Scheme purpose and start date
Purpose of the scheme
The Essential Living Fund (ELF) is primarily intended to help vulnerable people live as independent a life as possible in the community.
Its prime objectives are to:
- help people establish in the community following a stay in an institution, care home, hostel or similar, in which they received care
- help people discharged from prison and youth offender institutions
- help young people leaving local authority care establish in the community
- help people remain in the community rather than enter an institution or care home in which they will receive care
- ease exceptional pressures on people or their families
- help people set up home in the community, as part of a planned resettlement programme, following an unsettled way of life
- help people with certain travel costs
- help people who are unable to meet their immediate short term needs either in an emergency in relation to some expenses or as a consequence of a disaster
For more on each of these, see the explanation on our Eligibility page.
Start date of the scheme
The ELF scheme has been effective from 1 April 2023.