George House Trust Low Income Help
Check this page for the advice services we (and others) offer.
Welfare Funds and financial help
George House Trust has a welfare fund available for people living with HIV in NW England.
CRUSAID
We can apply for you for a grant from Crusaid, the national HIV Hardship Fund. These grants are discretionary and the decision about whether to pay is made independently by Crusaid. You do not have to be on benefits to apply, but if your weekly income is above Crusaid's top limit, they will not help. Ask us for details of Crusaid's current rules.
Children with AIDS (CWAC) Fund
We can apply for you for help from the Children with AIDS Charity Hardship Fund. They can give grants for essential items and expenses relating to children (clothes, bedding, bills etc), whether or not the child or young person has HIV.
Other Charities
We also have contacts with many other local and national funds that can provide financial help.
Community Care Grants
If you receive Income Support, you may apply for a Community Care Grant from the Department for Work and Pensions to pay for some items. George House Trust can help you with this.
Local HIV charities welfare funds
Some other HIV charities in NW England also have their own small welfare funds. Ask local HIV services for what is available.
Grants for Individuals In Need
Most HIV charities should have a book called Grants for Individuals In Need or a web version, the FunderFinder PIN software, which is an easy way to search for a suitable charity, among around 3500 in the database.
FunderFinder suggest :
- If you are a student, see the welfare officer at your college, or in your students' union: some even have online advice
- If you're thinking about money to study or improve your career prospects, get advice from your local Connexions (if you're 13 - 19) or nextstep agency if you're older
- Try your local Citizens Advice Bureau or other advice agency
- Alternatively, use the local library which should have the books which FunderFinder uses as its sources - the key book almost every library will have in its Reference section is Grants for Individuals In Need.
- Look in FunderFinder's leaflet Money for Individuals. Some local libraries will have the FunderFinder PIN software on the public computers.
- Check out links to other useful places on the web.
Some hospitals may have small grant funds. Ask the hospital social worker.
Some councils administer funds for ancient local charities. Usually this is done by the Chief Executive's office.
Some churches and faith groups may be able to help.
If you are / were a member of a trade union, trade, profession, armed forces, and in other situations, there are charities and other welfare funds (local, regional or national) that may be able to help individuals. Some, but not all of these, will be in Grants for Individuals In Need and FunderFinder PIN computer database.
Small charities
Some charities don't allow their details to be published, and charities with small funds are not in the book / in the database. Every charity in England is on the Charity Commission database, which you can search. However you either need to know its name, or charity number.
Click the links to the other pages in this Low Income section, in the menu on the left
- Increasing Income
- Cuttinfg Spending
- Dealing with Debt
- Where to get help.
If you have suggestions for what would be helpful, please email us.