How to Apply
You can apply for yourself, for a relative or on behalf of a friend. You do not need a referral to access our grants. You can ask someone to help you with the application or you can call us and we can help you to fill in the application form.
As a reminder, you, or the person you are applying for, needs to meet our 3 basic eligibility criteria:
Aged 60 or over
The Trust cannot help anyone below the age of 60. We cannot make any exceptions. We may ask for proof of age.
Living in St Albans District
If you pay Council Tax to St Albans District Council you live in the District.
In need, hardship or distress
The Trust helps people who are on a low income, or are suffering financial hardship because of a one-off event, such as a bereavement. As a rough guide, we generally consider a low income to be less than £350 a week for a single person and less than £500 a week for a couple. We take into account income from pensions, benefits, (including Universal Credit, Attendance Allowance, PIP) wages and other sources. We also need to know about your savings. If other people live with you, e.g. adult-age children, we will ask about their income too and their ability to contribute to buying what you need. We also take into account your monthly outgoings, in particular housing and care costs.
You will need to fill in an application form. You can get an application form by:
- Download it here
- Call us and we can post one to you
- Email us and we can post or send one to you electronically
- Fill in the Contact Me form and request a call back
- Come and visit us at The Hub every Wednesday 10am-12.30pm
Applications cannot move forward until proof of age, proof of address and bank statements are provided.
Download an Application
Download a Word document Grant application form. After downloading, fill in the form and email it to us at grants.admin@staopt.org. Alternatively, print and complete it, then post to us at the address on our contact page.
Apply now
Please tick the boxes to confirm you are eligible to apply, then fill in the form below to start the application process. We'll get back to you to gather more details about your application.
Need help?
Phone us on: 01727 260701 or 07541 653442.
Email us: Grants.admin@staopt.org
Application Process
Stages and Timings
1
Apply
Fill in an application form, with as much detail as possible.
2
Check
When we receive your form we may contact you to ask for further information or copies of documents such as bank statements or proof of age. We sometimes have to make home visits to make an assessment. This will always be done by two people who are DBS checked. We may sometimes need to bring a tradesperson with us, depending on the job that you have requested.
3
Trustee Review
Your application is then presented to the Trustees for consideration.
4
Decision
If the Trustees have no questions, we will contact you to let you know what they have decided and the next steps.
5
Service/Item Delivery
The supplier will contact you directly to arrange a delivery date for your item, or a start date for your service.