Essential Item Grants
We realise sometimes everyone needs a helping hand. Our essential item grant programme is aimed at individuals or families who have found themselves in circumstances of financial hardship and are in need of an essential item. If you find yourself with a broken cooker and don’t have the funds available to buy a replacement, or you have moved into new accommodation and need a fridge freezer and money is tight, you may be eligible for an essential item grant. Essential item grants aren’t limited to white goods, previously we have helped individuals and families with an award for a dyslexia assessment for their child, funding towards mobility scooters to allow people still be independent, working with other local funders we were able to help finance a bespoke electric wheelchair. We may also be able to help with transport costs, debt-related fees, school trips, counselling and other essential items or services. We review each individual application on its own merits.
To apply for an essential item grant, the application must be filled out by a professional referrer who can endorse your request. If you're working with a housing officer, social worker, family support worker, or a local charity, someone within these organisations should be able to assist you in completing the application. Once your professional referrer has submitted the online application on your behalf, we will reach out to you to confirm acceptance of the grant. Subsequently, we will coordinate the fulfilment of the grant.
To be eligible for an essential item grant you must:
- Live in our area of benefit: The Borough of Wokingham.
If you are not sure please type
the recipient’s postcode into
https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council and check the postcode is in “Wokingham Borough Council” - Be a UK citizen or have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK
- Not have received a previous essential item grant in the last 12 months
What CAN be covered by a grant?
- An essential item that will reduce the need, hardship or distress of people in difficult circumstances e.g. furniture / white goods
- An essential service that will reduce the need, hardship or distress of people in difficult circumstances e.g. educational school trips, transport costs, training courses, counselling
- Debt associated fees i.e. cost of passport, bankruptcy fee
What costs CANNOT be covered by a grant?
- General living costs
- Debts
- Non-essential items
- Items that are the responsibility of the state or local authority
- Retrospective payments for items already purchased
- More than one request per recipient per calendar year
If you would like to apply for a grant, please click here.