refused community care grant - totally mystified

I've suffered continuously from depression for ten years, and as such am on Income Support (would have been Incapacity Benefit, but not enough insurance stamps) and DLA.

For five years I suffered from harassment and intimidation from teenage gangs in my neighbourhood. I lost count of the number of times I called the police. There have been four court-cases, all of which ending with a 'guilty' verdict, two of which have been for battery.

A neighbour admitted threatening to pour petrol through my letterbox, and accepted a police caution for this. In August I had to undergo a serious eye operation as the result of an assault late last year (the culprit is now in a detention centre).

All this, on top of the depression I had already been suffering from, had wrecked my mental health to such a degree that I felt that only by moving right out of the area could I hope to put this behind me, so last month I moved to an unfurnished flat in another part of England.

I applied for a community care grant, describing in detail what had driven me out of my home. I enclosed letters from my GP, my local police sergeant and even a chief inspector, all describing what I had been going through.

I got the result through this morning, and to my amazement, my claim has been disallowed. They have only offered money for a cooker, but this would have to be repaid.

There were two letters, which arrived together. The first said "we cannot pay you a community care grant. This is for the following reason(s)". One of the reasons they gave was that they could only pay a grant to help people 'cope with exceptional pressure on themselves or their families'.

Well, when someone who already suffers from clinical depression is subjected to five years of continuous harassment and intimidation, is threatened with having his home set alight, and is assaulted so seriously he has to undergo a risky eye operation, isn't that 'exceptional pressure'?

The other letter offered me a grant for a cooker, which would have to be paid back, and again explained the decision not to award me a community care grant.

This time the reason they gave for disallowing my claim was worded this way:

"we can only pay a crisis loan if there is no other way of preventing a serious risk to the health or safety of you or your family."

The letters said I have the right to ask them to look at the decision again, but when a decision appears (to me, anyway) so blatantly unfair, what is the chance a review decision will be any different?

Annie Hall wrote:

I've suffered continuously from depression for ten years, and as such am on Income Support (would have been Incapacity Benefit, but not enough insurance stamps) and DLA.

For five years I suffered from harassment and intimidation from teenage gangs in my neighbourhood. I lost count of the number of times I called the police. There have been four court-cases, all of which ending with a 'guilty' verdict, two of which have been for battery.

A neighbour admitted threatening to pour petrol through my letterbox, and accepted a police caution for this. In August I had to undergo a serious eye operation as the result of an assault late last year (the culprit is now in a detention centre).

All this, on top of the depression I had already been suffering from, had wrecked my mental health to such a degree that I felt that only by moving right out of the area could I hope to put this behind me, so last month I moved to an unfurnished flat in another part of England.

I applied for a community care grant, describing in detail what had driven me out of my home. I enclosed letters from my GP, my local police sergeant and even a chief inspector, all describing what I had been going through.

I got the result through this morning, and to my amazement, my claim has been disallowed. They have only offered money for a cooker, but this would have to be repaid.

There were two letters, which arrived together. The first said "we cannot pay you a community care grant. This is for the following reason(s)". One of the reasons they gave was that they could only pay a grant to help people 'cope with exceptional pressure on themselves or their families'.

Well, when someone who already suffers from clinical depression is subjected to five years of continuous harassment and intimidation, is threatened with having his home set alight, and is assaulted so seriously he has to undergo a risky eye operation, isn't that 'exceptional pressure'?

The other letter offered me a grant for a cooker, which would have to be paid back, and again explained the decision not to award me a community care grant.

This time the reason they gave for disallowing my claim was worded this way:

"we can only pay a crisis loan if there is no other way of preventing a serious risk to the health or safety of you or your family."

The letters said I have the right to ask them to look at the decision again, but when a decision appears (to me, anyway) so blatantly unfair, what is the chance a review decision will be any different?

The grants are a strange bunch and hard to get...... someone coming out of jail after say putting petrol through your letter box has a better case to get that grant !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! than you

you might be better asking shelter and oxfam for help and other charites that supply beds cookers ect

Hi Annie

I'm very sorry to hear about your ordeal.

I don't know much about the requirements for a Community Care Grant, it may be largely down to the discretion of the decision maker. However, I think you should get advice from the CAB or similar organization. The decision is appealable, which would be an independent review rather than the DWP looking at it again. There may also be other sources of help, such as charities or possibly Criminal Injuries Compensation, which is outside the scope of Benefits & Work, but hopefully the CAB could advise you.

Best of luck, I hope you live more peacefully in your new area.

Derek

difficult one. when i applied for mine it was because myself and my son are disabled and it was to help us remain in our own home. i also had a long phone call from the decision maker going through every minutae of my claim asking me why i needed this, that and the other and why this/that and the other was no longer working/usable and that the grant kitty was very low so even if they had good enough reasons from me, there still wouldn't be enough money to go round/to offer me. this was a few months ago i might add.

i'm not sure if i am reading your post right but did you apply before you moved so you could have help with moving costs too, or is this after the fact, as it were? the reason i ask is that it may appear that if you didn't need help with removal costs and setting up immediately post move, that it is more out of choice you want the things you applied for, rather than dire need. i say this because that's the way the guy on the phone made me feel, even tho it wasn't the case.

you have my every sympathy for your situation as myself and three small children (at the time) were hounded and harrassed from our home and i had to give up my council tenancy, as in those days the council just didn't get involved apart from to just say 'tough, nothing we can do'.

There are different criteria for grants and loans.

One category under which you can get a grant is if it's to keep you out of an institution.

Maybe seek help with a fresh application, stressing that it your mental health carries on being pushed in this way, you're likely to end up in hospital, respite care or supported accommodation (if this is true).

However, I think it worth mentioning that each area has a limited pot of money and the further you get through the financial year, the harder it is to get any money, because they're rationing it.

There is also quite a long list of things that you can't get grants for.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits...rsomeone/DG_10018921

www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits...w_income/DG_10018856

Also consider seeing whether there's a charity that might help. There are directories of charities that you can find in libraries and that welfare advisers have copies of.

Good luck.

Hi Annie,
local C.A.B should hold a list of charities and organisations to supply furnishings, may be the quickest way to get sorted regarding Your flat.

Best Wishes

Bill