About the grants
Street Aid grants of up to £200 are available for people in emergency or temporary accommodation, who have been living on our district streets.
People must meet three criteria to be eligible:
- The person must have a current or recent history of rough sleeping*.
- The grant must be for something that would help the person get off, or stay off, the streets. We can not support items such as sleeping bags which encourage people to stay on the streets.
- The person must have links to Lichfield District**.
- The application needs to be completed by a support agency who will submit the grant request on behalf of a rough sleeper.
The grant can be used to purchase a range of items to support someone's bid to get or stay off the streets.
Examples could include an outfit for a job interview, work clothes, a coat or shoes, a laptop or phone to help with job searching, a bus pass or bike to get to a job or appointments, or items to help support a move into more permanent accommodation. Funding could also be used to help set up a small business - for example equipment or licence applications.
Guideline grant amounts
To help as many people as possible to benefit from the fund, we have set funding guidelines amounts for the grants***.
- Clothing and shoes - £100 interview outfit, £80 work clothes, £100 winter coat, £50 shoes.
- Mobile phones, tablets and laptops - £70 mobile phone, £100 tablet, £200 laptop.
- Bikes - £150 bikes, £75 helmet, lock and lights.
- White goods such as fridge-freezer, washing machines - £150.
We also encourage people and the agencies supporting them to source second hand items where possible. If sourcing second hand electrical goods referrers must ensure they are appropriately tested to make sure they are safe.
Assessment and timelines
- Applications are assessed by the Staffordshire Community Foundation, against the above criteria and a decision is made by the Staffordshire Community Foundation team.
- Because we recognise people need this help as soon as possible to maximise their chances of staying off the streets, the team aims to respond to new referrals within a maximum of 2 weeks to confirm the funding will be made available, and transfer funds within a further 2 weeks. Referring organisations can however make arrangements immediately after the confirmation of award, knowing the funding will be sent to them in due course.
- The funds are transferred to the referring organisation to arrange procurement of the items as per the grant award.
- Once the applying agency has received funds, we would expect the funds to be spent as per their application within 8 weeks. If funds have not been spent as per their approved application by 12 weeks, Community Foundation can recall any funds remaining.
- There is a limit of £200 total grant award per person in any 12-month period (from the date of the first award)***.
Long-term ambition
Once the fund is established and has attracted sufficient funds, the ambition is to also launch grants of up to £750 move-on grants to people who have an offer of stable accommodation.
Notes
* We view rough sleeping as anyone who is/has been sleeping or is about to bed down in the open air or in buildings or other places of shelter not designed for habitation.
** We include those new to rough sleeping (those who have not been seen sleeping rough in Lichfield District in the 5 calendar years preceding the date they were seen), those who are long term rough sleepers (those who have been observed sleeping rough in 3 or more months of the previous 12 months) and those returning to rough sleeping (those who return to rough sleeping after no contact for 180 days).
*** We reserve the right to vary awards based on exceptional circumstances.