Leeds Welfare Support Scheme
Emergency/Urgent support for residents unable to afford to pay for essentials such as food, gas and electric. Signposting and referrals are also available to other support organisations for wider help and support.
Leeds Directory: vetted services
Leeds Directory can support you to live well by connecting you to checked and vetted local services and tradespeople as well as local activities and events. It's like a one-stop shop for finding services in the city.
To speak to the Leeds Directory team call us on 0113 378 4610 or email them on leedsdirectory@leeds.gov.uk, weekdays 9am to 5pm.
Emergency Food Parcels
Food banks provide emergency food parcels. A referral from an organisation like InterACT is required. Individuals can approach a referral agency and ask for a food bank voucher.
Healthy Start Vouchers
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
plain liquid cow’s milk
fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
Free help with energy bills/debt for residents in Leeds
In Leeds, you can access free, confidential and impartial help and advice on debt, money and other issues through a number of local organisations. Some of them are listed on this page, but you can find out more by following the link below.
Citizens Advice, Fuel and Bills
Citizens Advice Leeds, in conjunction with Northern Powergrid and Newcastle Citizens Advice have launched a project to help clients in West Yorkshire and the North East with fuel and energy.
This includes help with bills and tariffs, debt advice, negotiating with creditors, securing charitable or other assistance, making complaints and resolving disputes with Energy Suppliers and the Energy Ombudsman. The service can also refer to Green Doctor and other agencies where appropriate.
Contact: 0800 448 0721 online form Energy Affordability webchat service and online self-help guides are also available
Green Doctor: Specialist fuel and energy advice
Specialist Fuel and energy advice across Leeds (and the North East and Yorkshire), offering support on most areas including tariff comparison/switching, energy bills and debt, meter connection, access to emergency top ups, emergency broken heating/hot water/gas appliances. Also work as part of the HomePlus Leeds project and covers a range of home care support for the elderly, including home safety measures and a ‘hospital to home’ scheme.
Contact: 0113 238 0601 greendoctorleeds@groundwork.org.uk
Scope Disability Energy Support
Service open to any disabled person or households in England or Wales, providing expert advice including managing energy debt, switching tariffs or supplier, energy efficiency, accessing energy benefits, grants and trusts, contacting or complaining to suppliers, understanding gas and electricity bills and understanding heating systems.
Contact: 0808 800 3333 (freephone) disability.energysupport@scope.org.uk
Age UK Leeds
Age UK Leeds offer advice:
Benefits and money - Welfare benefits advice for those over (or approaching) state pension age. This includes benefit checks and help to complete claim forms.
Your home - information on staying warm at home, home adaptations and housing options.
Social care - such as finding a care home or getting some help at home, and how it is funded.
Local services and support - signposting and information on what is available in the Leeds area and where to begin looking for the services that you need.
Legal issues - such as wills, Power of Attorney, and how to deal with an estate. Free advice from a solicitor is available by appointment.
By phone: 0113 389 3004 / 0113 389 3003, Monday - Friday 9.00am - 4.00pm.
Zarach
Zarach are on a mission to to end child bed poverty in England by delivering hundreds of beds to children in the areas where they work. Referrals must come via schools.
Leeds Food Aid Network
The Leeds Food Aid Network (FAN) exists to bring together a range of food aid providers, agency workers, the city Council and members of the wider public, to help tackle food poverty effectively in the city of Leeds. This is part of Food Wise Leeds and the West Yorkshire Food Poverty Network, which is connected to the national initiative Feeding Britain. The website has a map of places where you can find food aid suppliers in the city.
Money Buddies: Money and energy saving advice
Leeds based service offering money and energy saving advice, help with reading bills and meters, energy saving equipment and support for energy provider disputes and complaints.
The service also offers access to free legal debt advice and support to prevent energy disconnections.
Contact: 0113 2350276 admin@egac.org
