Family Fund - WTF?

[donkeyderby]

Sorry, I know there has been a previous thread on the Family Fund, but I just wanted to say WTF again...

What on earth is going on at the Family Fund? My friend who is on benefits no longer qualifies because her Housing Benefit is taken into account. We are in an area of high house prices and you can't get a 3/4-bed house for under £850 pcm in the most deprived areas.

We still qualify. We both work PT and own our own house, (although it's debatable that we are financially better off for working and we have a massive interest only mortgage).

Surely this is madness? Just who does qualify for the FF anymore? Their FB page is full of praise - no-one seems to be able to question this.

Yup my rent is £1200 and because have 4 dc I'm over to

There must be someone very very stupid making these decisions at the FF. They used to be a really good organisation - I can only imagine they are in the death throws....

I wish I knew who to complain to about this one. Any ideas?

No but at kids sown south talked to someone from ff about it and she mentioned that they might be relooking at it next year

We've never applied for FF but last time I looked we qualified over the summer (when Dh ahs no student income) and not the rest of the year.

We do live in an area that whilst not cherap for the region still is on a national level (don;t be jealous though- wages more than reflect it! One of teh worst hit palces unemployment wise and managerial jobs often with a salry of £15k, £7 - 10 less than Bristol 30 minutes away).

I presume ff only wants to help the usual deserving low erning non claimibg groups- the Victorian Deserving Poor. Basic Tory // post recession puritanical ideology?

FF is a charity so you'd ned to get a copy of their initial statement of inttent (can't remember proper name, charitable charter?) from charities commission and if that sim states poor people, then complain on that basis: in fairness Charity Commission are sticklers and tend to come down very, very heavy (I worked for a charity in same town as a CC base and one of our volunteer groups tran an auction but left charity No off poster: you would weep at the mess that created when a CC official spotted it). OTOH if it just says 'offer help to famillies accorrding to our criteria' you may be a little stuffed. Wortha shot though as the aim seems to have changed over time.

yep, we no longer qualify as HB & CTB are taken into account, we qualified on exactly the same income last year

we got it again this year. This is the last year as ds is 17.Same income as last year

We get it as I'm a single parent with just one child, who is disabled, I'm a FT carer. We live in a high cost area, but in a council flat so rent is low. Last year was the first year I applied, and I really needed it for driving lessons. But I do think it's unfair that so many others are ineligible now.

I don't think it makes any sense to take HB/CTB into account - our CTB is low because it's a council flat but generally flats in this area would be in a higher banding. And similar ex-council flats around here are rented out for three times as much. Plus there are other ways that money has to go further in a bigger family - families with 2 disabled kids still only get one lot of Carers, for example. I hope they reconsider the change in policy.

My friend on HB who has become ineligible for FF can't get a council house - has been waiting nearly 2 years!! it's basically discriminating against anyone living in a high-rent area who can't get social housing and can't afford to buy. How are they any less the 'deserving poor' than someone on benefits living in social housing?

I can only assume they just haven't thought it through. Good idea about the Charity Commission

Does seem a bit silly that having 2 disabled kids and tehrefore twice DLA would push us over financially; surely ther are more downsides then upsides (inclusing stress) to having plural disablities in a household?

It is a crazy old world. I bet they just didn't think about the different permutations within families, and the implications.

We have 2 disabled dc's so double dla and ctc premium, dh earned 5k last year and we have a mortgage and get no hb or ctb and we are still over the limit.
It is crazy, surely they must have to revise the criteria next year as is going to create some real crisis' in families, especialy ones wth more than 1 disabled child.
I know that I am quite scared about thesummer holidays now I know we will not have a break as that is what we use the family fund for, to have a short break in haven or somewhere like that, and thanks to my LA we will get no respite or short break for ds3 and 2 hours a week for ds2.

Yep. We're in receipt of income support but as we have plural diabilities then we're over.

No break for us either this year now, that was what we applied to FF for.