Safe and Secure Assistance
- What is Safe & Secure Assistance?
- What types of work may be eligible?
- What is the level of Assistance?
- Who can apply?
- How will my application be processed?
- Who chooses the contractor?
- How can I make an enquiry?
What is Safe & Secure Assistance?
Generally Safe and Secure Assistance is targeted at the elderly or vulnerable household in order to provide assistance, with smaller, urgent works.
There are two main types of Safe & Secure Assistance:
- To address certain hazards in the home, including essential and urgent repairs, and
- Minor Disabled Facilities adaptations, where this is considered to be more appropriate than through the more usual Mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant process [This is following assessment by an Occupational Therapist from Social Services]
What types of work may be eligible?
Safe and Secure assistance is primarily aimed at reducing the risk of harm from potential hazards in the home caused by housing defects, poor design or internal arrangement.
Hazards may include:
Risk from fire, risk from falls due to bad internal arrangement, electrical hazards, and hazards associated with damp and mould growth
Also, certain types of housing defect can create serious health and safety hazards to the occupants.
Examples of Eligible works include:
Electrical rewiring, repairs to the roof, windows, or doors, replacement floors, plumbing or drainage problems.
What is the level of Assistance?
Safe and Secure Assistance is limited to works costing no more than £5,000, with a limit of 2 applications amounting to a maximum of £7,000 in any three year period.
Who can apply?
This assistance is available to owner-occupiers and private tenants. Applicants must have occupied their home as their only or main residence for at least 3 years immediately prior to the date of application for assistance, except in Renewal Areas, or where the works relate to means of escape in case of fire, or other fire precautions.
Applicants must be either:
- elderly (aged 60 or over), or
- vulnerable (including the disabled, lone parent families with children under the age of 16 years, or 19 years if in full time education, low income families and the chronically infirm)
And in receipt of certain specified means tested benefits, or their equivalents below:
- Income Support
- Council Tax Benefit
- Income-based Job Seekers Allowance
- Working Families Tax Credit
- Disabled Person’s Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
How will my application be processed?
All requests for Safe & Secure Assistance are assessed by the Council’s Inspecting Officer using a Government derived Housing Health and Safety Rating System, having regard to the nature of the occupier’s vulnerability. Under this scheme, hazards graded as "Category 1 or 2" qualify for assistance.
Safe & Secure Assistance is discretionary and is subject to sufficient funding being available. Assistance is targeted at those in most housing need and all enquiries are prioritised under the Renewals Assistance Enquiry Priority Scheme.
Who chooses the contractor?
All eligible applicants are assisted by Care & Repair (Warrington), Home Improvement Agency, who will prepare and submit your scheme for approval, and will employ a builder from their approved list to undertake the works on your behalf.
How can I make an enquiry?
You can obtain the relevant forms and details to register your enquiry by contacting:
Private Sector Housing
PO BOX 875
Warrington
WA1 1WP
Telephone 01925 442425, Fax 01925 442412 or email Privatesector@warrington.gov.uk
or call into our reception at:
Homelessness & Housing Advice / Private Sector Housing Reception
theGateway
89 Sankey Street
Warrington
WA1 1SR
To request further information, please click here to go to the online forms section.
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