UNISON Winter fuel grants for members on a low income

Can branches check out this page unsn.uk/41SPAHd and encourage low income members to apply for a "there for you" winter fuel grant worth £200. 

Applications will open twice on Wednesday 24 January, at 8.30am and 5pm. The online form will appear on this page. Recent grant applications have been extremely popular and closed within a matter of minutes, so please do check the eligibility criteria below, ensure you have your UNISON membership number to hand and consider setting a reminder if you wish to apply.

Applicants must:

• Be a UNISON member and have paid at least four weeks’ subscriptions as of 24 January. Subscriptions must be up to date.
• Not have an outstanding application for the recent Energy Support Fund grant.
• Not have been issued with a successful decision for the recent Energy Support Fund grant.
• Not have received a grant from UNISON Welfare since 24 July
  2023, excluding the School Uniform Grant.
• Have savings (including the total rolling balance on current accounts) below £1,000 to qualify.
• Be responsible (or their partner, if applicable) for household fuel bills. Only one application per household will be considered.

And EITHER:

Be on a low income, meaning a net household income* of no more than £26,000/year (£2,166.67/month)

* Net household income includes your monthly take-home pay from work (plus your partner’s if applicable), any income from child maintenance payments, any income from student finance loans or bursaries, pensions (excluding Pension Credit) and any income from people living with you (e.g. adult children or lodgers).

OR:

Be in receipt of means-tested benefits. This includes:

• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Child and/or Working Tax Credits
• Pension Credit
• Means-tested Jobseekers Allowance
• Means-tested Employment Support Allowance
• Income Support

Urgent: UNISON Energy support fund for low paid members start tomorrow Wednesday 27 Sept 08.30am & 5pm - up to £200 (used to be called winter fuel grants)

 

Important information

The Energy Support Fund will open on 27 September, with grants of £200 available to support low income members with their energy costs.

Due to finite funds, we can only accept 2,000 applications. 1,000 will be released at 8.30am and 1,000 at 5pm.

In previous rounds of this fund, demand has been so high that applications open and close within hours, so if you plan to apply, it might be helpful to set a reminder.

Applications will be made online and a link to apply will be added to the bottom of this webpage when the grant is live. You cannot apply before this time. 

Check unison.org.uk/esf If, due to access needs, you are unable to apply online, you can either call UNISONdirect 08000 857857 or email energysupportfund@unison.co.uk.

Please ensure you have your membership number to hand as you will need this to apply. You can find this on your membership card and it is usually at the bottom of any email from UNISON.

Please ensure you read the below information to see if you are eligible before making an application.   

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a UNISON member.
• Have paid at least four weeks subscriptions at the opening date (27 September). Subscriptions must be up to date.
• Not have received a grant through our main applications since 27 March 2023. (you can still apply for this grant if you have recently received our School Uniform Grant or Winter Fuel Grant)
• Have savings (including the total rolling balance on current accounts) below £1,000 to qualify.

Only one application per household will be considered.

And EITHER:

• You are on a low income:
• Net household income* of no more than £26,000/year (£2,166.67/month)

OR:

In receipt of means-tested benefits. This includes:

• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Child and/or Working Tax Credits
• Pension Credit
• Means-tested Jobseekers Allowance
• Means-tested Employment Support Allowance
• Income Support

 *by household income, we mean income from: salary payments, student finance payments, state, occupational or private pensions, child maintenance

If the terms of your visa mean you/your partner have no recourse to public funds and earn more than £26,000, you may still be eligible for a grant. Applications will be considered on a case by case basis.

The grant will be a payment of £200 per household.

Energy Support Fund | There for You (UNISON Welfare) | UNISON National

UNISON Welfare will be launching the first phase of our Energy Support Fund at 11am on 5 October. Applications will be submitted online.

(Please spread the word. This fund is limited and we must make sure that all branches and regions get a fair share)

The Energy Support Fund will be a one-off payment of £200 to help members with the rising cost of fuel.

Members who wish to apply must meet the grant’s eligibility criteria. In this phase, we will be accepting the first 2000 applications.

To be eligible for the fund you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Must have 4 weeks of up-to-date membership as of 5 October. 
• Must not have received a main grant since March 2022.
• Must not have more than £1,000 in savings or rolling bank balance. 
• Must not have received more than £750 worth of grants if applying within first year of membership.
• Net household income of no more than £30k/year (£2,500/month).
• Monthly housing costs (made up of mortgage/rent plus any service charge & ground rent) make up at least 1/3 of net household income.
• Not in receipt of any means-tested benefits (excluding Child Benefit).

Members who do not meet the above criteria may be eligible to apply to future phases of the fund (if they meet the criteria). The second phase will launch in November.

Any queries regarding the Energy Support Fund should be emailed to energysupportfund@unison.co.uk

InUNISON - "There for you" winter fuel fund opens on 31 January

 

Check out the new site https://www.in-unison.org/ (which is run my members for members) for my post on member applying for winter fuel grants. 

"One of the very best things about UNISON is the practical solidarity that members show for each over, by raising money for our hardship fund "There For You"

On 31 January "There for You" will be launching its "Winter Fuel" grants programme. The fund will offer grants of up to £200 and is designed to help the union’s most vulnerable low-income members.

Our current Tory Government under Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has allowed energy prices to shoot up completely out of control. While "There for You" cannot help everybody suffering from fuel poverty it will make a difference to many members and their families.

Due to low pay in public services we have thousands of our members who will be eligible, so please also ask your branches to make sure they get this information out to members and they apply as soon as possible (as funds are limited)

Will I be eligible?

• You must be a UNISON member and have paid at least four weeks subscriptions at the time of applying;

• you do not have savings of more than £1,000, which includes rolling bank balance;

• only one application per household will be considered;

• you/your partner are responsible for household fuel bills.

And either …

you are on a low income:

• for a single person, this means under £18,200 per annum/£350 per week;

• for a family this means under £26,000 per annum/£500 per week.

Or …

you are in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• housing benefit;

• universal credit.

For further information and how to apply click on this link

Get help to keep warm: Up to £200 winter fuel grant for low income UNISON members

Heads up! Pass the word

"The There for You Winter Fuel Grant programme for 2021 opens on Monday 25 January. For this year only, grants of up to £200 will be available to help UNISON members with fuel bills this winter.

Members whose income is less than £18,200 (if living alone) or £26,000 (for a family) can apply. Applications will also be accepted from members in receipt of either Housing Benefit, Universal Credit or Council Tax reduction.

Online applications will open here on 25 January (with a downloadable form also available) so please save the date".

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/financial-assistance/

UNISON winter fuel grant for low paid members

"Get help with winter fuel bills

Members living on a low income constantly struggle to make ends meet – and this can be particularly acute in the winter when the cost of heating homes rises as the outside temperature falls.

But it’s not all bad news – help IS available.  The union’s welfare charity There for You has once more set up a limited fund to help members on low incomes towards the cost of their winter fuel bill through a one-off payment of £40.

The process is very similar to previous years and an amount of money has been ring-fenced to support this initiative. However, once it’s gone it’s gone! 

So don’t miss out.  Apply early and send your form and supporting paperwork in as soon as possible.  All the information you need can be found below.   Alternatively, contact UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857 for a form to be sent to you. 

Just one more thing please don’t keep details of this grant a secret.  Help us to help even more members and let your work colleagues know that help is at hand.  There will be many, like you, worrying about how they will cope this Winter. 

Completed applications need to be sent to There for You, (WFG) UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY by Friday 14 February 2020 at the latest.

 UNISON There for You"

UNISON "there for you" Winter fuel Grant 2018

Winter fuel grant programme

Dear John, We are delighted to forward details of the 2018/19 Winter Fuel Grant Programme. Anything you can do that will ensure members on the lowest of income receive all the information that they need to apply would be very much appreciated. Included with this e mail is the application form and survey (applicants must complete the application form and are encouraged to complete the survey please) and a Q&A leaflet which we hope will provide the answers to any questions members may have. Please note: We are unable to process incomplete applications, so to stand the best chance of successfully qualifying for the grant, please make sure members are aware of the importance of filling in the form correctly and sending all documents with the application.  Download poster Download application form Download Q&A This programme officially launches on Monday 3 December 2018 and closes on Friday 15 February 2019. Best wishes Head of UNISON Welfare

"Get help staying warm this winter" UNISON "There for you" 2017

(Are you a UNISON member on Housing benefit or low pay??? If you don't ask in life you don't get! https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2014/01/there-for-you-winter-fuel-grants)

Winter fuel grant

Application form 2017-18
Important information
• Please complete all sections and enclose supporting paperwork. Incomplete applications
will not be processed. (In the event of any queries, you will be contacted, wherever possible via
email.)
• You must also complete the survey.
• Only ONE application per household will be considered. The maximum grant award is up to £50
and will be paid by cheque to the member.
• There is a limited amount in the fund and, once exhausted, no further awards can be made.
• Priority will be given to anyone who has not previously received a winter fuel grant.

Am I eligible for a Winter Fuel Grant?

To be considered for a grant, you must be able to show that you meet the following criteria:
Either
i. You are in receipt of housing benefit
Or
ii. Your household net income is less than £18,000.
By ‘net income*’ we mean all salary after tax, national insurance, superannuation etc, and including
your partner’s salary if applicable and benefits. However, do not include in your calculation Child
Benefit, the childcare element only of Working Tax Credit if paid, Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.
Also that
iii. Neither you/your partner have savings in excess of £800 (including rolling bank balance)
iv. You have not received a grant from UNISON There for you in the last 6 months.
v. You must have paid a minimum of 4 weeks subscriptions before 4 December 2017 to apply.

Where do I send my form to?
Return your completed application form along with all supporting paperwork to:
There for You (WFG),
UNISON Centre,
130 Euston Road,
London NW1 2AY
Is there an application deadline?
Your application must be received no later than 16 February 2018. Applications will then be processed
and decisions communicated over the following weeks.

"Get help staying warm this winter" UNISON "there4you" fuel grants

Application forms for this years winter £50 fuel grants from UNISON charity arm "There for You" are now out. 

In  a welcome pilot this year UNISON members will be entitled to claim if they are in receipt of Housing benefit which should make it simpler to claim for many, especially if they live in high rent areas such as London. Otherwise you can claim if you have net household income of less than £18,000 and savings less than £800.

Download a one page claim form and check out FAQs here

Branches should encourage members to get the application forms in as soon  as possible since there is only a certain pot of money available. Applications have to be by Friday 17 February 2017. 

UNISON members facing other forms of financial and emotional difficulties can contact their branch welfare officer or "There for You" direct at https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/ or ring UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857.

If you’re worried about money you can talk to an adviser at UNISON Debtline on 0800 389 3302. Lines are open from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 3pm on Saturday.

UNISON THERE FOR YOU - WINTER FUEL GRANTS 2016

WORRIED ABOUT PAYING YOUR WINTER FUEL BILL?

With rising fuel costs and another cold winter looming many members on low income are worried about how they're going to pay their winter fuel bills.

Help is on hand

'There for You' has set up a limited fund to help UNISON members on low income by way of a one-off payment of £40.

To apply, visit unison.org.uk/thereforyou.  Alternatively, call UNISONdirect on 0800 0857 857 or simply contact your UNISON branch office.  Everyone that applies will receive a booklet giving information about other help that may be available and how to reduce your fuel costs in the future. The attached Q&A  also provides further information.

Closing date for receipt of applications is 23 February 2016.

(UNISON "there for you" also offers other forms of financial assistance and debt advice to members)