Naturally people have questions before they apply to us for help. The PA to the Director of Casework is your first port of call. She says: There are questions that all potential applicants ask me and the most frequent are listed below.
Applicants have other things in common too. I would say almost all have never had to ask for help before and hate it. Some are so upset I can hardly hear what they are saying. I ask for their name and address so that I can write to them and invite them to write back.
Unfortunately, because they are embarrassed and upset, some people are quite aggressive.
The thing to remember is that we are here to help you, not to judge.
We are a charity that provides practical and financial support to people from a wide range of backgrounds.
We give help to people of British or Irish nationality who, broadly speaking, hold or held jobs that required NVQ level 4 or equivalent. This usually means anyone who has had substantial training to do their job.
We also help spouses or ex spouses, partners or ex partners of anyone that matches our criteria.
Our beneficiaries are people who have slipped into poverty due to physical or mental illnesses, family breakdown, bereavement or redundancy. If these aren't the main causes, they can certainly make a situation worse.
We also help older people who have inadequate pensions.
The kind of help we give depends on individual circumstances. The most usual is a regular allowance transfered to your bank account once a month.
The amount is carefully calculated so that it does not affect any other benefits you might receive. Here's what some beneficiaries have told us
"It made the difference between being able to pay the gas bill or not. It took away some of the worry."
"EFCs help means the difference between being able to eat healthily or not and to have some sort of social life."
"I was drowning before and EFC took me from absolute despair to empowerment. I managed to pay off my debtors."
In addition to the regular allowance, in some circumstances, we award an extra needs gift. This can be used to buy or replace a piece of household equipment such as a washing machine. One beneficiary used hers to buy a computer to help her find out more about her rare illness.
Some beneficiaries might not have a supportive family or many friends. Regular contact with our well-trained caseworkers and volunteer visitors makes them feel valued and cared for.
"I don't just get inspirational words, but practical, loving support its a whole package", says one beneficiary.
Unfortunately, we don't pay for holidays as a rule. Occasionally we might be able to give a small amount to help existing beneficiaries.
We are sorry we can't help with the above. However we do pay a small amount each term to help the children of existing beneficiaries through university. Also, in some situations, we will help you find other sources of funding.
You will find a short form in the back of the information booklet we will send you. Once we have received your completed form we can tell you immediately whether or not you are eligible.
The process usually takes six weeks. The case worker assigned to you first has to build a case. They will need to contact the Department of Work and Pensions and the local council. This is to confirm other benefits and council tax respectively. Next, your case goes before our committee which sits once a month.
It also depends on the amount of information on your application form. For instance, you might be eligible because your partner or ex partner (retired or dead) meets our criteria. Contacting people to ask for that information takes time.
The more information you give us, such as occupations, copies of benefit letters, copy bank statements, copy passports if needed - the quicker we can deal with your application.
Yes we do. There is a savings limit of £10,000 and the maximum we give is £50 per week.
