Covid Winter Grants Scheme – ends 31st March 2021

I am writing to you to let you know of a fund provided to us by Devon County Council to distribute to the whole of Devon for those in need. There is a timeframe on which we can share this money therefore we are asking for your help in sharing this information to the residents within your area. I have included some information on the scheme below but also attached some premade social media posts / images altered to represent your area, they can be used on your websites, newsletters, social media pages etc.

The DWP have provided a significant fund to County Councils and Unitary Authorities across England under the Scheme ‘COVID Winter Grant Scheme’. The aim is to support vulnerable households with the cost of fuel or food due to the continuing hardships caused by Covid-19.

Citizens Advice Devon are working on behalf of Devon County Council to distribute this fund to Devon residents in need. It will be prioritised for those for whom a payment will help mitigate the risk of self-disconnection and can include working families, single-household families, older people – anyone who is in need of fuel support so long as they are eligible.

We will be able to provide vouchers, top up smart meters online or even make payments to online fuel accounts. We can offer vouchers to the value of £28 or £80 depending on the clients circumstance.

The fund itself will not be available for long as the scheme finishes on March 31st so we need your help to spread the word.

We do not want to advertise the eligibility factors as if they are not eligible then we may be able to help the client in another way, we do not want anyone turned away if they do not believe they fit the criteria.

Eligibility

To be eligible for support under the scheme:

(a) They must have been impacted financially, due to Covid-19, and in need of assistance fuel.

(b) Ideally, we would like them to fill in an Income & Expenditure planner and / or a benefits check, to support them in understanding and addressing underlying need. Whether or not they agree does not affect them receiving vouchers.

(c) They must be a Devon resident. Once the above eligibility has been confirmed please place the client into our Covid Winter Scheme work queue via Casebook system. Further eligibility checks will then be completed by our advisors

Thank You  Jessica Park
Jessica Park
Digital PA | Media & Comms
Citizens Advice East Devon
Mob: 07468 586 111
Teams: 01404 519 219
www.citizensadviceeastdevon.org