Social Fund

If you are living on a low income and faced with costs that you are unable to meet, you may be able to get a payment, grant, or loan from the Social Fund. This can help with important intermittent expenses that you are unable to pay for out of your normal income.

Community Care Grants

What is it?

A non-repayable payment awarded for the purpose of meeting a need for community care. There are many different circumstances for which a grant can be made. These include:

• helping you to return to the community following a stay in institutional or residential accommodation in which you received care
• helping you to stay in the community rather than enter institutional or residential accommodation in which you will receive care
• to ease exceptional pressures on you and your family
• to help people on a resettlement programme to set up home
• to care for a prisoner or young offender on release on temporary licence, or
• to help with certain travel costs.

Is it for me?

You may be eligible for a Community Care Grant if you are getting any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or
• Pension Credit.

You may also be eligible for a grant if in the next 6 weeks you are leaving institutional or residential care and you are likely to receive any of those benefits.

What do I need to do next?

Contact Jobcentre Plus to find out if you qualify for this benefit.

 More information can be found in the Grants and Loans from the Social Fund leaflet (264kb).

You can download a Community Care Grant form

You can download a Community Care Grant form in PDF format. The form comes with notes that will help you fill it in. This form does not apply to Northern Ireland.

Contact Jobcentre Plus to find out where to send your completed form.

 Community Care Grant, print out a form to fill in with a pen (117kb)

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