Get help through Hackney Money Hub

Hackney Money Hub is a friendly, non-judgmental team that helps Hackney residents with financial struggles or benefits advice.

How Money Hub can help you

Our expert officers can help you with:

• benefits advice: ensure you’re claiming all entitled benefits
• home goods: get items for a property you’re moving in to
• disability benefits: apply for disability benefits
• cost of living: access one-off cost of living help
• rent arrears: get help with overdue rent
• rent deposit: secure a tenancy with rent in advance
• Council Tax debt: get help with Council Tax debt
• cost of removals: get help with moving costs

All our grants are discretionary. This means we assess your application to see if you qualify for help. Demand is high, and we can only use these grants as a last resort. Consider other options like money management, increasing work hours, or finding alternative accommodation.

Things Money Hub can’t help with

• help you to apply for Universal Credit
• set up a repayment plan for your Council Tax bill or change the details of your repayment plan, visit Pay your Council Tax – make an arrangement request
• apply for Council Tax Reduction, visit Calculate your Council Tax reduction and make a claim
• put your name on the housing register, visit Apply to join the housing register
• give debt advice
• pay for home goods or furniture unless you are moving home or there are special circumstances
• make everyday changes to your existing benefit claims

If you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness, visit Apply for homeless help.

Before applying to Money Hub

Before you apply to the Money Hub, here are some key things you need to know:

• only Hackney residents can apply – you must live in the London Borough of Hackney
• provide accurate information – make sure to give your full name, address, phone number, and National Insurance number
• read eligibility criteria for discretionary funds

Apply to Money Hub

Find out how to apply with our step-by-step guide:

You must complete the Turn2Us benefits calculator before you make an application to Hackney Money Hub. When you have completed the Turn2Us calculator, you are given a nine-digit reference number. Use the “Copy to clipboard” button to copy the 9 digit reference number including hyphens. You need this reference number to complete your Hackney Money Hub application. Complete the benefits Turn2Us calculator See our guide to using the benefits Turn2Us calculator to apply to Money Hub (google doc)

• your nine-digit Turn2Us reference number
• your national insurance number
• consent from the individual if you are applying for someone else

Check your inbox or junk folder for a confirmation email from the Hackney Money Hub. This contains resources on steps you can take today to manage the rising cost of living. The email is an automated message. We are not able to respond to any questions.

Our experts review your situation and contact you for additional information to support your application. In the meantime, get money owed to you by applying to any benefits that you are eligible for but have not claimed according to the Turn2Us calculator. To find out how, see how to claim benefits using Turn2Us (google doc)

Get help with completing the application

If you need help completing the Money Hub application:

• visit a Hackney Library or the Hackney Service Centre – a member of staff will help you use the computers to complete the application
• call 020 8356 3111 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) – a member of staff will help you complete the application over the phone, translators are available if needed

You can fill in the form on behalf of someone else with their permission.

The Money Hub is a free service, you should not pay anyone to help you to complete the form.

How long it takes to get help from Money Hub

Our officers aim to assess and respond to you as quickly as possible.

• assessment for help with rent arrears: 8 to 12 weeks
• assessment for help with rent in advance or deposit (for a specific property): 3 to 5 working days
• assessment for help with Council Tax: 6 to 8 weeks
• application for home goods: 6 to 8 weeks
• cost of living food or fuel voucher: 2 to 3 weeks
• help with general benefits or money advice: 2 to 4 weeks

The timelines are estimates only, for a guide. At times of high demand, these may change.

Eligibility criteria for discretionary funds

The links below provide more detail about who is eligible for each scheme and how we decide who we can pay. When you apply we will decide how best we can help you and which funds we can use to do so.

We may provide 1 to 2 items if you’re moving out of temporary accommodation. Usually, we only provide essential items like cookers, fridges, and beds. Washing machines are not essential, unless you have a specific disability or medical need.

We will not consider awards if you can reasonably provide the items from your own resources. We don’t reimburse if you’ve already bought the item, even if you’ve borrowed money to do so.

Help is only available in rare cases. For example, your health or safety would be at risk if the item is not provided. We don’t normally replace items that have failed due to wear and tear.

Money Hub have previously provided items in the following circumstances:

• a fridge or freezer – the resident had medication that required refrigeration
• a washing machine – the resident had a medical condition that required frequent washing of clothes
• an oven – the resident had specific health and dietary conditions, which meant they had to cook specific food
• a bed – the resident was seriously ill or disabled, and it wasn’t reasonable for them to sleep on the floor
• a cooker, fridge and bed – a property was cleared of all items due to neglect, hoarding, or a severe pest infestation

You must live in Hackney or be living in Hackney Temporary Accommodation to apply.

We can help with removals, where you have no option but to move addresses.

The property you’re moving from must be in Hackney or Hackney Temporary Accommodation.

Your new property must be affordable.

London Borough of Hackney arranges all removals. You must apply before the move. If you have sourced your own removals we do not reimburse.

We may help with rents and deposits. We can only help if you’re in receipt of Housing Benefit or the Housing Cost element of Universal Credit.

• Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing costs must be in payment at the address you’re moving from
• the address you’re moving from must be in Hackney or Hackney Temporary Accommodation
• the address you’re moving to must be affordable – this means at or slightly above the Local Housing Allowance Rate for the area
• you must apply before you move into the property
• payments are normally released directly to the new landlord, once the tenancy agreement is signed
• you must have found a property to move into before applying for help
• you must not have savings which could be used to pay the deposit

We may be able to cover the shortfall between your rent, and your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Cost element for a short period. We base all decisions on your merits, and we will consider the steps you’re taking to improve your housing situation.

• help if you’re not in receipt of Housing Benefit or the Housing Cost element of Universal Credit
• clear rent arrears caused by breaks in benefit claims
• clear rent arrears where you have been paid money for your rent in your Universal Credit and not paid it to your landlord
• clear shortfalls caused by the non-payment of personal service charges (gas, electric, water, etc.) or due to the recovery of overpayment from benefits

If you need help with rent arrears, we will only pay part and expect you to commit to a repayment plan. We will work with you to set up an affordable repayment plan.

If you get Council Tax Reduction and have a shortfall between your Council Tax and your benefit, we may be able to cover it for a short time.

Awards are only made where you establish that you’re in financial hardship. You must also show that you have exhausted all other options such as setting up an affordable arrangement plan with Council Tax.

We can’t help with Council Tax if you do not get Council Tax Reduction. Or if the arrears cover a time when Council Tax Reduction wasn’t paid.

Awards are short-term and one-off, and aren’t designed to provide ongoing help.

We may be able to help you if you’re struggling with food or fuel costs. Awards are usually small and one off.

You must live in Hackney. We can’t help residents who live outside of the borough, including those in Hackney Temporary Accommodation.

We usually only allow one award per household per year, except in the most exceptional circumstances. We won’t give more if your household already got one this year (since January 2024).

This is not a crisis service. It can take 2 to 3 weeks for a decision to be made.

The department of work and pensions funds the Household Support Fund, which provides help for food and fuel.

Request a review or submit a complaint about a Money Hub decision

If you do not agree with a decision made by the Money Hub, you can request a review of a decision.

If you are unable to complete the online form, call 0208 356 3111. We will help you complete the review request over the phone.

The review decision is final. Money Hub help is discretionary, so there’s no statutory right to appeal.

If, after a review, you think that we’ve not followed our policies correctly, or acted illegally, you can:

• submit a complaint via the council’s complaints procedure
• take the council to Judicial Review
• ask the Valuation Tribunal to decide if we have applied our Council Tax Reduction scheme correctly

If you disagree with a decision about your Housing Benefits or Council Tax Reduction, visit Housing benefit disputes and appeals.