Crisis Resilience Fund - Eligibility & Resilience Services

Description

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) replaces the Household Support Fund and is intended to provide timely crisis support to households experiencing financial hardship or sudden shocks. The fund helps residents meet essential living costs while also supporting longer‑term financial resilience. Launched by the government on 1 April 2026, the CRF requires local authorities to deliver support rapidly and transparently, with clear accountability for the use of public funds. In line with the grant criteria, the funding should be allocated across three strands: • Crisis Payments: Cash-first approach to meet urgent needs (food, utilities, essential goods). This should be a multi-channel application-based process, allowing for individuals to self-refer. The fund should be available year-round, with flexible eligibility for low-income households and those facing a financial shock. Crisis payments should be person centred, trauma informed and needs based. • Resilience Services: Initiatives to build financial resilience for individuals and the community and includes services such as debt advice, income maximisation, savings advice and affordable credit. • Community Coordination: Investment in activities that connect and enhance the local support landscape - strengthening partnerships, referral pathways, and local welfare ecosystems. Hampshire County Council is therefore commissioning a specialist third‑party organisation to carry out eligibility checking on its behalf, ensuring: • Compliance with DWP guidance • Fair, consistent decision‑making • Proportionate checks that do not delay crisis support • Robust audit and assurance arrangements Alongside this the specialist third-party organisation will be required to deliver: • Deliver financial resilience/capability and wellbeing support • Build individual, and community, skills and confidence in financial resilience • Support vulnerable people early to reduce the need for further crisis support • Strengthen links to wider community resilience services • Work with partners to report outcomes for DWP monitoring