free school meals

If you have one or more children attending a Southwark school who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, you will receive help paying for their meals during the February half-term 2025. 

The support is worth £3 per day (the value of a daily school meal) per eligible child.

Support will be provided automatically just before each holiday period, sent by email or post in the form of a Post Office voucher. 

If you're expecting or have been issued a voucher that has not been received, has been issued with the wrong details, has expired or is lost/stolen, you can get a replacement by completing and submitting our online Holiday Free School Meals - Make an enquiry form.

Holiday clubs for children aged 4 to 16

If your child gets benefits-related free school meals, they can join a Food and Fun holiday club in Southwark this winter. The clubs run fun activities and provide healthy and free food.

Supporting residents move to Universal Credit

The UK government is replacing legacy benefits, including Housing Benefit, with Universal Credit. Between October 2024 and March 2025, households in Southwark who are still receiving these benefits must apply for Universal Credit.

If you or your partner receives Housing Benefit (alone or with other benefits) and gets a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions telling you to apply for Universal Credit, we will give you a one-time payment of £250. This payment will help you pay for food, energy, and other essentials while you wait five weeks for your first Universal Credit payment.

Southwark Emergency Support Scheme

The Southwark Emergency Support Scheme (SESS) can help if you're a Southwark resident of any age facing a crisis.

You can apply if you or your partner are receiving one of the benefits listed below or have made a claim for one or more of these benefits in the last six weeks and are waiting for a decision on a claim: 

• Universal Credit
• Income Support
• Jobseeker's Allowance (income based)
• Employment Support Allowance (income based)
• Pension Credit