Sheffield City Council has received a Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant from the government through DEFRA. The award amount is £774,649.19, and is intended to be spent within this financial year
to support the people of Sheffield through these difficult times.
You can apply for a Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Grant if you live in Sheffield and you are having difficulties paying for food and other essentials due to Covid-19 or you are indirectly affected eg someone who you rely on is not able to provide you with essential support.
One grant will be issued per household except in very exceptional circumstances.
The grant can pay for:
- food and housekeeping (groceries, toiletries, baby essentials etc)
- essential travel costs (job hunting, starting a new job, medical appointments etc)
- telephone and broadband (mobile phones, top-ups, broadband charge etc)
- gas and electricity
- clothing, including school uniforms
- essential furniture / white goods
- rent in advance and deposits for new tenancies
- rent arrears where this is a risk of eviction
( other reasonable requests will be considered )
It cannot be used for:
- paying loans
- statutory activities/requirements that either the Council or another public-sector organisation is responsible for delivering
You can apply online here
If you need support to apply for the Emergency Assistance Grant call
the Council on this dedicated number 0114 273 4567 .
We ( Disabilty Sheffield ) are aware of the following further points regarding applications.
Hardship
Applicants must be able to reasonably demonstrate that they are struggling to afford food and other essentials due to Covid-19. This includes the provision of bank statements for example, and completion of an income and expenditure. If an applicant is working with a support agency who has already compiled an income and expenditure sheet, this may be submitted in support of the application.
There is no upper income limit, as people may have financial obligations which were entered into at a time when they could meet those obligations
Award amounts
The award level will be determined according to the need and circumstances of the applicant, but will not exceed £1000 unless there are very exceptional circumstances. Awards exceeding £1000 will be subject to application volumes and fund availability.
Processing timescales
When all the necessary information and evidence is provided the Council will aim for a maximum of two working days to process an application and make a decision. If an application is very urgent, for example an applicant has very little means of accessing food, the Council will aim to process within one working day, or will refer for other urgent assistance to alleviate the emergency.
Award method
The Council will make awards in a variety of ways, depending on the purpose of the award. These will usually be:
- a bank transfer to the applicant’s bank account, or a landlord’s bank account, which would take 3 working days to clear
- a faster payment CHAPS bank transfer in exceptionally urgent circumstances, and subject to approval
- provision of supermarket vouchers or travel vouchers
- provision of cash
- provision of goods such as furniture and appliances through the council’s furnished team
The Council will seek to use the most appropriate method of award, according to their judgements around administrative ease, fraud prevention and in consideration of the applicant’s circumstances.
Right to Review
There will be a right of review of decisions made on applications for Emergency Assistance Grants. Review requests should be submitted within 28 days of date of the decision letter.
Find out more about support from Sheffield City Council here .
