Question about Grants

cardigirl

Hi, I'm having to leave my partner,taking my 2 kids with me,found a place to rent,paid deposit,scrabbling around for first months rent.

We have no furniture,nothing,there is an oven in the house but I was wondering if anyone knew of any grants/loans that I can apply for to help me get the furniture we need,obviously I would be willing to pay back any money I borrow

I've tried googling and the direct gov website but I'm getting a little confused with it all.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Thank you for reading

Horseunderwater

There are charities out there who can let you have 2nd hand furniture at very cheap prices or even better than that there are groups called Freecycle and Freegle who have people giving away perfectly good stuff that they no longer need - all you need to do is organise to go collect whatever at a suitable time. If there are no rugs or carpets then it may be possible to get some help from DWP re a grant or loan, but remember it has to be paid back within 2 years in most cases. Can you not take anything from your current home?

dandelionclock30

Are you in receipt of benefits? if so you could apply for a budgetting loan. You could also look if you meet the criteria for a commuity care grant or not. Look the criteria is here. https://www.gov.uk/community-care-grant/overview. What you could argue is that without the essentials your kids would maybe have to go into care etc as your struggling to meet their basic needs etc at the present.Its worth a shot as the DSS are awarding money for Community Care Grants more than usual becaus ethey have money they need to get rid of at the present.
If your working, you can still apply for a crisis loan from the DSS.
Also look at charity furniture stores in your area, they often deliver furniture very cheaply for £20.00 or so. White Goods you have to pay for but there will be trusts/grants available for your area.Ask at either a local CAB about this or at a family centre etc.
Also you can do a shout out on Gumtree and Freecycle saying that your new to the area etc and looking to see if anyone has any unwanted items as your having to set up a new home etc from scratch. People know how bad it is at the moment so nobody will judge you.Best of Luck.

Also a lot of people get a community care grant on appeal.So if your knocked back then appeal.

cardigirl

Thank you both so much,I'm on income support for the time being,will be looking for work when DD starts school.
Thank you for the link dandelion clock,will check that out now. Have looked at free cycle,Sally army shop etc,but quite they can't deliver,the car is my exes and he won't let me use it, all I can take from the house is DS's bed and wardrobe as that's my furniture from before I lived with him,all my other stuff was replaced and I'm not allowed it

Thank you so much for your help and swift replies

BigAunty

I don't have a car and I've booked a man and van before for Freecycle items. For example, I've paid £20 to collect a single bed - the person donating it understood that it required a van and I didn't have a motor and was fine with a guy turning up to fetch it.
Obviously it's a good idea to explain why you can't personally collect it. If you've got cheap man/van service in the area, it might be worth going down this route for bulky items rather than buying them.

It's a shame that the Sally Ann didn't deliver - my local one does for a small fee, so, too, does Emmaus, the local Hospice Shop and numerous other charity furniture shops.

Also, see if there are any homeless/furniture charities in your area - they may be able to help kit out your new place.

Good luck.

Alleycat

Have a look at the turn2us.org.uk website. There is a grant search function that is really helpful. There are lots of different grant giving organisations through out the country, dependent on your circumstances/background etc. For example there are trusts for those working or previously working in the hospitality industry, pharmacy etc, impoverished women.