Emergency assistance

What is emergency assistance?

East Riding of Yorkshire Council's emergency assistance scheme aims to help residents of East Riding of Yorkshire if there has been an interruption to their normal income, or require assistance when establishing themselves within the community. 

In addition to the Council’s regular Emergency Assistance Scheme as outlined above, the Council is offering assistance to households where the applicant or their partner are employed for at least 16 hours per week but do not have sufficient income to meet their essential living costs. This is available to households who have gross earnings of less than £350 per week and do not have more than £500 in all bank accounts. 

What help can be requested?

Daily living costs 

Help is provided where the applicant has insufficient funds to afford essential items due to a reduction in their income or an interruption in their regular income, which includes:

• food
• gas/electricity
• nappies for children aged 3 years and under
• travel costs (for example, to pre-booked hospital appointments, place of employment).

Housing-related costs 

• Rent in advance where the applicant is leaving residential/institutional care or has been accepted as homeless by East Riding of Yorkshire Council housing department and placed in Band 1-5
• Removal costs where the applicant is moving within the East Riding area and falls into one of the eligible groups for household items. 

Household items/furniture  

Assistance is available to help vulnerable applicants live as independent a life as possible in the community. It is intended to complement but not replace the council’s duties and responsibilities for community care, or support provided by other Government or voluntary agencies.  

Assistance can be granted where the applicant is:  

• leaving residential/institutional care or supported accommodation to live independently 
  
• resettling in the community following a period of homelessness 
  
• resettling in new accommodation due to domestic violence 
  
• at risk of entering an institution or care home in which they will receive care 
  
• moving to provide care for a person leaving residential care or at risk of entering residential care.  

For applications under the Insufficient Earned Income criteria, awards can be made for food of £10 per household member and Council Tax up to a maximum of £150 based on size of household. The applicant or their partner must be the main bill payer at the address. Assistance with Council Tax is only available to households who have fallen into arrears since 1 April 2022. Any assistance awarded with council tax will be deducted directly from your account balance for 2022/23.  

Who is eligible for emergency assistance?

Emergency assistance may be awarded to an applicant who:

• has their main residence within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council boundary 
• is aged 16 or over and no-one receives child benefit for them 
• is without the resources to meet their or their family's immediate short-term needs
• is unable to afford basic household items and meets the prescribed circumstances
• had an interruption to their regular income. 

How do I apply for emergency assistance?

To apply for local emergency assistance please complete the relevant online application form below:

Apply here for emergency assistance

If you are a current client of one of the following departments and organisations, please contact them to make an assisted application:

Trusted partners list (pdf 51kb opens in new window)

How will I receive any assistance I am granted?

There are two different methods that your assistance will be paid to you if your application is successful:

Faster payment by BACS

You would need to quote your bank sort code and account number in your application. Your payment will be available for withdrawal the day after your application has been approved. 

We can also make a faster payment to an alternative person you nominate in your application should you not have a bank account.

PayPoint outlet

If the faster payment method is not suitable, we make your payment through a barcode which can be issued via:

• SMS text message
• email; or
• notification letter.

The barcode can then be cashed at participating 'PayPoint' outlets.

Your nearest PayPoint outlet can be found below:

Locate my nearest PayPoint outlet (opens in new window) 

My application was unsuccessful, can I appeal against the decision?

Should your application be unsuccessful, and you feel that the decision has been made incorrectly, you have the right to request we review the decision. 

A request for a review should be made within seven days of the date of the decision. 

You must provide an explanation for the reasons you disagree with the decision, and provide further supporting information or evidence. 

You will be notified of the outcome of the review within 48 hours, where possible. 

The outcome of the review is final. 

A review can be made by the following: 

Tel: (01482) 394799 

Email: welfare.assistance@eastriding.gov.uk

Where else can I get help?

If you need further advice or support, contact details for a number of other departments and organisation are below: 

Directory of support (pdf 56kb)