What is the Crisis and Resilience Fund?
The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) supports low‑income households who are experiencing a sudden, unexpected financial shock, such as an urgent expense or a sudden loss of income.
CRF provides short‑term emergency support to help people meet essential living costs when they have no other reasonable options. It also aims to support people to become more financially resilient, so they are less likely to face similar crises in the future.
CRF can also provide urgent support with heating oil for low income households who rely on oil to heat their home or water and need to top‑up their tank as a matter of urgency.
Fund Duration
The Crisis and Resilience Fund is provided by the UK Government and runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029.
Key elements of the fund
- Crisis payments
Emergency financial help is available for people who are facing an immediate crisis and are struggling to meet essential living costs.
- Housing support
Financial help may be available for households who are having difficulty paying housing‑related costs, where this is necessary to help people stay in their homes and avoid homelessness.
- Support to build financial resilience
CRF also funds councils and partner organisations to deliver services that help people become more financially stable and reduce the risk of future crises. This may include advice, guidance and support services.
- Working together in the community
Local voluntary and community organisations work alongside the council to help ensure people are supported at the right time and can access appropriate help without being passed between multiple services.
What help is available
CRF can provide short‑term support where someone is facing an immediate crisis and cannot meet essential living costs through their own income, savings, or other available support. Help may include:
- Food and basic groceries
- Energy and utilities (including gas, electricity, water, and heating oil)
- Basic household essentials (such as essential appliances, furniture, bedding, clothing, and personal care items)
- Essential transport related costs
- Digital and connectivity essentials where these are critical for safety, work, or accessing support
What CRF is not designed to support
CRF is not designed to:
- provide ongoing or long‑term financial support
- replace income or cover routine, day‑to‑day living costs
- fund non‑essential or discretionary spending
- routinely clear historic debts unless there is a clear and immediate crisis trigger
CRF focuses on stabilising an immediate crisis, not managing long‑term financial difficulty.
Who can apply?
To apply for support, you need to meet the criteria below. We will also ask you to provide information so we can understand your situation and assess your application fairly.
- be a legal resident in the UK
- resident in Warwickshire, or
- be a member of the armed forces who can demonstrate a strong connection to Warwickshire
- be aged 16 or over and live independently from parents or carers
- be able to verify your identity and address
- be able to provide evidence of both your financial crisis and your financial situation
How to apply?
To ask about support or make an application, call the Local Welfare Scheme on 0800 408 1448 or 01926 359 182.
When you call, we’ll talk to you about your situation so we can understand what help you may need. This includes asking about:
- the money coming into your household
- your regular spending
- any debts or repayments you are currently making
It’s helpful if you have this information ready before you call.
To complete your application, please have the following available:
- your National Insurance number
- details of all bank or savings accounts
- information about your income or benefits
- details of your outgoings, including everyday spending and any debts
Having this information ready will help us deal with your enquiry as quickly as possible.
Our opening hours are:
- Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm
- Friday from 9am to 4.30pm
Why we offer referrals
Sometimes, extra support, such as checking you are getting the right benefits or speaking to a debt adviser can help increase your income or reduce your outgoings. This can make it less likely that you will face a similar crisis in the future.
As part of the Crisis and Resilience Fund approach, we will talk with you about what additional support might help. Where appropriate, we may offer to refer you to another organisation that can provide specialist advice or support to help address the issues contributing to your crisis.
We will always explain any referral and what information would be shared, and we will only make a referral with your agreement.
Other help/links
Help with the cost of living
- Cost of Living Warwickshire – Information, advice, and support to help you manage cost‑of‑living pressures
- Government help for households – Find out what national cost‑of‑living support you may be eligible for
- Free school meals – Eligibility and how to apply
- Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme – Support for children during school holidays
