Household costs covered by the grant fund
The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) supports vulnerable households with energy and water bills, food, and other essentials.
It may include spending on the following 5 categories.
Food
The CRF should be used mainly to provide food support, either through food provision, vouchers or cash payments.
Energy and water
The CRF should also mainly be used to help with energy bills for any form of fuel used for domestic heating, cooking, or lighting, including oil or portable gas cylinders.
It can help with water bills, including for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning, and sewerage.
Essentials linked to energy and water
The CRF can be used to provide support with essentials linked to energy and water, including:
- sanitary products
- warm clothing
- soap
- blankets
- boiler service or repair
- buying equipment such as fridges, freezers, and ovens
We recognise that these costs may directly affect your ability to afford or access food, energy, and water.
Wider essentials
The CRF can be used to help with wider essential needs not linked to energy and water, if we consider it appropriate.
These may include, but are not limited to:
- support with other bills such as broadband or phone bills
- clothing
- essential transport-related costs such as repairing a car, buying a bicycle, or paying for fuel
Housing costs
In exceptional cases of genuine emergency where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need, the CRF can be used to support housing costs.
Where eligible, ongoing housing support for rent must be provided through the housing cost element of Universal Credit (UC) and Housing Benefit (HB) rather than the CRF.
It is also recommended that you check your current eligibility for alternative housing payments before offering emergency housing support through the CRF.
We first consider whether you are at statutory risk of homelessness and therefore owe a duty of support under the Homelessness Prevention Grant (HPG).
Page last updated: 27 July 2026