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Lairg & District Community Initiatives

The Lairg Helping Hand Fund

Aim of the Lairg Helping Hand Fund

The aim of the Lairg Helping Hand Fund is to provide a one-off grant to households who are struggling financially. Awards of up to £250 will be awarded to households who require financial assistance with heating costs.

Community Council Area

To be eligible for a grant, individuals must reside in the Lairg and District Community Council area.

What can be Funded?

  • Grants of up to £250 will be awarded to households towards heating/energy costs. Electric, Oil, LPG Gas, Calor Gas Bottles, Coal, Wood, and other fuel types will also be considered.
  • White goods with a minimum energy efficiency A rating can also be funded up to the cost of £250. The Helping Hand Fund will supply replacements for broken appliances or old appliances with an energy efficiency rating of B or below. Old or broken appliances will be removed from your home when the replacement item is delivered.
  • Heating System Repairs (up to the cost of £250) will also be considered for funding.
Image of Helping Hand Fund advert Image of Helping Hand Fund advert

Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant the applicant should be in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

Universal Credit, Income Support, Child Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Income based Job Seekers Allowance, Income Based Employment Support Allowance, Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction.

Please note that applicants with savings of over £2500 are not eligible.
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Eligibility Verification

LDCI are working in partnership with Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust (KoSDT) to process the applications.

Contact Details

For more information call Fiona on 01863 766 190  or email: fiona@kyleofsutherland.co.uk 

 

*LDCI requires up to date evidence of documents related to personal circumstances e.g. bank statements and relevant benefits evidence.  Please note that LDCI require the applicant to complete this assessment to be considered for financial support.

To verify that an individual is eligible for the LDCI Helping Hand Fund, the following documentation will be requested by KoSDT:

  1. Copy of benefit award letter(s).
  2. Consecutive bank statements from all client's accounts for the last 3 months.

Information relating to any health issues or vulnerabilities that impact on the individual’s heating or electricity requirements should be noted in the application form e.g. the need for refrigeration facilities for medicines. 

LDCI/ KoSDT will support the client to submit related documents, all documents should relate to the current time and the last three months. Original documents are not accepted, these will be returned to the individual. LDCI can signpost to a photocopying service if required.

Lairg Helping Hand Fund Process

Clients will only receive communication from Lairg and District Community Initiatives and the KoSDT throughout the process.

Please note the stages below as a guide to the process of The Helping Hand Fund.
 
Stage 1
Client Initial Enquiry  - KoSDT Assessment

  • KoSDT undertake an assessment on behalf of LDCI.
  • KoSDT will request evidence from the client and check whether the client meets the LDCI fund criteria.
  • If eligible, KoSDT will support the client to complete a client request form.
  • KoSDT will offer further support to any clients that may need it.


Stage 2 
Grant Award  - Arrange Logistics for Client

  • If the application is successful, KoSDT on behalf of LDCI will notify the claimant and make arrangements for the payment and delivery of fuel/ or white good.
  • Awards will be arranged on a case by case basis and may require the individual to authorise access to electricity accounts or prepayment meters. KoSDT on behalf of LDCI will make payment for all items so no funds will go directly to the individual.
  • The client will receive an official Grant Award from KoSDT on behalf of LDCI stating amount of award and other relevant notes.


Stage 3
Continued Support

  • Where relevant KoSDT on behalf of LDCI will support and signpost the client to any further required services.


Please note that funding is limited so Lairg and District Community Initiatives cannot guarantee that all requests will be successful.
 
 
General Data Protection Regulation
 
In respect of General Data Protection Regulation, Lairg And District Community Initiatives and Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust will process client data in a confidential and secure manner. As a collective group, all involved organisations will:

  • Retain a copy of client personal details and any other case related documentation until the end of the Lairg Helping Hand Fund project and obliged to keep details for five years (electronic formats) using anonymised information in relevant summaries, reports and statistics.
  • Contact client directly to complete holistic assessment, notify client of the application outcome and to arrange logistics of the fuel.
  • Comply to organisational privacy policies. Please see (online) Privacy Notices and Data Protection Policies from all organisations involved in the management and processing of Lairg Helping Hand Fund. Paper format copies are available on request.
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