We’re doing everything we possibly can to support you if you're struggling with the cost of living.
The rising cost of living is impacting all of us in different ways, but when life becomes difficult, we’re here to support you.
We have services ready to provide help and support for you around housing, benefits and council tax.
And we are working with lots of organisations in the community to deliver the help you need, where you need it.
Councillor Richard Millard, Leader of East Hampshire District Council, said the council is here to help anyone who is struggling with the soaring cost of living.
“There should be nobody in our district who is unable to heat their home or feed their family," he said.
"As community leaders, we have a responsibility to protect our residents. We all have their best interests at heart.
"We cannot sit back and think that this problem will solve itself.
"I want residents to know we're here to help and that they can count on us to support them through this difficult time.”
Help for you
If you're struggling to pay your rent, you may be eligible for support through Housing Benefit and Discretionary Housing Payments. We've provided more than £10million to households in the district. If you're in arrears, you could be eligible for the Exceptional Housing Support scheme, which has seen nearly £50,000 issued to households in need.
If you can't afford to pay your council tax, you may be able to join the more than 4,000 homes in the district who claim Council Tax Support. We currently provide more than £5million of support, and the scheme is being expanded in April 2023 to ensure that more households are eligible, and more support is given.
We've also provided support with food costs by issuing more than 4,500 food vouchers (with a total value over £225,000) with more to be issued in 2023.
And we've been supporting people with their fuel costs by issuing more than £5million in energy rebates.
But that's not all...
We've been putting money into your community to help support local organisations.
We've given out more than £450,000 in grants through the Supporting Communities Fund, Welfare Fund and Community Chest.
We've also given £30,000 to food banks and community pantries in the district.
We’ve been treating the cost-of-living situation as a top priority, with a cross-service group working with partners in the community - particularly Citizens Advice and Community First - to provide support directly to you.
Our website is a key part of the jigsaw, as a central source that you can use - as well as our staff and partner organisations - to find up-to-date information on the support available.
To find more information, visit our website.