Community Care Grant Help Please

johnsons_baby

Hello

I'm currently volunteering and wondering if someone can advise me.

Got a lady who fled DV 6 months ago with 2 children, has just been given a house via local housing association. Housing association has left house with no carpets, stripped out. Lady has a baby of 3 months and a 15 month old. Currently she has bare floorboards & they have nails sticking out.

Also needs a gas cooker as no electric point.

Now, I have been helping do these forms for a while but I have not known anyone get carpets but I've not done a form for someone who has children this young.

Would it be prudent to support the application by putting in photos of the floorboards and maybe a letter from the housing association to say the carpets were removed?

Will be asking for carpets for lounge, stairs & 2 bedrooms

missapril75

You're right, floor covering is often not done for CCGs but they absolutely can be if there's a danger without it in the circumstances you describe - bare, rough floorboards, splinters etc

If we're talking nails sticking out, which might poke through carpet/lino there might be a case for the Housing Assoc to sort that out to remove the danger.

That could be the greater problem. If the HA agrees there's a problem, they really ought to be sorting it out. If they don't agree, then there's less evidence of a need.

Ellejmorgan

When I got my council house I had bare concrete floors, I got a community care grant for the floors & furniture...
I too had just come out of refuge..

saving_pennies

I received a CCG for flooring. I moved into a housing association flat which only had flooring in bathroom and kitchen. Although the floorboard were not as bad as having nails sticking out of them, I did request assistance with flooring as I am an wheelchair user and unsteady on my feet. I was turned down the first time and was successful on appeal after I explained the risks of not having flooring.

Although my situation was different I think the situation you describe is more dangerous and think if you explain the condition of the floor and the risk to the children in particular then I would be surprised if they said no. Of course, if they do say no you can appeal or you can ask for a budgeting loan.

I wonder if there is a manager at the housing association who can assist, even if it is just to make the area safer, e.g. sort out the nails that are sticking out. I imagine saying words like health and safety risk they might begin to listen.

sniggings

I believe flooring is allowed for a child that is around crawling age.

As for sending in pictures of the nails, sorry but no carpeting would be laid on top of nails sticking out, they would be removed first so that is just being daft.

Js_Other_Half

The frank buttle trust are worthwhile applying to, if the clients have not had an award from them before.

dreamylittledream

The issue is not direction - direction can easily be met for carpet (in this case it will be the family under exceptional pressure criteria of direction 4 for CCGs) but priority.

CCGs have an annual budget and each Social Fund office places items into different priority groups during the year dependent on the state of the budget. Carpet is medium priority best case, low priority frequently. If the budget allows for medium priority items to be paid then it will be paid - if its gone to low there is little chance. Frequently, particularly towards the end of a financial year the budget will go high priority items only and a snowball has more chance of surviving in hell then a carpet being paid.

TLDR - its going to have less to do with the situation and more to do with whats left in the budget when you apply as to whether a carpety would be paid...

johnsons_baby

Ok, just thought I would update.

We asked the housing association for some form of confirmation that they removed the carpets from the previous tenant, they gave us a fax which states this and that they are not able to provide floor coverings or accept any liability arising from floor defects.

It looks like the previous tenant had somehow nailed the carpet to the floor, the crapet company we use for estimates said they would remove the nails if the grant was successful and they got the business. It's a 1960's build and has a few loose boards now, so we've asked the carpet people if they are able to resolve this and the answer is yes, but obviously this depends on getting the grant in the first place.

A second question though.....I sent a number of forms of about 3 weeks ago, none of the ladies I am helping have heard anything, I was aware that they do ring the claimant to clarify the situation, is this still the case and does anyone know the turn around time currently (assuming it is quite busy due to people applying prior to Christmas). One has also applied for a budgeting loan 3 weeks ago and again has not heard a peep.

krisskross

Can't you remove or bang in the nails in the floor yourselves? Fairly simple job I would think.

As a pensioner I would be perfectly capable of doing this and it is also very easy to secure loose floor boards or replace them.

HAs, in fact most providers of social housing remove floor coverings etc left by previous tenants. Personally I would prefer bare boards than grubby, stained with heaven knows what carpets. Plus the issue of taking up and getting rid of something useless to me.

sniggings

johnsons_baby wrote: »

Ok, just thought I would update.

We asked the housing association for some form of confirmation that they removed the carpets from the previous tenant, they gave us a fax which states this and that they are not able to provide floor coverings or accept any liability arising from floor defects.

It looks like the previous tenant had somehow nailed the carpet to the floor, the crapet company we use for estimates said they would remove the nails if the grant was successful and they got the business. It's a 1960's build and has a few loose boards now, so we've asked the carpet people if they are able to resolve this and the answer is yes, but obviously this depends on getting the grant in the first place.

A second question though.....I sent a number of forms of about 3 weeks ago, none of the ladies I am helping have heard anything, I was aware that they do ring the claimant to clarify the situation, is this still the case and does anyone know the turn around time currently (assuming it is quite busy due to people applying prior to Christmas). One has also applied for a budgeting loan 3 weeks ago and again has not heard a peep.

most carpets are fitted with nails, and all/most council properties have carpets removed when the house is next rented.

You seem to be saying that you need the carpet to cover up the nails, as said the nails will be removed before a new carpet is put down.

Asking for a grant for a carpet because of the nails is crazy, as they can easily be removed.

You need to remind them that as the child will be crawling on the floor a carpet is needed and is allowed to be claimed for under their own rules.

Arguing on the grounds of the nails, will leave you open to them telling you to just remove them.

johnsons_baby

As its not my property I can't remove the nails. I volunteer for a charity in providing support for victims of DV, I'm not a handy person myself.

Whilst yes I agree the nails are easily removed, it's not my place to do so.