Warm Home Essentials Scheme

The aim of this scheme is to provide sustainable longer term energy efficient measures to keep homes warmer, by providing carpeting and curtains to those that meet the scheme eligibility criteria.

Eligibility Criteria:

As this scheme provides high value items there is an expectation for professionals to complete due diligence checks of the property.

Professionals to confirm the resident meets the eligibility criteria below and confirm that no carpets or curtains etc. are in situ, if unable to confirm we can ask Town and Country Peabody (our delivery partner) to go out to check the home before the application is approved (please make this clear in the application if a home visit is required).

To be considered for the scheme, applicants must:

• Be aged 16 or over
• Be a Kent resident, permanently living within one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (excludes Medway, Bromley, and Bexley).
• Be in receipt of means tested benefits
• Have a household income of less than £40,000 per year
• Not have more than £1,000 in savings
• Be living in social housing - Local Authority owned dwellings or Private Registered Providers (PRPs such as Housing Associations) stock.

We will not be supporting any temporary housing tenures as we are looking to provide long-term impact measures to households.

Applicants applying for carpets must:

• Have no carpeting, or the carpet is threadbare or is not safe.

Applicants applying for curtains must:

• Have no curtains in place.

This is a closed scheme - please do not promote wider than your relevant colleagues supporting the specific target groups mentioned above.

Application process

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be approved (subject to funds being available). Applications that do not meet the criteria, but have a supporting statement from the referrer, will go to panel for discussion (held weekly). Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis.

Carpeting

The maximum award is £1,000 per household. The award is only available for one main room, e.g. living room or bedroom. Applications for multiple rooms will be considered if within budget (referrer is asked to list rooms in priority order within the application). Carpets will be provided by Carpetright - an appointment will be made to measure and fit carpets as part of their normal service.

Curtains

The maximum award is £200 per household. Our delivery partner ‘Town and Country Peabody’ will visit the applicants’ home to measure. Curtains will be from Argos. A curtain pole can also be purchased if required, within the budget.

Application link:

If support is required with carpets and curtains, apply for the Household Support Fund by completing the online form

Please email householdsupportfund@kent.gov.uk if you have any queries.

This support is funded by the UK Governments Household Support Fund - the scheme will close once all funds are spent or before 31 March 2024.