Essential Living Fund (ELF) Scheme Policy - Southend-on-Sea

To claim an ELF grant the applicant must:

• a low income household
• aged 18 or over (may be able to claim if aged 16 to 17 if meet the qualifying criteria for Universal Credit (UC) ;housing costs or Housing Benefit (HB))
• a 'resident' in the Southend City area. Where 'resident' means someone who lives in a property in the Southend City Council area or are accessing services such as the Job Centre as if a resident of the area. A 'resident' could also be a person who has been placed outside the City and is being supported by Southend on Sea City Council. However, a 'resident' cannot be someone who has been placed by another Authority in the City area and is being supported by that other Authority

When assessing an applicant's entitlement to an ELF grant the amount of resources the applicant has available to them should be taken into account.

Resources include:

• capital assets
• earnings
• any other income
• cash in hand
• funds in banks, building societies, post office or credit union accounts
• help which might be available from any other source to meet or partly meet the need if there is a realistic expectation that help would be available in time such as charities and benevolent funds, friends and family

The decision maker can disregard certain resources where it would be reasonable to do, for example, Housing Benefit and Localised Council Tax Reduction could be disregarded as they are intended for use in covering rent and council tax charges.

In making the decision about eligibility the decision maker should also consider the following:

• the general provision of the scheme is not to replace worn or broken items, it is to help a person settle into the community after a period of unsettlement or in result to an unexpected emergency
• if the applicant has had past awards from the scheme and mis-used those awards to purchase items they were not awarded for this will generally make them ineligible to claim again from the scheme
• if the applicant has had past awards and has committed fraud by, for example, selling items they were awarded, falsifying their situation or details, they will be banned from using the scheme again. This is abuse of public funds

The following people are ineligible from claiming for an ELF grant:

• people in care homes or hospital - unless they are due to be released within the next 6 weeks and are applying for an ELF grant to help them set up in the community.
• people who are members of and fully maintained by a religious order
• prisoners - unless they are due to be released within the next 6 weeks and are applying for an ELF grant to help them set up in the community.
• people in education - except those that receive Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Related Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit or Universal Credit or those who do not have access to the student loans and grants intentioned to help with living costs whilst a student.
• people who fail the Habitual Residency Test / subject to Immigration Control i.e. those that have no recourse to public funds

Help people establish in the community after a period of unsettlement

An applicant could be considered to have had a period of unsettlement and be establishing in the community if

• they have spent at least 3 months in a Care Home, Prison, Hostel or Similar Supported Lodging
• they have been made homeless, have lost items as a consequence, and are establishing in the new accommodation

This list is not exhaustive.

When the accommodation they are staying in is not a permanent home, but is for example some form of temporary accommodation, the decision maker should consider the following:

• placements by the Council into short term leased accommodation are accommodated with beds and white goods to make the home habitable
• a person who has been placed following declaration of homelessness could have had sufficient notice to arrange for some of their items to be taken with them to new accommodation (for example if they under an eviction notice)
• a person in shared, hostel or B&B accommodation should have most basic items supplied with the property and would not need most of what the ELF scheme can offer
• a person in temporary accommodation could have already had an award for previous temporary accommodation. Even if that award was over 12 months ago we would not generally re-award the same items. They are awarded for that initial settlement only.
• if supporting a person resettling after a breakdown of a relationship, it will not normally be appropriate to make an ELF grant more than once for the breakdown of the same relationship

Help people remain in the community rather than enter into unsettlement

An applicant could be considered under this prime objective if

• the award could ensure the risk of the applicant becoming homeless or having to be admitted into care for example is reduced, and will ensure they can continue independent life in the community
• the award would allow them to move to more suitable accommodation and continue independent life in the community. This could include moving to be nearer to family to allow support to be provided or downsizing or moving to single level accommodation to allow them to continue to live independently

The decision maker should consider the following

• as an arranged move the applicant is likely to have been able to take most essential items with them - a full check should be done regarding this
• if they are moving to be nearer a carer the decision maker should try and check that the new care arrangement is meant to be permanent by talking informally the person who will be providing the care. If that is not possible they could seek advice from other interested parties such as the Social Services Department. The decision maker should have particular regard to the nature, extent and urgency of the need

Help people with certain travel costs

This is specifically defined as:

• help with the cost of a Southend City resident visiting a partner, parent or child that is staying in a hospital or a rehabilitation centre outside the Southend City on a long term basis. Long term is defined as 4 weeks or more. The partner, parent or child being visited must be a resident of the Southend City. The amount awarded can account for the cost of both the applicant, their partner and any dependant children visiting the hospital or rehabilitation centre if the Decision Maker would deem it appropriate to do so. It will be for 2 return visits.
• help with the cost of being placed in a Women's Refuge hostel outside of the city. Referral under this rule must be made by the Southend Dove Project. All other avenues of funding must be exhausted before a claim is considered under the ELF grant scheme. The amount awarded can account for the cost of the applicant and their dependant children being transported to the Women's Refuge.

Help families with the cost of a school uniform

To be eligible for this support the following conditions apply:

• the parent or guardian must be in receipt of one of the following:
  • Income Support
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • income based Job Seekers Allowance
  • Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, with an annual income of less than £16,190
  • the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Universal Credit, with an annual income of £7400 or below
• they meet one of the Exceptional Circumstances:
  • they have been made homeless and supported by the Local Council and placed into temporary accommodation and had to change schools
  • they have been placed into a refuge and had to change schools
  • they have lost school uniform in a fire or flood