West Lothian Council

Scottish Welfare Fund: Crisis Grant and Community Care Grant

Two grants for West Lothian residents aged 16 or over on a low income, neither of which has to be paid back. A Crisis Grant meets expenses arising from an emergency or disaster to avoid an immediate threat to health or safety, paid in cash through PayPoint with a decision usually within 2 working days. A Community Care Grant helps people establish or keep a settled home in the community and is usually provided as household items from the council's supplier.

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

Anyone aged 16 or over who lives, or will very soon live, in West Lothian and normally has a low income or no access to their money: receiving an income-related benefit such as Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit, or with an income about the same
Not eligible: people with no recourse to public funds, asylum seekers still waiting for a decision, and people able to get help from another appropriate source
For a Crisis Grant the key test is the severity of the situation and the likely impact of the grant
For a Community Care Grant the key test is whether it will help you maintain or establish a settled way of life in the community; it may not be awarded if you or your partner have savings over £700 (below pension age) or £1,200 (above pension age)

What it funds

Crisis Grant: expenses that have arisen as a result of an emergency or disaster, to avoid an immediate threat to health or safety, for example:

Help to get food or with heating costs
A fire or flood at home
An unexpected crisis
Help for victims of domestic abuse with things like moving away from an abuser
A grandparent or other relative who has taken over caring for a child and is waiting on a transfer of benefits
A gap in normal income because of a redundancy or change at work
Having just been released from prison
Community Care Grant: household items (cash only in exceptional circumstances) to support independent living, for example if you are leaving care or imprisonment, have been homeless, need support to stay out of care, are caring for someone released from prison or a young offenders' institution, are under exceptional pressure (other than financial), are escaping domestic abuse, or a child's health is at risk

What it will not fund

Rent in advance for new accommodation (apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment instead)
Expenses outside the UK
Outstanding debts
Holiday expenses
Housing costs
The same goods or services applied for within the last 28 days, unless circumstances have changed
Community Care Grant applications based purely on financial pressure
More than 3 Crisis Grants within a 12 month period, unless exceptional circumstances apply

How to apply

Apply using the Scottish Welfare Fund online form, choosing a reason beginning 'Crisis' or 'Disaster' for a Crisis Grant, or 'Community Care Grant' for household goods
Upload any evidence requested using the council's evidence upload form
The council decides and tells you the outcome
Crisis Grants are paid in cash through PayPoint outlets; Community Care Grant items are mostly supplied through the council's furniture and white goods supplier

for help completing the application, call 01506 280000 (08:30-17:00 Monday to Thursday, 08:30-16:00 Friday). Decisions can be reviewed through the Scottish Welfare Fund review process.

Have ready

Evidence to support your application, if asked (for example of your residence in West Lothian)

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