Cost-of-Living Support and Emergency Help

Citizens Advice Online help with the Cost-of-Living

The national Citizens Advice website has advice on how to get help if you are struggling to make ends meet.

Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills

Local Help with the Cost-of-Living

Trussell Trust Foodbanks

There are Trussell Trust foodbanks all over North Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent which can provide a food parcel for you and your family with enough food for 3 days.

Before you go to any of the foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network, you will need to get a voucher code.

There is a limit to how many vouchers you can have in a particular time period.

How to get a voucher code

You can ask for a Trussell Trust Foodbank voucher code at any of our drop-ins or from your caseworker if you have one.
You can call the Help Through Hardship helpline for free on: 0808 208 2138 (Open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Closed on public holidays.) They can help address your crisis and provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and identify any additional grants you could be entitled to. If needed, they’ll issue you with a voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from your local food bank. Please ask the adviser if you need an interpreter, this will be provided via Language Line. If you can’t hear or speak on the phone you can use Relay UK.

Potteries Moneywise

Potteries Moneywise is a project of Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke on Trent. Our Potteries Moneywise team can help you make the most of your money:

budgeting advice
getting the best energy deal
grants to help with bills

Your Potteries Moneywise caseworker may also be able to help with things like grants for white goods, supermarket and fuel vouchers, and Trussell Trust foodbank vouchers depending on your circumstances.

You can contact Potteries Moneywise directly or you can ask for a referral at one of our drop-ins or by calling the Adviceline.

Read how Potteries Moneywise can help you

Stoke-on-Trent Together

Stoke-on-Trent Together is a partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Voluntary Sector Organisations and Volunteers Across Stoke-on-Trent working to support our local communities.

Many of the agencies listed provide support across the whole of North Staffordshire as well as Stoke-on-Trent.

Here are just a couple of examples of the resources listed on the Stoke-on-Trent Together website.

Additional help with food

These include:

Independent foodbanks - you won't need a voucher before you go, but each one will have its rules on who can use the service.
Community supermarkets - these provide free or discounted food. This is often food donated by supermarkets because it is close to its use by or best before date. You might need to pay a membership fee or it might be open to everyone like an ordinary shop. The aim of community supermarkets is to stop good food going to landfill as well as to help people who might be struggling to afford food.
Community and pay as you feel cafes - these provide cheap meals or may let you donate what you can afford.
Soup kitchens - these provide hot or cold food to homeless and other vulnerable people.

Welcoming Spaces

A Welcoming Space is a place of connection already established in the community (such as a community centre, library or place of faith), where people can meet up, socialise, and access support, relating to the cost of living. Services available at each Welcoming Space will vary but may include:

access to support about money, welfare, and mental wellbeing
community activities
access to computers, free Wi-Fi and charging points
heated space

Newcastle Borough Council Cost-of-Living Support

The website states: "We understand that times are tough. Having access to the support you need can make a big difference. This page brings together those resources and will help link you to the support you might need."

You can find links to a range of advice and practical help from Foodbanks to Warm Spaces.

Warm Spaces in Newcastle under Lyme

Warm spaces are somewhere you can go to get warm, stay warm and enjoy company. In some you may be able to get refreshments such as a hot drink or a light meal.

With many people feeling the pressure because of increased energy costs and the rising cost of living, warm spaces have been set up by a variety of council partners, voluntary organisations, and charities which aim to support residents across the borough.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council - Cost of Living Hub

The Cost of Living Hub has information on how people in Staffordshire Moorlands can find support and advice to help during the cost-of-living crisis from the council and a number of other organisations.

It includes a list of Warm Spaces in Staffordshire Moorlands.

Get Help for Yourself or Someone Else Who is Sleeping Rough

If the person is in Stoke on Trent or Newcastle under Lyme contact the Brighter Futures rough sleepers team on 0800 970 2304 for support and advice

https://www.brighter-futures.org.uk/housing-pathway/rough-sleepers-team/

If the person is in any other area contact Streetlink on 0300 500 0914

https://www.streetlink.org.uk/

RSPCA Cost-of-Living Help

"If you're a pet owner who's struggling to cope with the cost of food or healthcare, you're in the right place for advice and support. We won't let animals pay the price of this crisis."