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Benefits

Benefits

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment

What are Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payments?

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payments provide additional financial support to help with rent or housing costs. To be eligible for this additional help, you must already be receiving Housing Benefit or have the Housing Element included in your Universal Credit. Applications will not be accepted if you are not receiving one of these benefits.

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payments are designed to cover some or all of the shortfall between the help you already get and the amount of rent you have to pay.  Crisis Resilience Fund Housing payments can help you if:

  • you are struggling to pay your rent

  • you have other circumstances that are causing you hardship

  • you are finding it difficult because of the under-occupation or benefit cap rules

  • the Housing Element of Universal Credit does not cover your full housing costs.

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payments cannot help towards:

  • rent in advance or a deposit for a new tenancy if you do not currently have a recognised rental liability (for example, if you are living with family or friends, or sofa surfing), and are not in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Element

  • Council Tax payments you may have to make

  • amounts for ineligible service charges within your rent, such as heating, water or lighting

  • an amount being recovered from your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit payments towards repaying a previous overpayment

  • an amount being deducted towards a benefit sanction

  • white goods, furniture, flooring.

The payments are discretionary which means making an application does not guarantee that an award will be made.

How do we work out your award?

There are only limited funds available which means if we can help you, it is usually only for a short period of time. Any award is determined based on your individual circumstances and the level of income you have left after considering your essential expenditure. Several factors are taken into account before a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment award can be made:

  • income

  • savings

  • other people in your home

  • your loans and debts

  • your money managing skills

  • illness or disability in your household

  • your efforts to improve your situation.

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payments can only be considered when you are already receiving Housing Benefit or the Housing Element of Universal Credit.

What to do if you disagree with a decision

When a decision has been made following your application for a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment, we will notify you of the outcome in writing. You can ask the council to review its decision if you disagree with it.

You should write to us within one calendar month of the date of our letter/ email if you want us to reconsider our decision. 

You do not have the right of appeal following a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment decision.

How to apply

If you do not receive Housing Benefit or the Housing Element of Universal Credit, please do not complete a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment application form as a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment cannot be considered. 

If you are not sure if you should complete a form, please contact us on 01480 388308 or email benefit@huntingdonshire.gov.uk 

Complete and submit the online application form and provide any supporting evidence requested.

Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment Application Form

Additional help

You can get free, independent advice about rent problems from various local agencies:

And national agencies:

Further support may be available from: