Housing grants and other assistance
Local councils are under an obligation to provide grants for adaptations for residents who privately own their own home. Forms of assistance include grants, loans, practical help and advice in relation to any factor affecting the conditions of the home.
In order to provide the wider discretionary assistance the councils must adopt a policy that provides details of what assistance is available.
Warwickshire councils have all adopted the same policy so that residents are confident they will be treated equally wherever they live.
Details are available regarding our policy on housing grants and other assistance.
Urgent help and support
There are limited circumstances when a case will be prioritised as being urgent. The Financial Assistance Policy contains these criteria in section 9.
In general is should be assumed that cases will be dealt with in date order.
Hospital Discharge Grants will be dealt with urgently as these are designed to help prevent people staying in hospital or a care / nursing home longer than is necessary. The works must relate to the home environment and would be used to facilitate that discharge.
HEART has the discretion to prioritise a resident if the property is in such a condition to present an immediate and significant danger to the occupants or visitors. In general this will relate to the condition of the property, ie dangerous and exposed electric wires or a fire/heater discharging combustion gases in to the property.
As the circumstances could be diverse and also relate to personal circumstances, eg sleeping in a room that relies on a dangerous heating source, it is not possible to list each condition and cases will be decided on their particular merits by more senior officers.