Crisis Payments provide short-term help for people on low incomes who are facing a recent financial crisis and cannot meet an urgent essential need.
You must be able to show that you are experiencing a recent crisis. Examples can include:
serious damage to your home or possessions caused by a fire, flood or another unexpected event
an accident, health emergency or mental health crisis that causes unexpected essential costs
domestic abuse where immediate help is needed to move to safe accommodation
an essential item breaking, such as medical equipment, a boiler, white goods or essential furniture
lost or stolen money where you need emergency living expenses
a short-term gap in income, for example following redundancy
To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you are on a low income. For the purposes of this scheme a household can be considered a low income if any of the following applies:
You are a single income household of less than £30,000 (ie you are the only person living in your household)
You are a joint income household of less than £40,000 (ie there is more than one of you living in your household)
You are in receipt of a means tested, passporting benefit, including Universal Credit, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit), Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Reduction
You have satisfied an affordability test of your household income and expenditure and accessible capital, and you can demonstrate that the household does not have sufficient resources to resolve the immediate crisis without going without essentials, incurring unmanageable debt or exacerbating financial harm
Have the following information ready:
your personal details, including your National Insurance number
evidence of your financial situation, such as a recent bank statement showing at least one month's transactions
information or evidence about the crisis you are experiencing
Support depends on your circumstances. It could include:
a payment towards an urgent essential cost
food support
energy support if you use a pre-payment meter
white goods or essential furniture
advice or a referral to other support that may help with your longer-term financial situation
Apply for a Crisis Payment
Make sure you have read the information above and have the evidence you need before starting.
Each application is assessed using your individual circumstances and the information you provide. The council may also connect you with other support that could help with the underlying cause of the crisis.
We'd love to hear about your experience of applying for support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund. If you've applied, please take a few minutes to complete our feedback survey. Your comments will help us understand what's working well and how we can improve the support we offer to residents.
