Below you will find information on help that is available for anyone with reagrds to food and energy bills.
Food
HelpHarrow – Food, support and advice service. Harrow cost of living & COVID emergency response partnership. Harrow Council along with a number of local voluntary sector organisations have come together to form a partnership to support Harrow residents through financial difficulties.
Website: www.healthystart.nhs.uk/
Harrow Helping Hands
Are you vulnerable, elderly or self-Isolating? Harrow Helping Hands can help you with essential medicine delivery, food and grocery shopping and a weekly cooked food delivery.
Website: www.harrowmosque.org.uk/helping-hands/
Email: helpinghands@harrowmosque.org.uk Phone: 07874869484
Soul Kitchen
A free hot meal offered to people from all walks of life. Welcome to a warm & respectful environment. The Salaam Centre Find them every Sunday 12pm to 2pm at The Salaam Centre, 39 Gloucester Road, HA1 4PR
Website: www.soulkitchenuk.co.uk Email: info@soulkitchen.co.uk
Phone: 07717767805
My Yard (South Harrow)
Community food project based on the Grange Farm Estate. They are distributing surplus food and meals cooked by a local takeaway. Mostly in South Harrow.
Website: www.myyard.org.uk Email: hey@myyard.org.uk
Harrow Food Bank
Harrow Foodbank works with agencies including Citizens Advice, housing support officers, children’s centres, health visitors, social services and some local charities. If they feel you are struggling to put food on the table, they will issue you with a foodbank voucher.
Website: harrow.foodbank.org.uk Email: info@harrow.foodbank.org.uk
Phone: 0208 416 7344/07521650265
Energy Bills
If you are struggling to pay for energy or think you may get into difficulty, contact your supplier as soon as you can if you are worried about paying your energy bills or are in debt to your supplier.
Suppliers must work with you to agree on a payment plan you can afford under Ofgem rules. This includes reviewing a plan you have agreed before.
You can ask for:
- a review of your payments and debt repayments
- payment breaks or reductions
- more time to pay
- access to hardship funds
- advice on how to use less energy
- Priority Service registration – a free support service if you are in a vulnerable situation.
If you can’t agree on a way to pay, get help from Citizens Advice. Someone at their Extra Help Unit could take on your case if you are in a vulnerable situation.
From the government
You might qualify for the:
- Winter Fuel Payment – for people born on or before 25 September 1956.
- Cold Weather Payment – a £25 payment for every 7 days of very cold weather (below freezing) between November and March.
- Warm Home Discount – a £150 discount for some people getting Pension Credit or some people in low-income households.
The government’s Fuel Direct Scheme can also help you repay a debt from benefit payments. Contact Jobcentre Plus (or your pension centre if you’re on Pension Credit) to apply.
For information ca be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-help-if-you-cant-afford-your-energy-bills
UK government £400 energy bills discount to support households
The £400 discount, administered by energy suppliers, will be paid to consumers over 6 months with payments starting from October 2022, to ensure households receive financial support throughout the winter months.
Those with a domestic electricity meter point paying for their energy via standard credit, payment card and direct debit will receive an automatic deduction to their bills over the 6 month period – totalling £400.
Traditional prepayment meter customers will be provided with Energy Bill discount vouchers from the first week of each month, issued via SMS text, email or post, using the customer’s registered contact details. These customers will need to take action to redeem these at their usual top-up point, such as their nearest local PayPoint or Post Office branch.
In all cases, no household should be asked for bank details at any point.