Example
Ms C applied for a crisis grant as she had recently been made homeless and was sleeping rough. She did not have any money until her next Universal Credit (UC) payment approximately two weeks away.
The council declined Ms C's application on the basis that she had been awarded a crisis grant in the 28-day period leading up to her new application. They advised her that they could not make a further award, as they had assessed that she had not experienced a relevant change in her circumstances that would allow for an additional award to be made, as per the guidance. They upheld their decision at first tier.
Ms C applied to SPSO for an independent review. We received the council's file and spoke with the applicant and the homeless team at the council. We found that after being made homeless, Ms C had contacted the council. They were currently assessing her need for somewhere to stay, and were aware that she was sleeping rough. We assessed that this represented a significant relevant change in Ms C's circumstances (s6.1 of SWF guidance), as she had gone from having a place to stay with a supply of food, to sleeping rough with no food or money. On this basis, we assessed that the council had incorrectly interpreted the available information and instructed them to award £157.44. We also provided feedback that their decision letters were not personalised and did not include sufficient information.