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Anglian Water Assistance Fund

Anglian Water Assistance Fund

The Anglian Water Assistance Fund (AWAF) has been set up to support customers in financial hardship. The fund is administered by Charis Grants Ltd on behalf of Anglian Water and the aims are:-

To administer a grants programme aimed at reducing water and sewerage debt for customers experiencing poverty and hardship throughout the region.
To make awards that will help people recover from the burden of debt and become financially more stable.
To make a long term position difference to applicants financial situation.

How can the Fund help?

The fund can consider helping you if you are in debt with your water and/or sewerage charges to Anglian or Hartlepool Water and you are a current domestic account holder of Anglian or Hartlepool Water.

The fund may be able to help you to clear arrears of domestic water and sewerage charges by offering a number of solutions.

How to apply for help

If you would like to apply for help you can download, print and complete an application form. Alternatively you can call us on 01733 421060 to request an application form. You will also need to send us proof of the amount of income you have and where it comes from e.g. wages, benefits, etc.

Please click here for an application form.

If you are asking for help with your water/sewerage charges, we will look to see how much is owed to Anglian Water/Hartlepool Water.

When filling in you application form, please read section 12 carefully to see what information you need to send into us with your completed application. Don't forget to sign the application form in section 11 - if the form is not signed we cannot assess your application.

You can now apply online.

The quickest way of applying is by completing and submitting the online application form by clicking here. On receipt of the application we will provide an email acknowledgement. We will then contact you for supporting evidence (detailed in Section 12 of the application form, e.g. income proof) in order for the assessment of your application to begin.

Sending in your application.

Once you have completed and signed your application, you should send the form and the necessary information about your income, medical condition, etc. to:

Anglian Water Assistance Fund

PO Box 42 Peterborough PE3 8XH

Please check that you have put the correct postage on the envelope. Incorrect postage will result in delays in our receiving and dealing with your application.

FAQs

How will you deal with my application?

As soon as Charis Grants receives your application, a hold will be put on debt collection action on your account while your application is dealt with.

If you are claiming certain benefits, namely Income Support, income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Pension Credit Anglian Water will initially apply to the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) on your behalf for the Water Direct scheme which will allow your debts to Anglian Water to be cleared by making small regular instalments out of your benefits direct to Anglian Water. This has the following advantages for you:

Making payment is easy and free
You do not have to remember to make payments
Your will no longer be chased to clear your debt to Anglian Water.

Your application will be put on hold until an outcome from the DWP is known. If you are eligible for Water Direct you will be informed in writing by the fund.

If you are not eligible for Water Direct your application will be assessed. If it appears that the fund is able to help with your water and/or sewerage debts the fund will write to tell you that a provisional award has been made. Your debt will not be cleared immediately. During a specified period (between six and twelve months depending on your level of debt) following your provisional award you will be required to demonstrate your commitment to improving your own personal financial stability, i.e. the intention to pay current and future costs on an ongoing basis and avoid getting into debt in the future. Your commitment would be demonstrated by:

Discussing with Anglian or Hartlepool Water how you might be able to reduce your bills including whether any of their reduced tariffs or metering would be beneficial for you. The fund does recognise that this may not be appropriate for all applicants. Anglian or Hartlepool Water will send you information to help you decide.
Payment of current/ongoing usage to Anglian or Hartlepool Water while your application is being dealt with. This will immediately show the fund that you are currently financially stable. You are strongly advised to contact Anglian or Hartlepool Water to discuss ongoing payment arrangements. Direct Debit payments are recommended as they are a more convenient way to make payments and can help with monthly budgeting.
Seeking help from expert money advisers/other relevant free support agencies to help with future budgeting if you have not already done so.

Following the specified period (six or twelve months) after your provisional award has been made, if it can be seen that you have taken steps towards achieving financial sustainability, you will receive a letter confirming your award and a payment to Anglian or Hartlepool Water will be made to clear your debt.
The fund reserves the right to withdraw the application at any point during the provisional award period if inadequate payments have been made.
If the fund cannot help with a water and/or sewerage award the fund will write to tell you. Please note that the fund does not give particular reasons why an award is not made.
As the fund receives many applications for financial assistance it may take a few weeks to process your application.
If we think that other organisations might be of interest to you, Charis Grants Ltd may provide you with information about their work or share your details with them so that they can contact you about their services.
Your information may also be used for research and analysis purposes by other organisations.
You may receive letters, emails, telephone calls or a home visit as part of our assessment process.

How will I know if I have been successful?

Charis Grants Ltd will inform you of the decision of the fund. If the fund is able to help you by clearing your water/sewerage debt, a payment will be made directly to Anglian Water/Hartlepool Water.

How often can I apply for help?

If you receive an award from the Fund, you cannot re-apply. If you do not receive an award from the Fund, you can re-apply after six months.

Can I find out why my application was unsuccessful?

We regret that the fund cannot disclose to applicants why applications are unsuccessful. However, the following may give you some guidance on why we are unable to help everyone.

The Fund does not have enough money to help everyone who applies

Each week, the fund gets asked for much more money than it has available. This means that the fund cannot help everyone and has to make very difficult decisions about who it can help. The fund prioritises help to applicants where there is evidence that a one off award will make a difference and help the applicant towards being financially stable.

The Fund needs to be sure how the debts came about

Where applicants are looking for help with water/sewerage charges, the fund will always look for a full explanation of how the arrears have arisen.

Sometimes applicants do not fully explain how the arrears have come about. It is difficult for the fund to consider making a payment if it cannot see how the arrears have arisen.