Housing Guide for Care Leavers

As a local authority, Kensington and Chelsea Council has a discretionary setting up home grant payment offer that is used to help care leavers on very low incomes with urgent essential needs including on occasions, the costs of moving home.

The setting up home grant does have some conditions and benchmarks for the funding allocation, which are outlined below. 

Setting up Home Grant ( SUHG)

When you move into your long-term accommodation you may receive a setting up home grant (SUHG). The amount is discretionary and will vary depending on what type of tenancy you get, the standard of the property and what essential furniture items you may need. The available grant may be up to £3000 or equivalent in goods already received. Your social worker or personal advisor will assess with you what you need.

• If you obtain a tenancy from Housing Management (the Council) you will receive and Enhanced Offer which includes full decoration, flooring and white goods as part of the offer. As you will have received some essential items and decoration already you will receive a grant less that the maximum for remaining essential furniture items.
• If you receive a tenancy via a Housing association, you will not receive an Enhanced offer so may receive a grant up to a maximum of £3000. However, please note this is subject to assessment of need.
• If you are moving into semi-independent accommodation, which is temporary and you need some items to furnish it, you may be able to access small amounts from the setting up grant earlier. You are able to access up to £300 for necessary items, but this will come out of your total allowance. You will only be able to buy items once out of this allowance and requests for the same item, cutlery, for example, cannot be covered when you move from one accommodation to another.