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The low income in Ealing can apply to welfare for emergency assistance. The council runs a small fund that provides crisis payments that can cover certain types of bills. All decisions on who receives a grant and what the funds will pay for are at the discretion of the council.

The aim is to both help families solve an immediate financial crisis and to also help the person maintain an independent life in the borough. So the council will then pay out any funds with that being the priority. A crisis can be caused by lack of housing or maybe not being able to afford food. Or if someone is facing a heating crisis, then pre-paid cards can be used for fuel bills. So the assistance from the local welfare scheme in Ealing will vary.

Housing payments can be part of welfare. The council may issue funds to help with the deposit on a new home. Or in some cases, some of the rent in advance due to the landlord can be paid out. While arrears may not be paid, the team at the Ealing council can refer the tenant to Discretionary Housing Payments for that expense.

Other bills paid by the crisis payments can include clothing or a grant can pay for a bag of food. Welfare can also help with pre-paid meter fuel debt or a reconnection charge to turn heat back on during the winter. There may even be payments for a limited number of travel expenses. A applications are assessed one off by the Ealing council, and the welfare funds are issued at their discretion.

Free advice is also available from the Ealing council. Staff from the office, or partners such as CAB, will provide debt advice and information on budgeting. Other programmes will help people find a job in the borough or the City of London.

Payments made from Ealing Council

The grants will be issued to the individual on a pre-paid card. This will ensure the money is only spent on expenses that the council authorised. Everything is tracked by the Ealing council, and any improper use of the funds or fraud will addressed. In many cases, the purchase will even be rejected if it is not used properly.

The above are just some examples of what may be paid. The fund is very small, and once welfare has been used up each year, then no other payments will be made to anyone that applies. Also, the assistance is one time only and is for exceptional hardships, not for residents of Ealing that are in long term poverty situations. The council will also require people to attend budgeting workshops in order to get a crisis payment. This will help them gain independent living.

The Ealing local assistance scheme has different eligibility criteria. It is for low income families that have no other options. They also need to be local to the borough. While exceptions can be made by the council, many of the people that receive a payment are on benefits. Another focus is on people with are threatened with a health or safety issue due to lack of funds.

Call the Ealing council at (020) 8825 6237 for information or applications to welfare.