For many people the normal commute is replaced by long trips to the hospital and the impact this can have on finances can be stark at a time when they are already under immense strain.
But the world outside the hospital doors continues, the same daily pressures exist, and the bills still need to be paid. To help people in these circumstances we created the Emergency Fund, which provides grants of up to £500 in the immediate aftermath of brain injury.
We are proud to announce that our fund has just surpassed a new milestone. Since its launch in June 2011, the fund, which is supported by The Stewarts Foundation, has provided more than £400,000 in grants to help more than 1,900 families dealing with the sudden financial implications of an often life-changing brain injury - such as unexpected travel costs and emergency accommodation.
Also, every applicant is given extensive signposting to other organisations that can provide further support, advice or financial assistance. This is regardless of whether the application is successful - signposting is tailored specifically to them and is linked to their profession or where they live.
Who can apply?
Anyone may apply to the Headway Emergency Fund. However, we are unable to support applicants who do not reside in the United Kingdom. Only one application per survivor of a brain injury can be considered.
The purpose of the Headway Emergency Fund is to support families facing an increased financial burden following a brain injury.
Our resources are limited, and Headway will assess the financial circumstances of each applicant when allocating funds and prioritise those in greatest need. We cannot consider applications for families with savings of more than £1,000.
What support can we provide?
Travel costs for families visiting relatives in hospital or rehabilitation
- Emergency accommodation costs
- Clothing needs (related to the brain injury, such as significant weight loss)
- Travel costs to ongoing outpatient appointments relating to the brain injury
- Essential white goods, where a survivor has been made homeless and re-housed in accommodation lacking basic equipment such as a cooker or fridge
- A one-week self-catered carer’s break at a cottage in Pickering, Yorkshire
Click here to find out more and make an application.
BackMy story
'It meant I could breathe'
Imagine being unable to afford to travel to be by the hospital bedside of your partner as they lie in a coma having sustained a brain injury? For Eleanor Simcox, and hundreds of others across the UK, this nightmare became a reality.
Find out how the Headway Emergency Fund gave the family space to cope.
Read story