I'm moving into my first home, can I get help to buy a Cooker & other essentials?

The DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) has three schemes which may assist you with the cost of purchasing essential household items such as a Cooker or Fridge and other household items such as furniture. The scheme you apply to will depend on your personal circumstances, and are as follows:

Crisis Loan - This loan will be repaid interest free

Eligibility

Applicant must be aged 16 years or above.
Applicant does not need to be claiming any benefits.

Other Information

You may qualify for a crisis loan if you are unable to pay for basic living costs and this will be a serious risk to the health and safety of you or your family.
You may qualify for a crisis loan if you are unable to pay for something else such as cooking equipment or a fridge and this will be a serious risk to the health and safety of you or your family.

For more information about Crisis Loans contact your local DWP office.

Budgeting Loan - This loan will be repaid interest free

Eligibility

If you have been claiming Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) or Pension Credit, or payment on account of a combination of these benefits, for at least 26 weeks, you may be eligible for a Budgeting Loan.
The maximum amount you can borrow on a Budgeting Loan at any one time is dependent on your circumstances but will not exceed £1500.00, if you have an existing loan the current balance will be taken into account.

For example, if your circumstances dictate that you are entitled to the maximum loan amount of £1000.00, then the balance of your existing loan, for example £400.00 will be deducted from the £1000.00 meaning the maximum new amount you can now borrow will be a further £600.00
N.B. The maximum loan amount of £1500, will not apply to all applicants.
A varying upper limit (not exceeding £1500) will be applied depending on your circumstances.

A budgeting loan can be used for:

Buying furniture or household equipment.
Buying clothing or footwear.
Paying rent in advance or removal expenses for a new home.
Paying travelling expenses.
Paying for things to help you look for or start work.
Improving, maintaining or securing your home.
Repaying hire purchase (HP) or other debts you took out to pay for any of the above.

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Other Information

Whether you can get a Budgeting Loan will depend on your personal circumstances. These are how long you have been on benefit and the number of people in your household.
Whether you can get a Budgeting Loan also depends on how much you already owe the Social Fund and how much money is available for Budgeting Loans.
You cannot get a Budgeting Loan for less than £100.00.
Savings of more than £1000 (£2000 if you or your partner are aged 60 or over) will usually affect how much you can get.

For more information about Budgeting Loans contact your local DWP office.

Community Care Grant - This Grant does not have to be repaid

Eligibility

You may be eligible for a Community Care Grant if you:

Plan to leave institutional care or a care home.
Need help to stay in your own home and not go into institutional care or a care home.
Need help because you have had an unsettled way of life and are being resettled by an organisation like a local council or housing charity.
Need help because you and your family face exceptional pressure, such as family breakdown or someone in the family having a long-term illness.
Look after someone who is ill or disabled, or has been released from custody on temporary licence.
Need help with expenses such as visiting someone who is ill, or to attend a relative's funeral.
Need help because you or your family are in a similar situation to any of the above.

Other Information

Community Care Grants help people who are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit who are likely to get one of these benefits when moving out of institutional care or a care home.
They help people live independently in the community and ease exceptional pressure on families.
They cover a wide range of personal circumstances and variety of needs and expenses.
They do not have to be paid back.
Whether you can get a Community Care Grant will depend on your particular circumstances. Payments are discretionary and subject to certain conditions.
Savings of more than £500 (£1,000 if you or your partner are aged 60 or over) will usually affect how much you can get.

For more information about Community Care Grants contact your local DWP office.