Funding Guidelines

Background

Change into Action Coventry has been created by a consortium of local and regional government, public and voluntary sector organisations working across the city. Change into Action is an initiative that is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Homelessness Taskforce.

Change into Action has three objectives:

Providing the public information about homelessness
Providing the public, a way in which to give money to support people who are or have been rough sleepers
Enabling the public to identify and locate rough sleepers so that they can be connected to local support services

It is vital that in raising funds there is a clear and transparent process for managing, prioritising, distributing and reporting on funds.

The Change into Action Funding Panel for Coventry will oversee the fund by approving and allocating funds from the monies donated in accordance with the guidelines for funding.

1. Conditions of Use

Applications will only be considered from approved Change into Action Delivery Partners. These are local organisations who are working with and will make an application on behalf of an individual rough sleeper in need, an individual who has rough slept recently or an individual who is in imminent danger of rough sleeping. See section 6a for information on how to become a Change into Action Delivery Partner.

Decisions on funding will be at the sole discretion of the Change into Action Funding Panel, Coventry. Where necessary, they may request further information from the Delivery Partner in order to progress and process a funding application.

The following conditions apply to the use of the Change into Action fund:

No service user will be asked to repay any amount of the Change into Action fund. The fund must never be used as a loan fund.
Applications for the same items for the same service user (e.g. a new microwave) will not be funded.
Repeat applications may be considered, on a case by case basis, if it can be evidenced that the provision of a further payment will prevent homelessness or rough sleeping from occurring.

2. Definitions

Rough Sleeper/Rough Sleeping - For the purposes of clarity, Change into Action seeks to define the term ‘rough sleeper/rough sleeping’ below using the Government’s 2010 definition:

“People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or “bashes”).

In terms of clarifying whether a service user 'has recently been rough sleeping', we ask our Delivery Partners to define the date and duration that the service user was rough sleeping. However, we have placed no set limit upon a time frame this may include. The decision to award funding will be solely at the discretion of the Change into Action Funding Panel, Coventry after thoroughly assessing the application.

3. Change into Action Funding Principles

All means of alternative funding should be explored first, providing evidence where appropriate when making an application for Change into Action funding.
The fund must not be used to replace statutory benefits, government awarded grants or any other payments to which the service user has entitlement.
Change into Action funding will only be granted if there will be a demonstrable positive impact upon the life of a rough sleeper, helping them to transition from the streets or to stay off the streets and access settled accommodation.
The expenditure of Change into Action funding must be reasonable and necessary.
Change into Action funding applications and grants will bear public scrutiny, creating an ethos where involvement, accountability and transparency are welcomed and where challenge is viewed as a crucial and constructive measure of improving outcomes.

4. What can the Change into Action Fund be used for?

This will be dependent on each service user’s needs and around their individual case. Examples of uses that may be considered appropriate are listed below. Please note, this list is not exhaustive.

For example:

Sudden increases in demand due to severe weather 
Provide support to help rough sleepers volunteer or become ‘work ready’
Specific items, i.e. clothes, toiletries, transport costs, birth certificates, training, etc.
The first £10 on the electricity meter
Kitchen items and appliances or furniture when moving into independent accommodation
A bedding set for a new flat
The fee to join an art class that builds confidence and self-esteem
The first month’s gym membership as part of a new life away from the street
New clothes that fit and express value
The personal charge for the first two weeks in accommodation
A rent deposit for a private flat and/or any landlord incentives
A travel card for a month for getting to appointments

Change into Action would strongly encourage a conversation with the individual about what would make a difference in their lives.

All applications for funding up to £1,000 will be referred to the Change into Action Funding Panel, Coventry for decision. Applications for amounts above £1,000 will only be considered by the Funding Panel in very exceptional circumstances.

5. Fund Administration

The Funding Panel will have responsibility for overseeing the fund and its allocation.

Coventry Cyrenians will act as the fund holder and will administer payments to Delivery Partners by bank transfer.

Donations will be collected online through an agreed portal (PayPal), with a link provided through the Change into Action Coventry webpage. Coventry City Council will direct visitors to its webpages who wish to donate to Change into Action and we invite our partners to do the same.

Coventry Change into Action Funding Panel will consist of partner organisations, including a representative from Coventry City Council. Application decisions will be made by majority.

Any appeal to a decision outcome should be made in writing within 5 working days to the Chair of the Change into Action Funding Panel, by the organisation who is applying, explaining how they believe that the application request does meet the Change into Action Funding Guidelines. The Chair of the Change into Action Funding Panel will re-visit the decision making process and re-consider the request and will advise of the outcome.

Panel members cannot be involved in the decision making if they have a vested or pecuniary interest in the application. If they have an interest, they must declare it before the decision is made and withdraw from the decision making process in relation to that application.

Change into Action Funding Panel members will include a member / representative of:

Authentic Centre Coventry
The Salvation Army
Coventry Cyrenians
Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre
The Housing Network
Coventry City Council - Chair
Coventry Community Safety/West Midlands Police
Coventry BID
St Basils Coventry Youth Hub
P3

6. Application Process

a) Registering to become a Change into Action Delivery Partner

Before any funding applications can be made to Change into Action, your organisation must register as a Change into Action Delivery Partner. You can do this by completing the Delivery Partner Application Form which can be found on the Change into Action/Coventry website.

The Change into Action Funding Panel, Coventry will review your application and notify you once you have been registered as a Delivery Partner. We will aim to process these applications within 5 working days. The Change into Action Funding Panel may request additional information from organisations in order to verify the application.

The Delivery Partner Application Form will only need to be completed once to allow us to register your organisation as a Change into Action Delivery Partner.

b) Submission of Funding Applications

Once your organisation is registered as a Change into Action Delivery Partner you will receive a link to access the online Change into Action Funding Application Form. All applications for funding must be made by completing the online Change into Action Funding Application Form.

Any queries about the submission process can be sent to changeintoaction@coventry.gov.uk.

We aim to process funding applications and inform you of a decision within 5 working days. For all applications marked as ‘Emergency’, we aim to have a decision made within 2 working days. Emergency applications should be clearly marked, by ticking the relevant box on the online form.

Please note the Funding Panel can only approve application requests that do not exceed the amount currently held in the fund account.

c) Purchase of Goods or Services

The Change into Action Funding Panel will notify the Change into Action Delivery Partner of the outcome of the application.

Once communication has been received that the application has been successful, the Change into Action Delivery Partner should purchase the agreed goods/services needed. The Change into Action Delivery Partner should ensure that they retain all receipts and evidence for the purchases made.

Cash should not be given directly to an individual.

d) Payment to Delivery Partners

Once the Change into Action Delivery Partner has purchased the approved goods/services they must provide by email to changeintoaction@coventry.gov.uk with the following information:

Receipts for all purchases
Evidence that payment has been made by the Change into Action Delivery Partner
Confirmation that the service user has received the good or services

A copy of this information should be forwarded to changeintoaction@coventry.gov.uk within 4 weeks of an application being approved. If you do not submit the required documents for payment within this timeframe Change into Action Funding Panel will close your application and reallocate the funds.

Payments will not be made to Change into Action Delivery Partners until all evidence of spend is received for an application.

7. Record Keeping & Monitoring

Change into Action Delivery Partners must record how any monies obtained from the fund have been utilised. These details should be logged in the service user’s file or appropriately recorded in some other way. Receipts must be obtained by the Delivery Partner for all purchases and the original proof of expenditure should be retained by the Delivery Partner.

Coventry Cyrenians will provide to Change into Action Funding Panel a quarterly statement of monies received and paid out. Change into Action Funding Panel will reconcile the statement with the approved applications and receipts. Any receipts not received within 4 weeks of an application being approved will lead to the application being closed and reallocation of the funding.

On a quarterly basis the Change into Action Funding Panel will produce a report providing the number of approved and rejected applications. They will also provide the amount of donations received to date and how much has been spent to date and to which Change into Action Delivery Partner. This report will be presented to the Homelessness Forum.

8. Changes to an Approved Application

If the cost of product which has been approved changes, please notify the funding panel by email to changeintoaction@coventry.gov.uk of the reason for the change in cost and the new expected cost. The funding panel will consider the revised costs and reasons for these and the Delivery Partner will be informed if these can be approved.

9. Impact of Funding

The funding panel is keen to hear stories of how the support funded has made a difference. These can be provided in all sorts of different ways, including case studies, interviews with support staff, use of performance monitoring information etc. As part of receiving a grant the funding panel would like to work with organisations to support any communications campaign and show the positive outcomes that are being achieved through Coventry’s partner organisations. The funding panel would welcome the opportunity to talk with organisations that have received funding about how the public might get to hear about what has been done with their money.