Example
C applied for a crisis grant for money to buy food after using their benefits to repay debt.
The council requested a four-week bank statement, benefit statement and evidence that C was registered as homeless. C explained that they were unable to provide this evidence due to being in crisis. The council declined the application on the basis that C had already received three awards in the last 12-month period which is the usual maximum allowed. They did not identify any exceptional circumstances that would allow for an additional award to be made.
We reviewed the council’s file and spoke with C. We noted that C had applied for a grant for the same reason within the last 12-month period and agreed that their circumstances were not exceptional. We did not change the council's decision.
Feedback
- The council should not have requested evidence of the applicant's circumstances, as this would not have made any difference to C's eligibility.