community care grant

fairy.fly

After a period of living on the streets i got a private flat i've applied for a community care grant as the flat is unfurnished how long should i wait for the decision its now been 10 days since i applied.

I'm claiming JSA and claiming housing benefit to cover the rent. I've tried to contact the social fund on 0845 6036167 but all i get is an engaged tone. Does anyone have another number for the community care grant enquires.

any advice welcome

cattie

No advice re the grant, but good luck with it & congratulations on getting a flat & off the streets. I hope you will be happy in your new home.

Don't forget freecycle & other such sites for any items you might need but not be able to get a grant for or not have enough money for. Also, most local authorities have a furniture store where people such as yourself who have been resettled can get (used) household items either for free or at very low cost. You need to be referred to them, but whoever helped you get your flat should be able to do that for you.

wolfehouse

how long is a piece of string. it could be quick but
i've also heard of people waiting 6 weeks and more for a ccg decision.
even then you might not get all money applied for
but you can appeal if you are unhappy and should do this with help

fairy.fly

Thanks for the kind words
does anyone have a contact number for the social fund ?

richard9991

fairy.fly wrote: »

Thanks for the kind words
does anyone have a contact number for the social fund ?

It all depends were you live there are several around the country if you ask at the job centre they will give you the number or you can ring from there

AsknAnswer2

You are dialling the wrong number. The 1 should be a 9.

The correct number is 0845 6036 967

This is a universal number for Social Fund no matter where you are in the country. They did away with different numbers for different areas and have a generic number now.

fairy.fly

thank you for the phone number asknanswer. I phoned the social fund once the post had been in case anything came but nothing did.

I have been refused the CCG as i'm not a qualifying benefit but as i signed on JSA (income based) this week this isn't the case he did say i could appeal and should do as if i am on income based JSA the decison would be overturned. How long does it usually take from me sending off the appeal to them making a decision. As my JSA case is a new claim i wonder if my name and details are up on the system yet and this might have caused the refusal. Is the appeal held at my local Jobcentre ?

dr_who_3

If you have only just signed on for JSA this week you may find that they are unable to overturn the decision. The rules state that you must be in receipt of a qualifying benefit on the day the application is made. They usually use the day they receive the application as this date so if they received it 10 days ago and your JSA start date is this week then you may be better off reapplying rather than asking for a review. It would depend whether your JSA claim has been backdated to include the date that the CCG application was made.
The review decision will be made by an internal reviewing officer usually working in the same office as the decision makers. This will be in a benefit centre where processing takes place rather than in the Jobcentre. The review decision will usually take about the same lenght of time as the original decision.
If you still disagree with the decision after this you can ask the IRS (independant review service) to take another look.

AsknAnswer2

As Dr who said, the JSA needs to be in effect on the date of the application for the CCG (or backdated to include that date). The 'date of application' is the date that your form was received by the DWP.

There is no right of appeal with a CCG, only a right to review. Reviews are not held as oral hearings and are conducted as Dr who explained. There is also no guarantee that the decision will be overturned and they shouldn't have told you that. Being in receipt of a qualifying benefit is only one part of the criteria for a CCG. It may still be refused if they are not satisfied that you qualify for a CCG.

If the JSA is not backdated to the date of application for the CCG, you will need to submit a new claim.

I would suggest that before you ask for a review, you contact Jobseeker's Allowance and ask them what date your JSA entitlement began from. This will save you having to go through a review if what is really needed is a new application.

Best wishes.

fairy.fly

i applied for JSA on the 27th of january i sent the CCG form on monday the 30th january. I was told when i contacted JSA that it was backdated to when i applied on the 27th which has been confirmed. I will get my first jsa payment tomorrow a processor has just phoned back with the details regarding this.

The CCG letter with the refusal was sent on febuary 6th but its sent 2nd class post i still think 4 days is excessive even for 2nd class and why not 1st ? I understand the criteria has to be met but my housing adviser told me i should get it no problem whether its for the full amount or just a fraction was the only problem.

pmlindyloo

I think this may well be 'one arm not knowing what the other is doing'.

If your JSA claim is backdated to the 27 January then you would have been in receipt of JSA when you applied for your CCG.

I am led to believe that your application for CCG would have included someone looking to see if you were 'on the system' showing that you were receiving JSA and likely as not it wouldn't have shown up because it was still being processed. Hence CCG people thinking you were not in receipt.

If I were you I would visit CAB (try to use one with a Welfare & Benefits specialist) who should make a phone call for you to clear this up.