Open Doors Grants Programme

Eligible applicants must meet ALL the following eligibility criteria:

1. Be a service user of Family Action or an authorised partner of the Open Doors programme.
2. Have right of residency in the United Kingdom.
3. Be in receipt of one or more of the following means-tested benefits* (evidence will be required):

• Income-based JSA
• Income-related ESA
• Income Support
• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Working Tax Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Pension Credit
• Council Tax Support

* We recognise that there may be exceptional circumstances where an applicant is not currently in receipt of means-tested benefits at the time of submitting the application. If this is the case you will be expected to provide a detailed explanation on the application form and we may need to defer the application in order to ask for more information.

4. Be experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD), i.e. experiencing at least two of the following simultaneously at the time the application is submitted:

• Serious mental health problems. For the purposes of this grants programme a “serious mental health problem” is defined as a “clinical diagnosis” of a mental health problem.
• Homelessness/at imminent risk of being made homeless*. For the purposes of this grants programme “homeless” is defined as one of the following:

• • Sleeping rough or sofa surfing.
  • Living in temporary accommodation such as a refuge, hostel or B&B.
  • Moving into new accommodation within 9 weeks of the application being submitted immediately following a period of homelessness.
  • Being issued with an “Outright Possession Order” or an “Eviction Notice” which means a home must be vacated within 28 days.
• Domestic abuse
• Sexual exploitation
• Substance misuse
• Frequent contact with the criminal justice system (but not in prison)

*PLEASE NOTE those who have so far only been issued with a Section 21 “Notice of Seeking Possession” will NOT be accepted as homeless for this grants programme.

We regret applications cannot be accepted from:

1. Service users from organisations that are not partners of the Open Doors programme or Family Action.
2. Asylum Seekers or those with no recourse to public funds.
3. Those who do not meet the eligibility criteria detailed above.
4. Employees of referring organisations.
5. Applicants with savings of £1,000 or more.

Grants are available for essential personal and household needs such as clothing, beds and cookers, smartphones, utility bills and rent deposits. Almost any essential need can be considered (with the exception of the exclusions below) if the application demonstrates that a positive difference will be made to the life of the applicant as a result of receiving a small grant.  The applicant will have to demonstrate that a small grant will make a significant difference in averting a “crisis” situation and that this can be sustained.

Grants are not available for: daily living expenses (e.g. food and travel), rent due or rent arrears, education or training needs; laptops/computers, business start-up or other employment costs; legal costs, recreational needs; council tax arrears; debts (except utility bills); fines; funeral expenses (including associated expenses, such as headstones); gifts (such as toys for birthdays, Christmas or other festivals); repayment of loans; bankruptcy; items already purchased; holidays and passport costs.

The average grant is likely to be in the region of £250 to a maximum of £320.  If the applicant requires more than the maximum amount available from the Open Doors programme they will be asked to explain how the balance will be raised.

One application can be made per family or individual in a 12 month period.

All grants will be paid, by BACS, to the referring organisation with the exception of Family Action where alternatives are available and details are provided on the application form.

1. Enter your email address at the login page at https://family-action-trustsearch.org.uk/apply/welfare/intro.aspx. You will be taken to the registration process. You will need to tell us some information about yourself, and verify that you can receive emails to the address that you specified.
2. Once set up is complete you can log in and make applications. Click “Create a new Open Door application” and complete the application form.
3. The application is saved automatically as you move from one page to another. If you wish to save your application form and return to it later click the save button on the last screen completed.
4. You will need to upload evidence that shows the applicant is receiving means-tested benefits such as a recent Universal Credit Statement or a bank statement showing benefit(s) received. The evidence must show the applicant’s name as well as the benefit(s) received and must be less than 3 months old. You can upload a PDF file or an image (JPEG or PNG).
5. Click “Submit” to send your application to Family Action. Note:  After you click “submit” you will not be able to make changes as you will no longer be able to access the application.

NOTE:  Once you have a password it can be used for all applications.  If you forget your password just follow the instructions on the screen to create a new password.

Go to https://family-action-trustsearch.org.uk/apply/welfare/intro.aspx and log in with your email address and password. You will be taken to a screen where you can access incomplete applications or create a new one.

Yes, we will require a copy of the applicant’s bank statement, showing their name and means-tested benefit(s) received that is less than three months old (the statement provided should be for the complete month).  If the applicant is only in receipt of Council Tax Support or Housing Benefit, which may not be detailed on their bank statement, we will also require the most recent documentary evidence that they are in receipt of these benefits.

Email the Grants Service at [email protected] detailing your problem and using screen grabs to illustrate your problem, if appropriate.  The grants service will get back to you as quickly as possible. We review all emails and if our automated response does not answer your questions we will reply individually and telephone if necessary if a contact number is provided.

We are only able to offer limited telephone support so in the first instance please email your enquiry to [email protected]. Our telephone helpline is currently open between 1pm to 3pm from Tuesday to Friday. Calls will not be taken outside these hours however you can always email us. 

1. You will immediately receive an automated email providing you with a unique reference number for the application submitted (please quote this number in any future correspondence) and the date of the meeting at which the application will be considered by the grants panel.
2. You will be informed of the grants panel’s decision, by email, within 2 working days of the meeting date at which the application is considered.
3. If the grant application is successful a payment will be made by bank transfer before the end of the week following the meeting at which the application was considered. A remittance advice will be sent to the email address provided in the Partner Information Details form. Payment options for Family Action service users are detailed on the application form.
4. If the grant application is deferred then you will have 2 weeks in which to provide the information asked for so that the application can be assessed. If the information has not been received within 2 weeks then the application may be made unsuccessful. If you wish to appeal this decision and can supply the information requested when the application was deferred we will be happy to reconsider our decision providing sufficient funds remain available. See below on how to appeal.

You will be asked to complete a short survey about the impact the grant has had on the individual/family. A link will be provided in the email telling you that the grant has been successful and will ask you to complete the survey within 4 weeks.

If, after 4 weeks, the survey has not been completed we will send you another email reminding you that the survey needs to be completed.

If we consider that you have unreasonably failed to provide any feedback we have requested, we reserve the right to refuse to consider any further applications made by you.

The majority of unsuccessful applications are because the applicant does not meet our eligibility criteria so it is very important to check these before taking the time to submit an application.  The other key reason is because funds are not available – we have allocated all the funds.

If your grant application is unsuccessful and you would like us to review our decision we are happy to do so on receipt of an email detailing the reasons why you feel a review is required.  In your email please provide the unique reference number of the application in the subject line of the email and send it to [email protected]  We will respond to each review request individually as soon as we can which will usually be within 7 working days.

Please note we will only enter into correspondence with the referring agency that submitted the application. 

Email:              [email protected]

Post:                With regret we are unable to acknowledge or respond to postal enquiries unless an email address is provided.

Phone:            07816 408119 on Tuesday to Friday from 1pm to 3pm. Calls will not be taken outside these hours however you can always email us.

NOTE:  The grants service is open between 9.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday.  The grants service is closed on Mondays