North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund
Central Services North Yorkshire County Council Central Services
What is it? • Recently released from prison / The North Yorkshire Local Assistance supervised on Community Order Fund (”the Fund”) provides support for • Victim of domestic abuse vulnerable adults to move into or remain • Carer in the community, and for families under exceptional pressure to stay together. • Drugs or alcohol dependent • Couples and single parents with Awards are made in the form of goods, children and people caring for not cash. Items requested must be children, who are under exceptional essential and critical to your needs or pressure (‘Exceptional pressure’ those of or your family. They include may be the result of acute domestic essential items of household furniture difficulties. An award under this and equipment, beds and bedding, category would normally be to food vouchers, clothing vouchers, utility help members of a family to stay top-ups, utility reconnection charges together). and essential home repairs. If you have an urgent need for food Can I apply? or a utility top-up (that is, credit You can apply if: added to your gas or electricity 1. you are over 16 years old; and account) but do not strictly fall 2. you live in or are moving to North within one of our categories above, Yorkshire (including if you are leaving then we may be able to provide a one-off food voucher and/or a utility an institution and resettling in North top-up (see also “How do I apply for Yorkshire); and food and/or utility top-up?” below). 3. you are in receipt of specific means-tested benefits or you have Each case will be looked at individually a household income below the and awards depend on funds available. government’s ‘low income threshold’ Support will be given to those most in (for 2013/14 this is £15,910) and need. have less than £1,000 in capital; and 4. you have a need that cannot be met from other forms of support; and 5. you fall into one or more of the following categories: • Homeless • Learning / physical disabilities • Mental health problems
2 North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund
How can I apply? sure they send all the documentary You will need to contact North Yorkshire evidence required to support their County Council’s Customer Services application (see the criteria in “Can I Centre on 0845 8 72 73 74 to talk apply?”, above). Online applications about your circumstances and what through an agency are preferred, to support you feel you need. make sure we get assistance urgently to people who need it. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm. If an individual application is needed, then please call NYCC Customer If you have an urgent need for support, Services on 0845 8 72 73 74. the County Council will put you in contact with an organisation in your How often can I apply? local area who will want to discuss You will only be able to apply for your needs with you a bit more and talk a maximum of three items in any about the kind of support that they may rolling 12 month period, unless your be able to help you access. This may circumstances change, and this can include the agency completing an online be demonstrated to the agency that is application for the Fund for you, if you helping you to apply. are eligible for assistance. The exception to this rule is for people Can I apply myself, without seeing who have an urgent need purely for another agency? food or utility top-up and who are In exceptional circumstances, we can eligible for support from the Fund. If you help individuals who need to make need a food voucher or a utility top-up, their own application, without the need you will be able to apply to the Fund for them to attend another agency in for both of these, if needed, up to two their area. For example, this might be occasions within 12 months. You will because: also be able to submit an additional • the local agency is unable to urgently application that year for other items get access to the internet; from the Fund, such as household goods or clothing, up to a maximum of • there is an access issue and the three items. individual simply can’t get to the local agency; or Additionally, if you meet all of our basic • there isn’t an agency who has access criteria around age, residency and to the online application form in that income and have an urgent need for area. food or utility top-up but do not strictly fall within one of our categories at point This process can be slightly slower 5 above, then you may still be able to though, as individuals will need to make apply for a one-off food voucher or a
3 North Yorkshire County Council Central Services one-off utility top-up (see “How do I If you’d like to apply for food or utility apply for food?” below). This exception top-up a second time within twelve is only made for food vouchers and months, you will need to contact NYCC utility top-ups from the Fund. Customer Services again, but this time we will ask you to make contact How do I apply for food and/or with another agency in your area as utility top-up? you may have a need for longer term You will need to contact NYCC support. This will involve you providing Customer Services (0845 8 72 73 74) some documentary evidence of your to ask about any kind of support from circumstances to the agency that helps the Fund, including food and utility top- you to apply. up. You can call us between 8am and 5:30pm, Monday to Friday. Food vouchers are credited with enough money to enable you to When you call for the first time to ask for purchase enough food to last for either food or utility top-up, Customer at least five days. The value of the Services will obtain your details and ask voucher is enough to buy a healthy you some questions to identify whether diet and it is hoped this will be spent you meet all of the key eligibility criteria on a mixture of fresh and preserved for the Fund. If you do then we will foods. We guarantee that a voucher will put you through to the company who be delivered to you within 24 hours, if process our applications. If you cannot your call is received before 11:30am, pay for the full call, we will take a number Monday to Friday. We cannot guarantee from you and ask the company to get in to get a food voucher to you within a touch with you urgently. They will speak shorter period of time so if your need to you to ask you a few more questions is urgent then you may need to get about your circumstances, but you will support from another agency. NYCC not need to visit an agency in your area, Customer Services may be able to help nor will you be asked to send evidence with information about other places of your circumstances. The application which provide food in your area. will be automatically approved and, depending on your application, either How does utility top-up work? a food voucher will be sent out to you Once your application for utility top-up directly or a PayPoint voucher will be has been approved (either by phone, issued to you via email, text or post, for for the first application, or via an online you to take to a PayPoint outlet to scan application through an agent for the and credit your energy account. For second application), you will be sent more information about how this process a pre-credited voucher or code with a works, please see “How does utility top- set amount to help top up your energy up work?”, below. supply. You will be able to receive the voucher by post or email. You will be
4 North Yorkshire Local Assistance Fund able to specify how you would like to Please note that where a standard receive your voucher or code when voucher is issued by us for direct top you apply. Vouchers will need to be up of gas or electricity accounts, these taken to any PayPoint outlet, such as cannot be exchanged for cash and the a local newsagent, along with your PayPoint merchant will be unable to gas prepayment card or electricity key. provide you with a cash alternative. Outlets offering the PayPoint service can be identified with the PayPoint If you desire a utility top-up voucher to logo in the window. Once the voucher be sent to you in the post we guarantee barcode has been scanned against your a next day delivery providing your call card or key, this will automatically credit is received before 1:45pm, Monday your account with one of the amounts to Friday. If you desire a utility top-up below. voucher to be issued by email we can guarantee the voucher will be issued • Individual - £28 within 24 hours providing your call • Family (more than one adult in the is received before 3:45pm, Monday household) - £45 to Friday. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee to help you within a shorter You will not be required to provide period of time. identification to the PayPoint merchant and as such it is important that you Please note that utility top-up vouchers make sure that we know what is the will expire after a month of the date they best way of sending the voucher on were issued. to you. Repeat vouchers cannot be provided in the event that you mislay Can I still get some support if I don’t your voucher. Each voucher will only meet all of the criteria? work once and, once redeemed, cannot If you do not strictly fall within one of our be used again. categories (see “Can I apply” on page 1) but meet our other criteria and have In circumstances where a customer an urgent need for food or utility top-up only has access to a coin meter or which cannot be met through other requires other fuel such as coal, it may forms of support, then we may be able be possible to provide utility top-up in to issue a food voucher and/or utility the form of a voucher which can be top-up to you on a one-off basis. To redeemed for cash at a PayPoint outlet. apply for this, you will need to contact Customers requiring a voucher for a NYCC Customer Services in the usual coin meter or other fuel must indicate way to discuss your circumstances. this to NYCC Customer Services or to These applications will be processed the referring agent when requesting in the same way as other first-time support. applications for food or utility top-up from the Fund.
5 I don’t have money to pay for a call Where can I get urgent help if my to NYCC Customer Services - how application is not successful or if I do I get in touch? am not eligible? You can go to any NYCC Library and Information will be available for those Information Centre in North Yorkshire and who are not eligible for the Fund or not ask them to put you through to NYCC successful with their application to get Customer Services. Alternatively, if you call other forms of support elsewhere in the the Customer Services Centre and give a county. phone number that we can contact you on then we will call you back directly so Where can I get help with other costs that you are not charged for the full call. that aren’t included within the Fund? The Department for Work and Pensions What if I apply to the Fund for are responsible for providing a number of assistance and I am not happy with payments and advances for those who the decision? meet the eligibility criteria. These include: You can ask for the decision to be looked • Funeral Payments at again. Details about how to get the • Sure Start Maternity Grants decision reviewed will be provided in the response to your application. • Winter Fuel and Cold Weather Payments • Short-term Benefit Advances • Budgeting Advances
For further information please speak to your local JobCentre Plus office.
Contact us North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD Our Customer Service Centre is open Monday to Friday 8.00am - 5.30pm (closed weekends and bank holidays). Tel: 0845 8727374 email: [email protected] Or visit our website at: www.northyorks.gov.uk
If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please ask us. Tel: 01609 532917 Email: [email protected]
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