Local Welfare Provision (LWP)

Medway Local Welfare Provision

What is the LWP?

The Local Welfare Provision (LWP) is here to help people in Medway who can't afford essentials and are in crisis. Those who meet the criteria could get support including:

Food
Toiletries (e.g. toilet roll, soap, feminine hygiene products)
Bills (e.g. emergency heating top-ups, electricity)
White goods (e.g. a fridge or microwave)
Clothing

How it works

Do you need help with money or essentials?

The Local Welfare Provision (LWP) is available to Medway residents in exceptional emergencies and those in crisis.

We will look at your application, and all the options available to you, before we consider giving you the grant. The criteria are restricted with the funding fixed for the current financial year.

What is a "crisis"?

For the Local Welfare Provision, a crisis must be be:

Experiencing Domestic Abuse, Neglect or Harm.
Leaving Care or Prison.
Suffered a Flood or Fire.

If you have experienced one of the above within the last three months, you may qualify. Evidence may be requested. If you do not meet this criteria, you are not eligible and will be signposted elsewhere such as the Medway Household Support Fund.

How can I apply?

There are two ways to apply for the Local Welfare Provision (LWP):

Either the applicant or a third party can ring us on 01634 383 760
Either the applicant or a third party can complete the online application

Apply now

Who is the LWP for?

The Local Welfare Provision supports Medway residents who need:

help to establish themselves following a stay in care or prison to remain in the community rather than return to care or prison
help to ease exceptional pressures on their household caused by domestic violence
help recovering from a flood or fire at home

For access to the LWP, you:

must have lived in Medway for at least 12 months, not counting stays in prison or hospital.
must be able to show us evidence that you do not have enough money to buy food, gas or electricity and/or essential household items for yourself or your household

If you do not meet the criteria for the Local Welfare Provision, our team will signpost you to alternate sources of support.

After you have applied

When we have received the form, your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted by our office within 24 hours (Monday - Friday only).

After we’ve contacted you and gone through the assessment process, your application will be passed to our decision maker and you’ll be advised of the outcome as soon as possible. Please be aware that certain awards are subject to availability from our suppliers so we won’t be able to confirm how quickly a delivery will be made. A member of the team will contact you as soon as we know when you should expect a delivery.

When you are contacted by our office, we will ask you some more questions to help us determine if your application is successful. You may be told that your application has been unsuccessful based on your application form.

All applicants will need to go through a money advice assessment. If your application is unsuccessful, you will still be given advice on other options and how we can help you in other ways.

Apply now

The Application Process

All applications must be made via the online form on the 'Apply Now' page. If you can't access the form, you can call our office and we will complete the form with you over the phone. Alternatively, someone else can complete the form on your behalf, such as a friend, family member, or support worker.

After the online form is completed, your application will be reviewed and you will be contacted by our office within 24 hours (Monday to Friday only).

When you are contacted by our office, you will be asked additional questions to help us determine if your application can be deemed successful. You may be told that your application has been unsuccessful based on your application form. All applicants will need to undergo a money advice assessment. If your application is unsuccessful, you will still be given advice on other options to help you manage your crisis.

Evidence Needed

When we contact you to discuss your application, we may ask to see evidence of your crisis and proof that all other avenues of support have been explored.

Some of the evidence we will need to see depends on the type of assistance you've requested from the fund.

This could include:

pictures of your gas or electric meters, displaying how much credit you have
proof of your address
hospital discharge papers
proof of domestic abuse

If your application is unsuccessful

Applications are not automatically successful. Your application may be rejected if you apply for something which is not covered by the Local Welfare Provision (LWP).

The fund can not be used for:

Any costs which are normally met by state support (e.g. topping up your rent can be met by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit)
Tenancy deposits / advance rent payments
Repairs of electrical equipment
Holidays
Installation fees (phone, internet, etc.)
Mobile phones (including charges, top-ups, etc.)
Debts
Vehicle expenses
TV License
Costs associated with care provision
Household repair costs

If your application is unsuccessful, we will discuss other options with you to see how we may be able to help.

If your application is successful

If your application is deemed successful at the end of the assessment process, we will contact you to tell you:

the type of award you will receive
how and when your award will be provided to you

These can change greatly depending on the type of award and this will be discussed when you're notified that you've been successful. For example, if you've been awarded white goods then we will need to schedule a date and time when a home delivery can be made.

Please be aware that we are restricted on how much we can spend on each type of award. For example, if you are successfully awarded a bed, there is a limit on how much we can spend on buying the bed for you. Some items will be second hand.

If you have already applied for the Local Welfare Provision (LWP), been told that your application was unsuccessful and you need more help, then please contact us.