The Household Support Fund
Families whose children receive free school meals
Your household will receive £15 per week for each child who receives free school meals for the May 2025, October 2025 and February 2026 half-term holidays, as well as the summer and Christmas holidays.
You’ll receive the funding directly from the school.
Contact your child’s school if you have any questions:
Sustainable support
With previous Household Support Fund phases, we had to provide cash payments, which only supported people for short periods.
This time, we can fund longer-term schemes, such as debt advice, support, and help for projects within the community.
To date, we have funded the following through the Household Support Scheme:
- South East London Community Energy (SELCE) to provide support with energy bills as well as repairs, appliances, and efficiency improvements
- Lewisham Local to fund various initiatives and projects within the community
- our Warm Welcome programme to offer spaces where residents can stay warm during the day and access financial advice and other services
Our Cost of Living page gives more details about help you can receive.
To check what benefits and concessions you may be entitled to, visit BetterOff Lewisham where you’ll find extra help and advice on debt, budgeting, jobs, and childcare.
Watch this video to see how you can use BetterOff Lewisham.
Application scheme
From November 2025 we’re working with our trusted community partners Lewisham Foodbank, Citizens Advice, Age UK and Thames Reach to support households experiencing financial hardship who need help with their utility bills and who do not have children in receipt of free school meals.
Beware of scams
We are aware of a number of scams involving the Household Support Fund. Please be aware we will never ask you directly to pay us money or for your bank account unless you have contacted us first.
