Cost of Living Support

Discretionary Housing Payment – provides support to help with rent or housing costs.

Council Tax Support : For people on a low income

Household Support Fund – assists vulnerable households to meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities

Glasspool : The Flexible Frontline Fund, Glasspool’s new and only grants programme, went live on 1 April 2024 and will operate for a minimum of three years. The overarching purpose of the new programme is to increase financial wellbeing and reduce financial distress for individuals living in financial hardship.

Lightning Reach :  If you're struggling financially and need help with money, you may be eligible to apply for support such as grants, benefits, help with bills and local schemes. 

Family Action - Welfare Grants Programme : Welfare Grants Programme is aimed at people who already receive means-tested benefits but still need a little helping hand to afford basics or replace essentials like a broken washing machine.

Stef & Philips Foundation : Grants support individuals and families living in temporary and emergency accommodation in London, including single parent households and care leavers living independently for the first time.

Freecycle , Freegle , Preloved and Gumtree : Often list free furniture of good quality.

Facebook : Often has local groups with good quality free furniture available.

Wavelength : Can support you to buy technology.

Sure Start Maternity Grant : You could get a one-off payment of £500 to help towards the costs of having a child. This is known as a Sure Start Maternity Grant.

Healthy Start : If you’re at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 years old, you could get help to buy milk, fruit and vegetables.

Buttle : Individually tailored grants of up to £2,400 for children and young people who have experienced a crisis that has recently had a significant and enduring impact on their wellbeing and educational engagement.

Family Fund : Grants and support for families with children with disabilities.

Holiday Activity Fund : Bromley’s Holiday, Activities and Food programme (HAF) provides free holiday club places, including activities and healthy meals outside of term time, for eligible families with children and young people aged between 5 to 16 years old.

Home | Money Advice Trust : Income maximisation through budgeting, debt advice and assistance with access to benefits for entitled households

Budgeting Loan : Interest-free loans from the government for some people in receipt of benefits

Lewisham + Bromley Credit Union : Work by members saving together to create a pool of money from which loans can be made at fair and reasonable rates of interest, with any profits retained or paid to savers as a dividend.

Breathing Space : Breathing space is a government scheme which is designed to give you time to receive debt advice and find a solution to sort out your debt problems.

Debt Advisors (free) : Speaking to a trained and experienced debt adviser about your situation can help you see what the best decision for you might be.

Step Change : Free and flexible debt advice service available online, backed by expert advisors.

Manage deductions from your benefits to pay debts and bills : Information on using deductions from your benefits to pay bills.

Thames Water and other utility providers have a range of initiatives to assist households who are struggling financially

British Gas Energy Bill Support Fund : providing extra support to customers including free energy grants

Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills : Information from Citizen’s Advice

Help with your energy bills : Central Government advice on how to get help with energy bills

Warm Home Discount Scheme : The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. The next round opens in October 2025

Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages : Social tariffs are cheaper broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits.

Cost of Living Support : Central Government advice on how to get help with cost of living

Shelter UK : National Charity which covers all areas of housing advice

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) : Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help with extra living costs if you have a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of your condition

Bromley Borough Food Bank : Bromley Borough Foodbank is a community-led charity empowering local people to get back on their feet and improve their financial independence. 

Enter your details into a search engine to see which current grants you may be eligible for:

Turn2Us : Use our Grants Search tool and we'll match you to grants for which you may be eligible

Funding Finder : Grants Search Tool

Bromley’s Benefit Calculator Tool : To help you access the benefits and discounts you are eligible for, we have launched our first online benefit calculator. This tool can help you to identify potential benefits, discounts, and social tariffs that you may be eligible for, and provide guidance on how to claim them.

Turn2Us Benefits Calculator : Check what you are entitled to

Benefits and financial support if you're on a low income : Central Government’s benefits calculator

10 Minute Benefit Check : A benefit checker tool from Money Saving Supermarket

Pension Credit : Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.

If you get Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:

• Housing Benefit  if you rent the property you live in
• Winter Fuel Payment
• Support for Mortgage Interest  if you own the property you live in
• a  Council Tax discount
• a  free TV licence  if you’re aged 75 or over
• help with  NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs  for hospital appointments, if you get a certain type of Pension Credit
• help with your heating costs through the  Warm Home Discount Scheme
• a discount on the  Royal Mail redirection service  if you’re moving house

Get help with benefits and pensions if you have accessibility needs : Get help if you have difficulties claiming benefits and pensions because of a disability or health condition

Reduced Earnings Allowance : If you cannot earn as much as you used to because of an accident or disease caused by your work, you could get up to £88.60 per week Reduced Earnings Allowance. You can only get it for accidents that happened, or diseases that started, before 1 October 1990.

Disabled Facilities Grants : You could get a grant from your council if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home.

You may be eligible for grant based financial support via the DWP. To check this, you will need to visit your local Jobcentre Plus

Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust - Grants for essential appliances : provide funding for essential household appliances with eligibility criteria

Reuse Network : A network of reuse centres that stock high-quality, affordable household items including furniture, electrical appliances, IT equipment and more.

National Concessionary Fuel Scheme : You could get free solid fuel or a cash allowance for fuel if you’re an ex-employee of the National Coal Board (NCB) or British Coal Corporation (BCC). You might be eligible for the allowance if you’re the widow or widower of an ex-employee, if the employee qualified for the NCFS.

Disabled Facilities Grants : You could get a grant from your council if you’re disabled and need to make changes to your home.

Get help with NHS prescriptions and health costs : You might be able to get free NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and help with other NHS costs

Get a prescription prepayment certificate : You can buy prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) from the NHS which may make your prescriptions cheaper.

The 3H Foundation : The 3H Foundation helps people with disabilities and carers have a period of respite

The Salvation Army : A range of support from a National Charity

Retail Trust : Support for those who work in the retail industry or those who supply the retail industry (look at the list of jobs/areas on this page )

Teaching Staff Trust : Financial support for those who work in education

End Furniture Poverty : Information on sources of support