Crisis support in Flintshire

There are currently three crisis support services available in Flintshire. Take a look below, and if you need help, you can contact us directly through any of our access channels.

Foodbanks

Food banks are for anyone in need. If you’re struggling to afford food and have no other options, we may be able to help you access a local food bank that can provide an emergency food parcel containing at least three days of meals. We’re also here to support you with other advice issues, including housing problems, benefit or employment queries, or help with debt and household bills.

In Flintshire, the Trussell Trust Foodbank operates a voucher system, with a maximum of three vouchers provided within a six-month period. However, if you’ve reached this limit, you can still contact us to explore other ways we might be able to help. 

If you need to access a foodbank voucher, you can contact us directly through any of our access channels, and we’ll just need to ask you a few questions about your circumstances.

Emergency Assistance Payments

Emergency Assistance Payments (EAPs) are a form of emergency financial help available through the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) in Wales. They’re designed to support people who are experiencing a crisis or emergency, such as running out of food, gas or electricity.

It’s a small payment to help you cope while you find longer-term support, but you don’t have to pay the money back. 

These grants are limited to 3 awards within the last 12 months, and at least 7 days since the last award.

You can apply directly

Online  or by  Phone

Sometimes, the Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF) may ask you to seek help from Citizens Advice for a ‘supported’ Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP) application, and if we’re assisting you with this type of application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your identity and address. If you need help with a supported application, you can contact us directly through any of our access channels.

Pre-Payment Meters

If you’ve run out of gas or electricity, your energy supplier should give you temporary credit if you can’t top up, for example, because:

• You can’t afford it
• You’re having problems topping up

Your supplier might add the temporary credit to your meter automatically. If they don’t, you should ask for it as soon as you can. You can check your supplier’s website to find out how to get temporary credit.

If you run out of temporary credit, explain your situation to your supplier. They might give you extra temporary credit if they agree you’re ‘vulnerable’. You might be vulnerable if you’re disabled or have a long-term health condition. This includes hearing, sight and mental health conditions. You might also be vulnerable if you’re recovering from an injury.

If you have exhausted all these options, you might be able to get a fuel voucher through the Fuel Bank Foundation, which provides emergency credit as a short-term solution while you work towards longer-term support.

To apply, the Fuel Bank Foundation requires us to verify your identity and your need for a voucher. Therefore, you’ll need to provide a photo of a recent letter confirming your name and address, along with the reading on your energy meter, which includes the meter number, in the same photo.

You can contact us directly through any of our access channels.