At Hospitality Action we offer advice and support to current and former employees of the UK hospital sector. Financial support can include grants for household bills, re-housing costs, mobility equipment, funerals and many more items and services. Our advice service includes help with debt, housing, benefits and care.
Before you apply for our help, please carefully read the guidance detailed on this page. If you have any problems completing the form, or understanding our criteria, please call our Grants Team, on 0203 004 5500 (Option 1), or email us at grants@hospitalityaction.org.uk
Who can apply?
If you are experiencing financial hardship and meet one of the two criteria below, we may be able to offer advice and support:
- You are currently working in the hospitality industry, as your main source of employed income.
- You have seven years historic employment in hospitality. Support may be limited depending on your length of employment and the time that has passed since you left the sector.
For details of what we consider to be hospitality employment please check out our eligibility criteria here.
If you have received a grant award from us in the last three years, or you are in full-time education, please call or email our grants team before applying.
If you have any questions regarding the application form or process, please call or email our grants team.
What you need to provide with your application:
- Evidence of your hospitality employment
- Bank statements for all accounts in your name (and partner’s name, if applicable)
- Evidence of any benefits you are claiming
Please note - If you fail to provide all required evidence, your application may be delayed or cancelled.
For more information on the documents we require, please see our guidance notes here.
How long does it take to get a decision?
We are receiving a high volume of requests for help, so new applications will be placed in a queue. You will be advised of the average waiting time for assessment when you submit your application, however these are just a guideline. Cases may be prioritised based on need.
Online applications open from
1st August 2025
Due to high demand for our support, we can currently only accept a grant application if you can provide evidence that you meet one or more of the following situations:
- You are currently homeless and looking for support towards re-housing.
- You have been served a notice of eviction and have a scheduled eviction date or court date.
- You have received a terminal diagnosis, or you are receiving/awaiting cancer treatment.
Please note, you will be required to provide documentary evidence of your situation, before we can accept an application from you. All grants for arrears or rehousing costs are paid direct to Letting Agents/Housing Associations.
You must also meet our eligibility criteria.
If any of the above situations apply to you, please call or email our grants team (on 0203 004 5500 (Option 1), or grants@hospitalityaction.org.uk) and our team will discuss your situation with you, advise whether you can apply, and explain what supporting evidence you will need to provide.
Other areas of support.
We provide a comprehensive range of wellbeing services to enable employers to support their teams.
Mental Health First Aid.
Sign up for our next Mental Health First Aid course so you can provide in-the-moment to support to a colleague in need.
Training.
Equip your managers and staff with the skills they need to stay healthy, happy & productive.
Employee care.
Our Employee Assistance Programme is an employee care package designed to give your team access to a wide range of support services.
Hospitality Action Helpline.
0808 802 028224/7
EAP Assistance Line.
UK: 0808 802 2111 (24/7)
Irl: 1800 911 121 (24/7)
Support Platform.
Other sources of support.
Below are some useful contacts and organisations, which provide help in a range of situations:
Hospitality Action’s helpline offers in-the-moment emotional support, and advice on a wide range of personal and financial issues. Lines are open 24/7 on 0808 802 0282
If your organisation subscribes to Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme you can access in-the-moment emotional support, counselling (subject to a clinical assessment), legal information, debt and budgeting advice and parenting support. Lines are open 24/7 on 0808 802 2111.
Samaritans - To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call 116 123 (free from any phone), email jo@samaritans.org or visit some branches in person. You can also call the Samaritans Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (7pm–11pm every day).
PayPlan can support you with free, impartial and confidential debt or budgeting advice – 0800 316 1833
Citizens Advice offer advice on a range of arears, including benefits, employment, household bills, housing, family and legal matters.
Turn2Us provide practical information and a free Benefits Calculator and Grants Search, to help you find appropriate support.
Golden Friends.
Discover our support programme for those over 60 working in or retired from the hospitality industry which includes regular contact and updates from the charity, access to financial and other support services and telephone befriending.
Our Golden Friends scheme provides an opportunity for eligible employees and retirees to stay connected and keep up-to-date with what’s happening around the charity and around the wider industry too. The scheme also offers access to a range of support services in times of need, including ‘in the moment’ wellbeing support via our dedicated GF helpline and financial hardship grants* and telephone befriending support for anyone requiring a regular chat on the telephone with one of our dedicated volunteers.
Hospitality and the Cost of Living Crisis.
The Bank of England warned that household incomes were likely to fall by 3.6% in 2022 and 4.3% in 2023, the largest collapse in living standards since records began sixty years ago.
Lower income households will be hit the hardest because they spend a larger proportion of their income on food and fuel, have little or no savings and therefore don’t have the financial resilience to deal with the increases in the cost of living.
The reality facing many people working in hospitality is that they will need to look at ways of reducing spending to deal with price rises by cutting out non-essential services, looking at how they budget, changing shopping habits and reducing energy usage.
Last year’s energy-cap announcements added to the financial stress and anxiety for many hospitality people and their employers with large increases in energy costs for households and hospitality businesses.
This further hike in energy costs alongside the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the impact on inflation of rapidly increasing food and fuel prices and rising interest rates are all contributing to the UK’s cost of living crisis.
All of these factors mean a drop in ‘real wages’, in other words money isn’t going as far is it did. This also applies to benefits payments which are not currently being increased to keep pace with the rate of inflation.
Mental wellbeing during the Cost-of-Living crisis.
There is a clear link between financial instability and poor mental health.
Find out moreStay financially fit.
Check that you're getting the best possible value for money and that money problems don't escalate.
Find out moreThe help you're entitled to.
A key factor is for people to ensure that their households are claiming all the support that they are entitled to. Find out here what help households across the UK can access; what financial support the Government has and will provide; and how to check benefit entitlements.
Find out moreAvoid Loan Sharks.
Scammers and illegal money lenders are capitalising on the current crisis causing more misery to those who can ill afford to fall victim.
Find out moreWhat should people do if they can’t pay afford to pay their utility bills?
Find out moreHow can Hospitality Action help?
Hospitality Action offers services to help support financial and emotional wellbeing including help with debt and advice to get your finances under control via our partnership with PayPlan and hardship grants to help with household costs. To find out more visit Get Help or call our helpline on 0808 802 0282 or if your company subscribes to the EAP call 0808 802 2111 (UK) or 1800 911 121 (Irl).
If you have worked in another industry sector also check to see if you can access grants from other charities here.
With ongoing recruitment and retention challenges in the hospitality industry putting in place a range of support for the physical and emotional wellbeing of your employees is increasingly important alongside the right training and tools to get the job done. Research is increasingly demonstrating the links between physical and emotional wellbeing and engagement at work, improved productivity and a reduction in absenteeism. Put simply the better employees feel, the more they are able to bring their best selves to work and that’s good for employees, managers, customers and employers alike.
This section provides information on workplace issues for both employees and employers including how best to support team members experiencing poor mental health; how to be assertive as an employee; and how to have a difficult conversation as an employer.
Emergency situations (as an employer).
When the worst happens, you need to be ready to support your team.
Find out moreAre you a good boss?
In a stressful environment we may not present ourselves as we had hoped to, this guide will help you reflect and improve.
Find out moreUnderstanding Redundancy.
There needs to be a valid and lawful reason for redundancies to take place.
Find out moreStudies on human resilience tell us that our physical capacities are deeply intertwined with our emotional states. So while a healthy diet and plenty of exercise are necessary for good mental health, we need to feel relatively well to be able to really practice sound physical self care. The conclusion then, is that we have to work on both sides of the mind/body divide if we are to feel truly healthy and relaxed.
This section provides information about Mental Health Issues; addiction; coping with uncertainty; coping with illness and managing anger. It also takes a look at nutrition and exercise; and ways to get better sleep.
Addiction.
Drink, Drugs, Gambling - learn how to spot the signs of addictive behaviours.
Find out moreStress and Anxiety.
It’s important to recognise and address feelings of stress and anxiety before they worsen.
Find out moreManaging Anger.
In the heat of service tempers can fray, but it’s important to keep them in check.
Find out moreSuicide Awareness.
Too many hospitality people die by suicide, learn about the warning signs and prevention strategies.
Find out moreCoping with Uncertainty.
The future is unpredictable, and uncertainty can eat away at our self-esteem and productivity.
Find out moreCoping with illness.
Being diagnosed with an illness can come as a shock, learn about how to cope and get support.
Find out moreBetter Sleep.
Late nights and varied working hours can take their toll on wellbeing, learn what affects your sleep and top tips to get a good night’s rest.
Find out moreNutrition and Exercise.
A good diet and regular exercise are vital to our mental wellbeing, but it can be hard to find a balance.
Find out moreAt Hospitality Action, we are on a mission to help everyone in hospitality access advice and help to support their mental health and wellbeing whenever they need it.
We work alongside hospitality operators by providing a range of training courses designed to develop a happier, healthier and more productive culture where mental health is discussed openly, and proactive and preventative support is at the heart of the workplace. Our courses have been designed to empower and upskill participants to approach mental health and wellbeing with increased knowledge and confidence in relation to their own mental health and that of their colleagues.
Our Training Courses are available to anyone operating a hospitality business, many of which are discounted for our EAP clients.
Mental Health First Aid Training.
We are pleased to be able to offer regular, accredited Mental Health First Aid Courses.
Our trainers are not only highly experienced in practise and teaching, they're also hospitality professionals who understand the context in which the course will be applied.
Thanks to our EAP, you add extra layers of support for your teams with clear referral pathways to address any issues and additional support for your MHFA practitioners.
Course dates and overviewCritical Incidents and On-site Trauma Support.
When the worst happens, a well-drilled emergency response needs to kick in at every level of your business. In the hours, days and weeks following a traumatic episode and as operations slowly return to normal teams may still be coming to terms with what has happened.
We are experts in providing layers of psychological support to help organisations and their teams recover from a crisis. We have supported businesses on-site who have been impacted by terror attacks, fire, acts of violence or the sudden death of a colleague or guest.
Our critical incident support is made available for EAP customers at a reduced rate. However, any operator can access our service designed specifically for the hospitality industry.
To find out more email eap@hospitalityaction.org.uk and one of the EAP Team will contact you.
Our blog.
Inspirational stories about our supporters and beneficiaries.
