Winter wellbeing

Stockton and District Advice and Information Service (Citizens Advice)

Home visits and appointments available throughout the Borough. Use the following telephone numbers to get in touch:

• help with welfare benefits, energy costs and other issues: 01642 633877
• help with debt: 01642 668008

Warm Homes Healthy People

Support is available to help vulnerable residents in the Borough to keep warm this winter.

The Council's Warm Homes Healthy People scheme offers emergency heating, energy saving advice, welfare benefits advice and boiler repairs.

You may be eligible for a repair if you are the homeowner and claiming a means-tested benefit and you are any of the following:

• 65 or over
• under 65 and in receipt of disability benefits
• under 65 and have a long-term illness made worse by the cold, or live with a child (under five) who has a long-term illness made worse by the cold
• living with dementia

Some repairs may incur a charge or be considered ineligible based on the boiler's age and condition.

For more information call 01642 528215 or visit the Warm Homes Healthy People webpage.

Welfare support

Check whether you're getting all the welfare support that you're entitled to. There are Council Tax discounts, cost of living payments, and much more available. Make sure you look at the eligibility and get in touch if you think you may be missing out.

Visit the benefits and support webpage or call our Welfare Rights service on 01642 526141.

The welfare support opening hours are:

• Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5pm
• Friday, 8:30am to 4pm

Here to Help hub

Information on a wide range of support and services to help with the cost of living and wellbeing are available on the Here to Help hub webpages.

Community Spaces

Almost 70 Community Spaces are open across the Borough where you can go for a warm welcome, to save money on household bills, avoid social isolation, and enjoy refreshments and activities. You can also get support and advice to boost your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Find your closest Community Space by visiting the Community Spaces Directory.

There are many local community or social groups that you can join to meet other people and enjoy a range of activities. There are several Warm Welcome groups that meet in venues across the Borough and are open to all. Visit the Your Community page to find times and locations.

Help in a crisis

If something unexpected leaves you struggling to pay for essentials such as food and or energy, we might be able to help you.

As part of the Council's Back on Track scheme, we can offer crisis support for people who need help immediately.

For further information and how to apply, visit the crisis support webpage or call 01642 524180.

The crisis support opening hours are:

• Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
• Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm

Staying healthy

To protect you this winter, the NHS will contact you if you are eligible for the Flu and COVID-19 vaccine. If you are not contacted about these vaccines but you think you might be eligible, contact your GP to check or see below.

Book your flu vaccine

You can have your flu vaccine at your GP surgery or at a pharmacy if you are aged 18 years or over. You can also book online at the NHS flu vaccine webpage.

Book your COVID-19 vaccine

You can phone 119 for free or book your COVID-19 vaccine online at the NHS book COVID-19 vaccination webpage.

Reduce infections and stay well

You can reduce the spread of winter infections with regular hand washing using soap and warm water, as well as cleaning surfaces regularly.

If you have the symptoms of a respiratory infection, you are advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people to reduce the spread.

To help keep warm, wear several layers of light clothing, drink regular hot drinks, and try not to sit still for more than an hour without moving or stretching.

Cleveland Fire: Stay safe and warm

Do you know someone who is struggling to stay warm in their home?

Cleveland Fire's award winning Stay Safe and Warm scheme is completely free and open to anyone living in Cleveland, no age restrictions apply.

It offers access to heaters and other equipment as required (following a free home assessment). So whether it's a short-term issue such as a boiler breakdown or an ongoing heating issue, we can help.

Speak to a member of our team by calling 01429 874063 or visit Cleveland Fire's stay safe and warm webpage for more information.

Winter fuel payments

The Winter Fuel Payment is a tax-free annual payment designed to help older people with their heating costs in the colder winter months. It is provided by the government to those who are eligible.

Please visit the winter fuel payment webpage at GOV.UK for more information and to check your eligibility.

Local food support

With the extra cost of fuel in the winter, pressure can grow on budgets for other essentials like food. Stockton-on-Tees Food Power Network is a group of foodbanks, pantries, eco-shops and charities working together to offer food support across the Borough.

Food banks operate on a referral basis and supply free emergency food parcels. Referrals can be issued by organisations such as Citizens Advice, your GP or a social worker.

Community pantries and eco-shops offer affordable food, toiletries and household items at low prices without referral. There are also five The Bread and Butter Thing food hubs offering high-quality, low-cost food. It is free to sign up and there are a range of offers for different households. There are also lots of places where you can access low cost or free hot food.

View the community food leaflets at the Stockton-on-Tees Food Power Network page to find out about all the local food support available.