Discretionary Assistance Fund

The Discretionary Assistance Fund is entirely grant based and looks to address the wider needs of applicants with strong links to financial capability, money advice, income maximisation and affordable credit.

There are two types of assistance available from the fund, the Individual Assistance Payment which helps vulnerable people live independently in the community and the Emergency Assistance Payment which helps people who are in financial need because they have experienced an emergency or a disaster.
 
Applies to: Wales

Age rules: You must be aged 16 or over

Type of benefit: Means tested

Taxable: No

Administered by: Northgate Information Solutions, Family Fund Trading and Wrexham Country Borough Council

The Individual Assistance Payment (IAP)

To be eligible to apply for this, you, or the person you care for must be getting either:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit

You, or the person you care for, must also be:

• Leaving an institution such as a hospital, care home or prison after having lived there for three or more consecutive months (or on a frequent or regular basis); or

• Planning to care for someone leaving an institution as described above and neither of you can afford to meet their needs; or

• Needing help that could stop admittance to an institution; or

• Part of a planned resettlement after a period of homelessness or leaving supported accommodation; or

• Experiencing exceptional and urgent pressures on your household, for example, due to domestic violence, chronic illness, disability or an accident; or

• In need of help with a one-off or short-term travel expense which is essential to you continuing to live independently.

The Emergency Assistance Payment (EAP)

To be eligible to apply for this you must:

• Not have the money to meet your needs which have come about as a result of the emergency or disaster; and

• Have no other way to get the money; and

• Think that there will be serious damage or risk to your family's health and safety if you don't get awarded an Emergency Assistance Payment.

It is a limited fund, this means that there is a set yearly budget and once it is spent there can be no further payments from the fund. 

It is also a discretionary fund so even if you are eligible to apply for a payment you may not be awarded a payment.

The Discretionary Assistance Fund and other benefits

 A grant from the Discretionary Assistance Fund does not affect any other benefits or tax credits.

Applications may be made face to face, on the phone, via on-line applications or by downloading and posting a form, subject to the Local Authority’s ability to provide these options.

You can find out more about the Discretionary Assistance Fund and how to apply on the Gov.Wales website

Or you can call:

• 0800 859 5924 (free from a landline)
• 033 0101 5000 (charged at local rate)

Or you can send a postal application to:

Discretionary Assistance Fund, PO Box 2377, Wrexham, LL11 0LG

Updated: June 2018

If you are not happy with the way your application was dealt with, or with the decision made, you can consider making a complaint or asking for a review of the decision to the Local Authority.