Community care grants how long

There must be some risk that this may not be possible without a grant. That risk does not need to be immediate for an applicant to qualify, and decision makers should use their discretion in deciding what constitutes a 'risk' or 'exceptional pressure'. As set out in the Regulations, a person should be on a low income to be considered eligible for assistance.

It is not a requirement to be in receipt of an income related benefit to be eligible for assistance from the fund. There are a number of ways to decide whether an individual is on a low income, these are outlined below.

It should be noted that not everyone who is entitled to apply for income based benefits does so. These include:. An applicant's circumstances must be taken into account when deciding whether they are on a low income. If there are other financial issues the local authority thinks should be taken into account, such as experiencing homelessness, being a modern apprentice, having just been released from prison, or the applicant not having have access to their money for some reason for example, relating to domestic abuse , the local authority may make the judgement that an applicant on a seemingly higher income should still be considered for a grant.

Information about a partner and other members of family, however, can be collected and taken into account where relevant, for example, in relation to income or health. Types of income that should be disregarded in identifying available income are at Annex B. Only money in hand at the time of the application should be considered, not any future payments that will be made. Local authorities can use their discretion to make an award for cases that fall a few days short of the minimum period served [54].

However, the limitations on repeat applications as described in paragraph 6. Awards for items should include delivery and installation or fitting fees. Some examples of items for which an award might be made are:. Feedback from the Social Security Experience Panel cited some cases where contracts for provision of items had placed limitations on awards made.

Where an item is not available under the contract, a cash award or an alternative should be considered. The duration of storage costs should be for a reasonable period and not long enough to be considered to have become an on-going expense. This is to allow applicants and their support workers to plan ahead in securing furniture.

Local authorities need not make a decision in principle unless an action, such as release from prison, or the start of a tenancy, is planned within an eight week period. The level of priority that should be applied is the level of priority in place at the time the decision was made, unless a change has been made that would benefit the applicant for example, a lower priority rating is now in place.

If an application is received after 4. Home Publications. Scottish Welfare Fund: statutory guidance — March Community Care Grants[40]. Supporting documents. We manage community care grants from the Scottish Welfare Fund to allow people to live independently, or continue to live independently, preventing the need for institutional care. The help you may receive will depend on your circumstances. Successful applicants will receive goods such as fridges, washing machines, furniture or carpets which will be delivered and installed.

We can only provide items that are of a high priority need to your or your family. This applies if:. Check eligibility and apply online. We are currently unable to take applications over the phone.

If you can't apply online then you can:. The fastest way is to apply for a grant online, free access to the internet is available in some of our local facilities if need be. Community Care Grants can help you to leave care and live on your own, or to continue living in your own home. If you would like to apply for a crisis grant or a community care grant online please click on the button.

From 8 November full digital service Universal Credit was launched in the Dundee area. Under this some 18 to 21 year olds are not eligible for housing costs.

The Scottish Government has agreed, as an interim measure, to help 18 to 21 year olds affected by these changes by allowing Community Care Grants to be used to pay their housing costs.

You must be setting up or maintaining an established home in the community and there must be some risk that without help you will be unable to do this.