Changes to the Turn2us Response Fund
Since the Turn2us Response Fund was set up in 2017, we have given over £780,000 to hundreds of families across the UK! But we know we can always do more. This is why we have increased the household incomes limits so we can help more people.
By increasing these limits we can reach more people and give greater support to those struggling on low incomes.
Low income criteria
The household income is assessed against an individual's/family’s situation and the residual income they have after their essential housing costs are met.
The following tables show what the income limits have now been raised to:
| Household type living in the UK (in work or/and in receipt of benefits or tax credits) | Average weekly income, after essential housing costs, at or below the following limits |
|---|---|
| Single adult of working age, fit and well, with or without children | £175 |
| Single adult in employment, with or without children | £200 |
| Single adult of working age, with ill health and receiving ill health benefits, with or without children | £210 |
| Couple of working age, fit and well, with or without children | £215 |
| Couple, where one or both are in employment, with or without children | £240 |
| Couple of working age with ill health and receiving ill health benefits, with or without children | £300 |
| Single pensioner | £255 |
| Pensioner couple | £337 |
| Single pensioner receiving ill health benefits | £325 |
| Pensioner couple receiving ill health benefits | £410 |
| Household type living in Republic of Ireland (in work or/and in receipt of benefits or tax credits) | Average weekly income, after essential housing costs, at or below the following limits |
|---|---|
| Single adult of working age, with or without children | € 290 |
| Couple of working age, fit and well, with or without children | €440 |
| Single pensioner | € 360 |
| Pensioner couple | € 540 |
Essential housing costs
Essential housing costs (for the home they occupy) include:
- Rent
- Mortgage Costs
- Rent and Mortgage Costs for those in Shared Ownership properties
- Service charges for leasehold properties
- Council Tax.
Eligibility
Applications to the Response Fund must be made by a trained and accredited intermediary organisation on behalf of individuals who meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
- In need of essential financial assistance to help relieve the effects of a changing life event that has taken place within the last twelve months
- Aged over 18 years
- Income below set limits (see tables above)
- £4,000 or less in accessible savings
- British or Irish nationality or residents who live the majority of the time (and for at least half of each year) in the UK or Ireland
- Not in full-time, first or second degree courses at university or college.
Disregarded sources of income
The following sources of income are disregarded when assessing income:
- Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independent Payments
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credits
- Childcare element of Working Tax Credits or Universal Credit or premiums paid for children
- Inaccessible trust capital
- Inaccessible pension funds
- Board and lodging payments from adult children living in the house
Timing is everything
For applications where rent in advance or rent deposit is requested, we need to know whether an application for assistance with these costs has been made to the local authority. The Response Fund can only help when there is no other provision and when the rental cost is within the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for the area.
Additionally, the rent should be affordable. This means if an applicant is on Universal Credit at the upper level and their benefit is capped, a high rental even within the LHA may not be affordable.
If the rental is not affordable for the applicant, we would recommend considering when the best time would be to apply to the fund. The Turn2us Response Fund can only be accessed once and it may be more beneficial to wait until an application could be as successful as possible.
Documents
The only documented proof required for the Turn2us Response Fund is a copy of a full months statement for all bank or savings accounts held by an individual and their partner.
If applicable, we will also need to see a breakdown of their entitlement under Universal Credit, unless evidence of need is required, for example tenancy details for rent in advance or an undertakers bill for funeral costs.