Back on Track Policy 2023-24

Settlement support aims to help applicants remain in the community or move back into the community after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation and assist the most vulnerable.

There will be two stages to the assessment of a settlement support application:

• an assessment of need - to establish if the applicant meets one of the qualifying conditions set out in 3.1
• a financial assessment - to establish if the applicant has any excess income or capital including a Department for Work and Pensions budgeting loan that could be used to meet some or all of the required support

3.1 Qualifying conditions

Applicants must meet all of the following qualifying conditions:

3.1.1 The applicant or their partner is entitled to one of the following:

• Income Support
• Jobseeker's Allowance
• Employment Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit and working less than 16 hours per week

Or they are leaving accommodation in which they receive significant and substantial care and supervision and expect to be discharged within 6 weeks and receive one of the benefits above.

3.1.2 The applicant or their partner requires support for one of the following:

• support to move back into the community after a stay in supported or temporary accommodation or following an unsettled way of life, for example hostel or sleeping on the streets (but only where they will be setting up home in the community as part of a planned resettlement programme)
• support to move out of inappropriate accommodation
• support to stay in the home and prevent a move into residential care or hospital
• support to prevent a serious deterioration of health within the home
• support with costs to ease exceptional pressures for the applicant and their family, for example a breakdown of relationships within the family (including domestic violence, honour based violence or forced marriage)

3.1.3 The applicant or their partner who lives with them must meet one of the following:

• they have a serious physical health problem for which they are receiving treatment or there is a severe risk to their health and safety
• they have a dependent child who normally lives with them and that child's health and safety would be at immediate risk
• they are at risk of homelessness
• they have a substance or alcohol misuse problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for
• they are on probation or receiving support relating to their offending history
• they are affected by or at risk of domestic abuse, hate crime, honour based violence or forced marriage
• they have a learning disability
• they have a physical or sensory impairment
• they have a mental health problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for
• they are pregnant
• they require support with costs to ease exceptional circumstances for the applicant and their family

3.2 Settlement support award values

The value of the settlement support award will not usually exceed £500 in a financial year and be appropriate to the needs being presented and the financial situation of the applicant. In exceptional circumstances the maximum award value may be raised in order to ensure a household has access to essential household items which meet the needs being presented at the time of application. The Council will undertake a full income and expenditure calculation of the applicant and their household to determine if they have any excess income or capital that could be used to meet all or part of the cost of the support.