Help for Families in Immediate Financial Difficulties

Discretionary Local Crisis Payments (DLCP)

This scheme is in place to:

Help households to establish themselves in the community following a stay in institutional or residential care
Help households remain in the community instead of entering institutional or residential care
Ease exceptional pressures and stress on households
Avoid serious risk to health and safety where it may be prevented.

Examples of where they may assist are:

Household facing exceptional stress i.e. family/marital breakdown
Household facing exceptional pressure i.e. partner or child with a disability, replacement of items damaged by a family member with challenging behaviour
Households with unexpected expenses i.e. food costs will be referred to our local foodbank.

Applications can be made at:

Household support grant

The Household Support Grant provides households with payments to help with essentials such as food and utilities.

To qualify for help

you do not need to be in receipt of benefits. This grant can help anyone who is on a low income
you will need to provide proof of your utility bills showing that you are in arrears with your payments.
If you are struggling to pay for food, you need to explain why you are unable to manage on the income you have.
Please complete the form online and email to curevenues@hounslow.gov.uk along with proof of your utility bills.

Warm Spaces in Hounslow

Until March 2023, warm spaces are being opened across Hounslow so that people have somewhere they can go if they are struggling to heat their homes.
Everyone is welcome at any of the warm spaces and they can stay as long as they like (as long as it does not become crowded).
All 11 of the boroughs libraries and four leisure centres are offering warm spaces, in addition to many others which are being operated by charities and voluntary organisations.

Please see the website for details of where they are located, when they are open and what is on offer: https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/warmspaces