Emergency help with food or fuel

There are lots of different places you can access help if you're in a crisis. It could be that you need urgent help with food or fuel or that you need help to obtain an essential item for your home.

On this page you will find lots of useful information on how to access services and support in a crisis. Click each tab to learn more.

We also have a dedicated hub designed to support you with rising food/energy costs and more. It includes:

  • money advice,
  • warm spaces,
  • energy advice,
  • tips to reduce your household bills,
  • tasty, affordable recipes,
  • support to access food and essential items (pantries),
  • employment support,
  • ..and more.

You can visit our cost of living support hub by tapping here, or using the buttons at the top/bottom of this page.

Local Welfare Provision (LWP)

The Local Welfare Provision (LWP) is run through Bolton Council and may be able to help with:

  • Emergency help with food
  • Emergency help with gas and electricity
  • Returning to live in the community after being in care or in hospital or leaving prison
  • Wanting to stay in your home rather than go into care

Tap here for full terms and conditions or to apply for Local Welfare Provision (link opens in a new tab).

Hardship Fund

We offer a hardship fund for our tenants who may need financial support or are suffering crisis with:

  • Emergency fuel payments
  • For white goods where other schemes have been exhausted
  • For food parcels
  • Essential transport costs where other schemes have been exhausted
  • A percentage of the under occupancy charge, where required property is not available or ready
  • Downsizing
  • An exit strategy for furnished tenancy charges where employment has commenced and the package is no longer sustainable.

Please contact us on 01204 328000 for help and support.

Food banks and pantries

Food banks:

A food bank is a place where stocks of food, basic provisions, and non-perishable items are supplied free of charge to people in need. They're separate to the food pantries we help to run (see below).

To access a food bank, you need a referral voucher which can be provided through any of our Money Advice Team (www.boltonathome.org.uk/money-advice-team) or through Bolton Council's Local Welfare Provision (LWP) (www.bolton.gov.uk/website/pages/Localwelfareprovision.aspx). You can call us on 01204 328000 if you'd like us to guide you through the process.

Our food pantries:

We also run food pantries in different areas of Bolton. At these sites you’ll be able to shop for food, drink, and other household essentials at low cost with a temporary membership fee.

You’ll get a warm welcome, a choice of goods and one-to-one support for anything troubling you. If you - or someone you know - could use some support from one of our food pantries, please visit our food pantries page: www.boltonathome.org.uk/food-support. Eligibility criteria do apply, but we'll always do what we can to support you.

Hardship Payment - DWP

Hardship payments are reduced-rate payments of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), employment and support allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC) that are made in limited circumstances, including if you have been sanctioned.

You or your partner or children must be experiencing hardship and in most cases you must show that you or your family will suffer hardship unless benefit is paid. In some cases for JSA, you must be in a ‘vulnerable group’.

If you want to apply for a hardship payment, ask at your local Jobcentre and they will help you fill out the form.