Crisis and Resilience Fund
The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) has been made available to local authorities in England:
- to provide a safety net for people who are in crisis and in need of immediate financial help; and
- to support people to build long-term financial resilience for the future.
This fund replaces the previous Household Support Fund.
Crisis Payments
On the Isles of Scilly, the funds will be used to support a Crisis Payment scheme being delivered by the Isles of Scilly Charitable Trust and the Richard Addison Charitable Trust. The Crisis Payment scheme offers support for low-income households who have experienced financial shock or to prevent them from falling into crisis.
A financial shock or crisis may be the result of:
- a disaster (e.g. flood);
- an accident or health emergency;
- a household relationship breakdown;
- an essential item breakdown;
- an unexpected loss of income; or
- something else.
You can submit an application to the Crisis Payment scheme using the application form (shared by both Trusts) on this webpage. If you discuss the matter with our Adult Social Care and Children’s Services teams, they may be able to submit an application on your behalf.
Eligibility
Applicants must be resident on the Isles of Scilly.
This funding is intended for low-income households that do not have significant other resources available to them.
A household will qualify if it meets either of the two criteria below:
Criteria 1: at least one person in the household is in receipt a means-tested benefit and the combined readily accessible savings and investments of all adults in the household are below £10,000; or
Criteria 2: the combined net income of all adults in the household is below £31,000 and the combined readily accessible savings and investments of all adults in the household are below £10,000.
But an application can still be submitted for a household which does not meet either of these criteria. In this case, an explanation will need to be provided as to why the household’s income and/or savings are insufficient to meet the costs arising from the crisis.
The Trusts may ask for evidence to support the information given about financial circumstances.
Funding available
For households including children, persons of state pension age (i.e. 66 or older) or disabled persons, the maximum amount that can be claimed in one application is £350 unless exceptional circumstances exist.
For other households, the maximum amount that can be claimed in one application is £250 unless exceptional circumstances exist.
No more than the equivalent of two maximum payments (i.e. £700 or £500 depending on the household) will be made to any one household during a single financial year (i.e. April to March) unless exceptional circumstances exist.
Resilience Services
Crisis Payments are intended to meet occasional or short-term needs and cannot provide an alternative source of regular income.
The Trusts will:
- provide all Crisis Payment applicants with signposting information about other organisations who can offer support or help improve their financial resilience. This information will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure it remains up-to-date.
- offer referrals to other organisations with the applicant’s consent.
Housing Payments
As part of the CRF, the Council has been allocated a small sum to provide financial support towards rented housing costs. For 2026-27, the allocated amount is £386. The Council has concluded this sum is too small to warrant a separate application process. Consequently the Housing Payment allocation will be added to the Crisis Payment scheme referred to above.
To request the information on this webpage in an alternative format (e.g. Braille, EasyRead or large print), please email communications@scilly.gov.uk.
The Crisis and Resilience Fund is funded by UK Government.
Ensuring you claim all the benefits you’re entitled to
Check benefits and financial support you can get - GOV.UK
Energy & financial support resources
All energy and water providers are obliged to keep a ‘priority services register’ of vulnerable customers. This could include people who are elderly, disabled, or require electricity for medical equipment. They are required to give special service to those people, and will prioritise reconnecting them in the event of a power cut or outage. Contact your provider for information.
Many local banks are also offering support for people experiencing financial difficulties. See your bank’s website for advice.