GrantRadar

East Lothian Council

Scottish Welfare Fund: Crisis Grant and Community Care Grant

East Lothian Council's Scottish Welfare Fund is a discretionary safety net for East Lothian residents on low incomes, giving grants that do not have to be repaid. Crisis Grants help people with no means of support after a disaster (such as a fire or flood) or an emergency (such as lost money or an unexpected expense). Community Care Grants, usually given as goods or services, help people establish or maintain a settled home, for example when leaving care or prison or after homelessness.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
Amount not specified
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Individuals living in East Lothian aged over 16 who normally have a low income, for example receiving Universal Credit or Pension Credit
  • Crisis Grant: you must have no means of support and face an immediate threat to the health or safety of yourself or your family
  • Community Care Grant: you must have savings under £700 (£1,200 if you are pension age) and be leaving care or at risk of going into a care institution without help, leaving prison or caring for someone on temporary release from prison or a young offenders' institution, homeless or living an unsettled way of life, or you or someone in your household must be facing exceptional pressure such as a relationship breakdown

What it funds

  • Crisis Grant: living expenses in an emergency (such as where money has been lost or an unexpected expense has arisen)
  • Crisis Grant: living expenses and household goods after a disaster (such as a fire or a flood)
  • Help to get food or with heating costs
  • Help for victims of domestic abuse with things like moving away from an abuser
  • Help when facing a gap in normal income because of a redundancy or change at work
  • Community Care Grant: goods or services to help people establish or maintain a settled home

How to apply

  1. Apply online using the 'Apply now' form on the council's Crisis Grant and Community Care Grant page

the phone line (01620 828790) is open 1pm to 3.45pm Monday to Thursday and 1pm to 3.15pm on Fridays; the council asks people not to phone to check the status of an application

if refused, you can ask for a review in writing within 20 days of the decision, and then ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman for an independent review

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