The Crisis and Resilience Fund
On behalf of Richmond Council, we can provide support for local people through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
The CRF is government funding provided to local authorities to help low income households facing financial pressure, with a stronger focus on helping people become more financially resilient over time.
From 1 April 2026, the CRF replaces the Household Support Fund (HSF) in full.
The CRF will run for three years from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. We are currently working on Year One.
How we process Grant Requests
The application form will ask about your household, housing situation, income and expenditure, and the circumstances that have led to your current financial difficulty.
This is so we can assess whether you may be eligible for support under the Crisis and Resilience Fund and whether any other advice or support may help your situation.
Please note that we are unable to guarantee that an application will be successful.
Key eligibility criteria
You may be eligible if you:
- live in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and
- are part of a low income household experiencing unexpected financial pressure or an unexpected financial situation and need short-term help to stay safe and well.
To apply for support you must:
- be over 18 years old, or 16 years old and living independently
- be a resident of Richmond for at least 6 weeks, or
- have been placed in Temporary Accommodation by Richmond in another council area, or
- have moved into Richmond due to fear of violence at your previous address
- be liable to pay rent or council tax at the address
- have the right to claim benefits in the UK
- be in receipt of Pension Credit, out of work benefits, Council Tax Reduction, or be on a low income
- not have sufficient income, capital or savings to cover the emergency
Under this scheme, crisis payments are intended to meet occasional or short-term needs and cannot provide an alternative source of regular income.
Application Processing Time
Due to the high volume of applications, processing may take up to 6 weeks. Please refrain from contacting us to check on your application before this period has passed, as we may be unable to respond to your query.
Grant Searches
If you are not eligible for the CRF or wish to explore other options, you can search for possible Local or National Grants you may be eligible for through the Turn2us Grant service.
Situations that may qualify for support
Examples of situations that may be considered include:
- a sudden loss of income due to redundancy or a significant reduction in working hours
- unexpected additional expenses following an accident, health emergency or mental health crisis
- loss of income due to relationship breakdown, bereavement or another sudden change in circumstances
- fleeing domestic abuse or violence, or the threat of violence
- money being lost or stolen
- a disaster in the home, such as a fire or serious flood
- moving from supported, emergency or temporary accommodation into permanent, independent settled accommodation
- an essential item breaking down, such as a boiler, medical equipment or white goods
- a serious risk to the health and safety of your household
Situations where support is unlikely
You are unlikely to be awarded support through the scheme if:
- your benefits have been stopped and you could apply for a hardship payment
- you are waiting for your first Universal Credit payment and could apply for a Universal Credit advance
- you do not provide enough evidence to support your application
- you have received a previous award from the scheme due to similar financial pressures
Documents needed to assess your application
We ask for the following information and evidence to support your application, which is needed by the funders (we review them, but do not pass any copies of the documents without your written consent).:
- One month’s most recent bank statements
- Information about what you are applying for
- Any supporting evidence you have, where relevant
Examples of supporting evidence may include:
- a recent bill
- a rent statement
- a quote or invoice for an essential item
- evidence of loss of income
- any other document that helps explain your situation
We may ask for further information if needed to support your application.
Further Support
Where appropriate, we may also refer you to other support services that may help, including support with benefits, debt and wider cost of living issues.
The CRF aims not only to provide emergency help, but also to support people to become more financially resilient over time.