Example
Ms C, a money advisor, applied for a community care grant on behalf of her client (Mr A). Mr A had recently acquired a new tenancy and required a number of household items to help him establish a settled home.
The council declined Mr A's application on the basis that they did not consider that his circumstances matched any of the five qualifying conditions for a grant. This decision was upheld by the first tier decision maker.
Ms C then approached this office for an independent review of the council’s decision. We considered the facts and circumstances of the case and spoke with Ms C for some additional information. We found that Mr A had been allocated his new tenancy after he was given notice to quit by his private landlord. His housing application was taken forward by the homelessness team. We also discovered that Mr A suffered from mental and physical health issues, and was receiving ongoing tenancy sustainment support. On that basis, we were satisfied that he met the qualifying condition relating to homelessness (8.12 to 8.14 of the guidance). We instructed the council to award all of the items that met the relevant priority level in place. We also provided the council with feedback on their decision letters.