Example
C applied for a community care grant for clothing after gaining a significant amount of weight while in prison. They advised they only had one outfit and that it was too small for them.
The council declined the application on the basis that they did not consider clothing met their priority rating of High Most Compelling (HMC).
We reviewed the council's file and spoke with C. We considered that the very limited items available to C were not sufficient to enable C to re-establish themselves in the community or to maintain reasonable hygiene. We therefore considered that some items of clothing met HMC and should be awarded.
Recommendations
- Award £115 to cover two basic changes of clothing and a jacket.
Feedback for the council
- Awards of clothing can be awarded at HMC if the applicant does not have sufficient garments to manage day to day and maintain basic hygiene.
We asked the council to provide us with confirmation that the award was made within one week.