Barking and Dagenham Local Emergency Support Service welfare scheme

People over the age 18 that are local to the Barking and Dagenham borough can get help from a few different schemes. Some of them, such as the Local Emergency Support Service (LESS) are run by the local council, and these can help with paying bills and other crisis needs. Other benefits, including the Disability Living Allowance and Freedom Pass, are funded by the central government.

Since there as many as 10 benefits as well as grants available for families, it is recommended to ring the DABD Welfare Benefits team for free advice. They provide a helping hand to the vulnerable in the borough. This is a team that can help people with form filing for financial assistance, answer any enquiries, and in general help with the entitlements available.

When it comes to financial assistance to pay for bills and other needs, the local welfare provision in the Barking and Dagenham borough is known as Local Emergency Support Service. Based on criteria set by the council, this scheme (which is discretionary) may be able to help in the following ways. There may be food parcels given to feed a family for up to 3 days. This is used for people facing a short term crisis.

The vulnerable, such as older people or the sick in Barking and Dagenham, need to have heat. This is critical for health and safety reasons. The welfare grants from LESS can therefore be used to pay for either heating costs or other energy bills. The council can also help the client apply for gas or electric bill schemes.

Other grants may also be provided for emergency costs. All of this form of financial support is at the discretion of the Barking and Dagenham government agency. Whether it is housing, funeral costs, or another needs, help is offered as part of welfare. It is short term support that may allow the individual to stay warm for several days.

LESS is also aimed at ensuring people take responsibility for themselves. This often means them budgeting, increasing income, and avoiding high priced loans. The DABD Welfare Benefits team works with Citizens Advice Bureau Dagenham (ring 020 8592 9405) as well as the centre in Barking (telephone 020 8594 6715). The specialists offer free many advice and can help people apply for other benefits, such as rent help from local housing allowance (LHA), school lunches, and more.

Between Citizens Advice and the Welfare Benefits Team, much advice is given to the vulnerable. The teams support people to take responsibility for their own lives. The specialists show clients how to save money so they can afford the increasing costs of living (especially rent and food) in Barking and Dagenham. Job programmes are also part of this.

Additional benefits in the Barking and Dagenham borough

The availability of small grants from the LESS welfare scheme is limited. This is also a discretionary assistance programme, and people are not entitled to it. But there are other benefits that may be able to help the vulnerable with paying their bills. Whether it is food, light bills, housing, or transportation, some of the other schemes are as follows.

• -The Freedome Pass is a free travel pass for transportation in Barking and Dagenham borough and across London.
• -Disability Allowances is for children that are disabled and heave health care needs.
• -Housing allowances are available for paying a portion of rent, and the DABD Welfare Team is a source of information on this.
• -Personal Independence Payment can help with bills for the disabled under the age of 64.

There are also a few other benefits that vulnerable individuals and families living in poverty can apply to. Anyone seeking financial help needs to be local to the Barking and Dagenham borough. If they are, and if they are in a crisis, the DABD Welfare Benefits has a centre at 51 Ripple Road, Barking, IG11 7NT, telephone 020 8252 5340. Ring them for an appointment on any of these welfare schemes.