Community Care Grant & Incapacity Benefit?!

cazgemuk

Hi, I've been looking into community care grants in relation to Incapaciy Benefit and I think I may have found an alternative for some. Direct Payments not only pay for services but also equipment to allow you to live indepently. You can recieve a one off payment. Maybe a fridge or cooker may come under that. You do not currently need to have social services intervention but apparently they do an assesment of your needs for the payment (see Direct.gov). I have not tried it yet its just an idea. If anyone does let me knkow how you get on. Thanks

hermum

Tuccy wrote: »

Yeah this seems really unfair, i have exactly the same problem as karfypie

I recieve IB (long term rate) ive been recieving it for years due to a disease in my spine
which renders me unfit for work...

I only get IB none of my money is made up with Income Support, this is because my long term IB pays me more than the law says i need to live on..
I do not get DLA ive tried several times but im told my disease is a long term problem which will deteriorate with time, until then i do not qualify for DLA. my illness does not make me ill enough to recieve DLA at the moment, but working would accelerate my illness and make me immobile prematurely,
Therefore i cannot work due to my disability, however i cannot get dla either...i accept this as fair enough there are folks alot worse off medicially than i am at the moment...

It would seem to me from what i believe, if someone went into the social security office today, in an almost identical situation as mine, they would be placed onto ESA, and would therefore be eligable for a community care grant
but because ive been on IB for years i cannot

So as a run down, ive been homeless for approx 2 years due to marriage breakdown, i took it upon myself to find myself private rented accommodation, as it would have taken years to be offered a council home,
ive since moved into my new home and tried to make a new life for myself,
i could do with some help with furnishing my home, after 6.5 weeks im still in a home i cannot afford things like sofa, fridge, furnishings etc etc, i just got letter saying not entitled to CCG because i dont get any of the qualifying benefits..

So basicially i, in my medical condition will have to give up my new home as i cannot afford to make it confortable/safe to live in, therefore making myself homeless again,
i cant even save for these things because i dont get full help with housing benefit and i am having to pay alot ontop of the housing benetif i do get to make up the £500 a month rent i pay my landlord...

Basicially i shall have to remain homeless for the rest of my life due to my disability..

snt there something unfair about the ESA qualifying for CCG and IB not??????

please help
Thomas

How is your rented property unsafe to live in? Surely it must be a lot safer to have a roof over your head than to be on the streets.
Are you on your local freecycle group? In some areas I think that it's called freegle, it's a Yahoo group to prevent useable things going to landfill. You can post on there asking for items that you are in need of.
On ours there's a Cafe section & often people ask for someone who can collect & deliver items cheaply for them.
Your local Gumtree may have free items, a lot of Cities have refurnish schemes to help people on low incomes get a home together, if you're not sure if there's one local to you call your local council's housing section.

petergalileo

Ive applied for a CCG and been told I dont qualify as im on incapacity benefit. My homes just been repossessed, im now renting, im sleeping on the floor on a foam matress but I have a busted coccyx. Ive no cooker or refrigerator either. Ive got no spare cash and my credit rating is terrible. cant even rent to buy a cooker.

Ive appealed the decision but now im thinking of just applying for ESA. Nothing left to loose

mynameistallulah

petergalileo wrote: »

Ive applied for a CCG and been told I dont qualify as im on incapacity benefit. My homes just been repossessed, im now renting, im sleeping on the floor on a foam matress but I have a busted coccyx. Ive no cooker or refrigerator either. Ive got no spare cash and my credit rating is terrible. cant even rent to buy a cooker.

Ive appealed the decision but now im thinking of just applying for ESA. Nothing left to loose

There is absolutely no point in appealing.

If you end your IB claim and apply for ESA you will lose any transitional protection, and receive far less money for the assessment period. Plus, you run the risk of failing the WCA and staying on the assessment rate for upwards of a year whilst you appeal. It would be one almighty risk, I would advise strongly against it.

Have you looked at Freecycle, or whether you have any furniture projects nearby?

bored_at_home

even if you qualify to apply for a ccg it doesnt actually mean you will get one. im on income based esa and just been refused as theres only a limited amount of funds and there are people with higher priority need than me.