This page is for the residents of Havant Borough Council.
If you live in Hampshire, visit the Hampshire County Council Website.
About the Crisis and Resilience Fund
The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is funded by UK Government. It provides support for low-income families and individuals who are experiencing a financial
Shock, or at risk of falling into crisis. There are two types of payments that residents can apply for. These are:
- Crisis payments for those facing urgent financial difficulty.
- Housing payments for those in temporary difficulty – Please visit our Housing Payments page on our website to apply online.
Examples of a financial shock
Examples of a financial shock include (but are not limited to):
- A sudden loss of income or reduced hours;
- An unexpected essential bill or cost;
- A delay or change in benefits;
- Illness, caring responsibilities or a family emergency;
- Urgent housing issues, that increase financial pressure.
Where appropriate, eligible residents can receive a crisis payment in addition to wider support.
Eligibility for a crisis payment
Residents may be eligible for a crisis payment if they:
- Live full time in Hampshire (please note that Southampton City, Portsmouth City and the Isle of Wight Councils operate their own schemes).
- Are facing financial hardship: applicants must be experiencing a crisis, such as inability to pay for essentials (e.g. food or fuel) or have a sudden loss of income.
- Have an immediate need, primarily for unexpected events such as appliance failure or emergency housing needs.
- Have an adult in the household that is currently entitled to a means tested, passporting benefit, including Universal Credit, pension credit (guarantee credit), or housing benefit or;
- Have a low household income after paying essential living costs.
- Can evidence they are a household that does not have sufficient resources to resolve the immediate crisis without going without essentials, incurring unmanageable debt, or exacerbating financial harm.
- Have limited access to savings (less than £6,000).
Evidence you will need to provide
- Financial information, such as bank statements from the last month, recent income details, and any savings.
- Photo identification and proof of address.
- Proof of crisis – for example quote for repairs of white goods, letter of redundancy, bill for car repairs.
How to apply for support
To apply for crisis support, residents should contact their local Citizens Advice service who administer CRF payments on behalf of Hampshire County Council.
If a resident is having temporary difficulty regarding meeting the shortfall in their rent between their UC housing payment or Housing benefit, please apply for the Housing Payment Fund on our website Application for a housing payment. Any payments made will be made directly to the landlord.
Most payments for the Crisis Fund will be made in the form of vouchers that can be exchanged for cash at the Post Office or Pay Point vouchers that can be ‘cashed in’ at stores running a Pay Point scheme. Any payments made from the Housing Payment Fund will be paid directly to the landlord.
For more information on other support available through the crisis resilience fund, please visit Hampshire County Council's website.