Crisis Grants
Crisis Grants aim to help people who are in a crisis because of either
- A disaster (like a flood or fire) or
- An emergency (like needing to travel to visit a sick child or having all your money stolen)
There must be an immediate threat to the health or safety of the applicant or their family.
Grants will be considered if you have no alternative means of paying for what you need and will be awarded according to your priority rating. Your application may not be successful depending on the number and reason for any previous applications.
If you qualify for a Crisis Grant, the help you receive will depend on the particular difficulties you face. You may be given money or another form of support.
Community Care Grants
Community Care Grants aim to help you settle or maintain living in the community. There must be some risk that this may not be possible without a grant. A Community Care Grant may help if you:
- Are about to leave care to live on your own in the community
- May have to go into care unless you get some support to enable you to stay at home
A Community care grant can also help households facing exceptional pressure with one-off items (like a cooker or a washing machine).
Eligibility
You must be aged 16 or over to apply for assistance from the Scottish Welfare Fund and normally be entitled to one of the following benefits or on income equivalent to:
- Income Support/Jobseekers Allowance (Income based)
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income related)
- Pension Credit (Guaranteed Savings or Savings Credit)
- Universal Credit
You must also be homeless or resident, or about to become resident in the local authority area.
The amount of funding each council gets to spend each year on the Scottish Welfare Fund is limited and unfortunately, there is not enough money to assist everyone who applies. Your application will therefore be given a high, medium or low priority rating according to your individual circumstances and needs.
How to apply
How to apply
- Crisis Grant Online Application
- Community Care Grant Online Application
- By phoning 01595 74 4682 and asking for the Scottish Welfare Fund team (Crisis Grants only)
- Download a claim form (PDF, 122kB)
- In person at SIC Headquarters, 8 North Ness Business Park, Lerwick, ZE1 0LZ. Please note that appointments are not necessary and crisis grants can only be considered for same day decisions Mon-Fri between 0900 – 1545
Due to limited funding we are only able to consider applications that are deemed to be High Priority this month.
What happens if I don’t qualify for a grant or my application is refused?
You may be eligible for help and support elsewhere click here.
You can also ask for the decision to be looked at again. This is called a review. Find out how to apply for a review here.