Emergency Support Scheme

The Emergency Support Scheme is available to you if you are:

• experiencing a crisis, emergency or disaster

• being resettled into the community following a period in institutional or residential care

• in need of support to prevent you entering institutional or residential care

• setting up home as part of a planned resettlement

In order to qualify for the scheme you must:

• live in Lambeth

• be 16+ years of age

• have lived in Lambeth for at least 6 weeks prior to applying (released prisoners, those fleeing domestic or gang violence, people living in temporary council accommodation or registered care projects are exempted from this requirement)

• not have savings of more than £6,000

• have an income of less than £30,000 per year, or be in receipt of at least one of the benefits outlined below

For most forms of support, be in receipt of at least one of the following benefits:

• Bereavement Benefit

• Carer’s Allowance

• Council Tax Support (CTS)

• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA - contributory)

• Incapacity Benefit

• Income Support

• Industrial Death Benefit

• Industrial Injuries Benefit

• Jobseeker’s Allowance

• Maternity Allowance

• Tax Credits

• Widows Benefit

• Housing Benefit

• Universal Credit

• any type of Pension Credit.

You will be eligible to apply to the scheme once per year only.

Who can’t use this scheme

You can't apply if you:

• have received an ESS award within the past 12 months

• have savings of £6,000 or more

• are seeking support for an excluded item

• are an excluded person, such as a person in a hospital, care home or prison, unless you are about to be discharged in the next 2 weeks

• are eligible for a short-term benefits advance or hardship payment from the DWP

• have received a Care Leaver's Grant or Section 17 grant for the same items within the last 12 months

• are subject to immigration control and are not claiming a qualifying benefit - people subject to immigration control can only claim crisis support in a disaster situation.

Types of support available

Depending on your reason for applying to the Emergency Support Scheme, support can include payments for: 

• food

• fuel

• clothing

• furniture

• white goods

• emergency travel

• other household items.

Apply online

All applications for the Emergency Support Scheme are made online using this application form.

We will need a valid mobile telephone number for you to award a payment. In all communications with us please include your National Insurance number.

If you need support with making an application your support worker can make it on your behalf. If this is not possible we can help you complete the form by phone. Email us at ESSTeam@lambeth.onmicrosoft.com giving a contact phone number and we will call you back.