Essential Living Fund

How can I apply?

All applications can be made through our Essential Living Fund pages.

If you have no access to the internet, you will be able to access free time at all local libraires. Please contact your library for further information.

If you live in the Southend-on-Sea City area, you can use the terminals within the Civic Centre to make your claim.

If you live in the Thurrock area you can prebook the use of a computer at Thurrock Council. For more information on how you can access the internet please visit the Thurrock Council website.

If you live in the Essex, please visit the Essex County Council website which will advise you where you can go to access the internet.

Most people have access to support via:

• friends
• family
• support workers
• charities

However, if you do not have any support, we may be able to offer a call back service with help to complete the form. To do this, please call 0300 7900124 and provide your details.

How many times can I apply?

Under the Essential Living Fund Scheme, you are able to claim up to 3 times in a financial year for general living expenses (groceries, energy costs and utilities). This is subject to change.

You can apply for furniture, white goods and household goods once in a 12 month period. There are certain exceptions for this rule such as if you have suffered with a fire or have fled domestic violence. Evidence would be required.

Under the Household Support Fund you can apply up to 2 times in each funding period for support with general living expenses.

Who is eligible to apply?

If you do not live in Essex, you can not apply to the scheme. Please enquire to your local council to see if they have a similar emergency support scheme in place.

Anyone who lives in the Essex county can make an application to see if they are eligible for assistance.

Every application is treated on its own merits and no two applications will be the same.

We look at:

• income
• expenditure
• the reason for the application
• any other information you supply when applying

Contacting us

If we have asked you for further information that you have supplied, please allow 14 days from the date you supplied the information to allow us time to work on it.

If you need to supply more information regarding your application, you can send us an email. Please include your:

• full name
• national insurance number
• address

Chasing an application

Processing times vary. It can take up to 5 weeks for a claim to be assessed. If processing time is taking longer this will be notified on our main Essential Living Fund page.

When will I receive a decision on my application?

We receive a high number of applications to the scheme.

Our main focus is to process these as quickly as possible, however due to a high volume of applications this may take longer than expected. It can take up to 5 weeks for a claim to be processed - any amendment to this timescale will be updates on our main Essential Living Fund page.

How can I check the status of my application?

You can check the status of your application online. This is only possible if you provided an email address when you submitted your application.

An email will have been sent to you when you submitted your application. It will include a tracking reference number which is a 14 character combination of numbers and letters (this is case sensitive).

An example of a tracking reference number - 123456aBCDeFGh

To check the status of your application you can

1. select the page relating to the area in which you live (Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock or Essex)
2. under the heading 'How to apply' use the link to the 'online form'
3. select 'Track the progress of an application'
4. enter your surname and tracking reference number
5. select 'find'

This will then give you the outcome of your application if it has been made.

If a decision has not been made yet you will see:

'Your application was received on the dd/mm/yyyy and is being processed'.

My application status is PAID, what happens now?

You will receive a letter in the post explaining:

• what you have been awarded, and
• if any of the items you applied for have been refused

This will be sent out to the address you put on your application within 1 week of your claim being processed and reading as 'PAID'.

If you have been awarded an all pay card for any of the items awarded, this will be sent separately. It will be posted within 14 working days from the date the claim was processed. Please note post is sent 2nd class. Please make sure you have read your letter in full. This is to make sure you do not use an award on an item it was not awarded. If you do, you will be prevented from claiming from the scheme again.

If you have been awarded furniture, these are reconditioned. The white goods we supply in Southend and Thurrock are new. In any other part of Essex these may be reconditioned. Please see the process of receiving the goods for each area:

Southend

If you live in Southend-on-Sea- and have been awarded white goods, our provider will contact you within a week to arrange delivery and fitting of the goods. They will have to enter your property and will not leave an item there if there is already one in the property.

If you have been awarded furniture or household goods, you will receive an award letter in the post. You would need to take to the shops listed to pick your items and arrange delivery with the shop.

Essex

If you live in Essex (excluding Southend and Thurrock), we will send your details to our provider. They will contact you within a week to arrange delivery and fitting of the goods. They will have to enter your property and will not leave an item there if there is already one in the property.

Thurrock

If you live in Thurrock, you will be contacted by our provider within a week of the paid date. They will arrange delivery and fitting of the goods with you.

My application was refused, what happens now?

You will receive a letter in the post explaining why your application was refused. The letter will be sent out the next working day after the refusal date. If refused on a Friday, the letter will be posted Monday.

If you disagree with a decision that has been made you can make an appeal.

Please await your refusal letter before submitting an appeal as it will have more detail on why it was refused. You can then base your appeal on this if you still disagree.

My claim shows as status 'Paid'- I have received my letter, but I have not received my all pay card yet

If you are awarded an all pay card, this will be posted out within 14 working days from your paid date to the address you submitted your application under. We would not send out a new one until the one already posted to you expires. (Expiry date is 4 weeks from the date of issue).

Please note that if you have a shared mailbox, we cannot be held responsible if your award goes missing. Please make sure that you supply us with a safe address to post your card to when you submit your application. If this differs from your home address, please make you note why you have submitted your application under a different address.

My award shows as status 'paid', I have been awarded furniture but have had no contact in over a week

If you have not heard from our furniture/white goods provider after a week of your award being paid, please email us.

You must:

• provide your full name
• provide your national insurance number
• provide your address
• provide your contact details
• explain you have not heard

We can then chase this up for you.

I have arranged delivery for my furniture but need to change the date, how can I do this?

Once your order is with our supplier, we do not receive information regarding the delivery. As a result, you will need to speak with the supplier directly regarding your delivery.

How can I appeal a decision?

Information about the process can be found on our Appeals page.

Misuse of awards

When we make awards, we have to make sure the funds are used correctly to protect the fund. We do several checks which show where all pay cards are used. When you submit your application, you agree to a declaration.

This outlines that you agree to:

• use the card correctly, and
• keep all of your receipts in case asked for

If you do not have the receipts to support your case, then you may be refused if you request an appeal.

Even transactions that do not go through will be classed as misuse if it was used at a vender that does not sell the items you were awarded for.

Please do not save your all pay card in your wallet on your phone as it may default to this payment method when you do not intend it to.

You can only purchase items that have been awarded as detailed on your award letter.

I am unable to read the pin number on my letter

When peeling the PIN number from your letter, please hold it against a white background to be able to read it. If you are still can’t read the pin number on the letter attached to your all pay card, please:

1. call All Pays automated line 03308080965
2. follow the instructions to get your PIN

I have lost my all pay card, what do I do now?

If you have lost your all pay card you need to contact us as soon as possible. This is so we can cancel it to prevent it being used by anyone else.

If you do not notify us straight away, future claims may be refused.

Please email us and include:

• the last place you used it, and
• the amount of the transaction
• your full name
• national insurance number

We can then request this be reissued with a £6 deduction once we have investigated fully.

If a reissue is successful, you will be notified.