new to community care grant

ilovecows

can someone give me their experiences on community care grants

if i ask for carpets do they send round a carpet fitter with a carpet in there choice (colour) or do they just give you the money and you are to buy it yourself??

same with cookers, do they give u vouchers or just deliver u a cooker??

Richard1075

are you eligible for a Community Care Grant? There are strict guidlines.

Equally, there is only a small amount of money in the Social Fund and application for Budgeting Loan and CCG's are given a priority.

You get prices of what you want and then submit an application.

Sadly, it is not "Changing Rooms" it's more about make do and mend!

You would be better to look at local Furniture Aid places and charities shops to get a second hand items. there is an Oxfam locally that sells second hand white goods that are tested.

CAB are always good to give you details of local places that have second hand items you can get.

Mr_Falling_Star

It has been known for the DWP to send round visiting officers to assess Community care grants (I know because I have done it myself) but nowadays it is either extremely rare or just does not happen.

As for prices they use the second cheapest item in the Argos catalogue and use that (unless you have asked for less). You do not receive vouchers although a Social Fund Officer can make a cheque payable to Argos if he sees fit.

I have been out of it awhile but I can imagine that the Grant Budget is very tight at the moment so don't expect a great deal

karenx

They will most likely ask you for estimates from a few different companies and will pick the cheapest quote.

dr_who_3

Most offices will give you a standard amount per sq m for carpets. However due to the limited budget it is very rare for carpet to be awarded at all (and if so would usually be only for the main living room of the property). You would also have to qualify for the CCG first which has very stringent eligibility rules.

Depending on the state of the budget in your area, the amounts given tend to be based on the cheapest price from Argos with an allowance for fitting (in the case of a cooker) and delivery.

Jowo_2

I don't know how the CCG operates but certainly there are threads on this forum from people applying for grants and loans who get significantly less than they requested.

For appliances and furniture, in addition to the places mentioned, you could see if there is a local furniture recycling charity, a branch of Emmaus, plus join your local Freecycle or Freegle site. You could always put up wanted ads there, as well as scour them for offered ads. Also, Gumtree Freebies can be good.