1 Overview
The UK government started the Crisis and Resilience Fund in April 2026. The fund will run until 31 March 2029.
The government designed the fund to help people:
- plan ahead to avoid a possible crisis
- find joined-up support in their local community
- on low incomes manage a crisis
The Crisis and Resilience Fund replaces the Household Support Fund and has different rules.
How the council uses the fund
West Sussex County Council uses the fund to improve services that help people to get advice. This will help them to avoid future crisis.
If you are eligible, we might give you a crisis payment. You can find out about crisis payments on our available support page.
If you need any information from these pages in an alternative format, contact us. We will work with you to meet your needs.
2 Who can get support
The Crisis and Resilience Fund supports low-income households across West Sussex.
We are likely to consider your household to be on a low income if you receive a benefit based on your income and savings, such as:
- Universal Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit
- the housing element of Universal Credit
- Council Tax Reduction for people on low incomes
- Pension Credit
Meeting these income levels does not automatically mean you will receive a payment.
We assess every application individually. We will look at:
- whether you are eligible for support
- your household circumstances, such as your income, savings and household costs
- the crisis you are facing and how it happened
- whether you can get support from somewhere else
- whether we can use public funds to provide support
- whether you have applied for, or received, a crisis payment before
We may ask you for more information before we make a decision.
You do not have to pay to apply. We will never ask for your bank details over the phone.
3 Available support
The support we give through the Crisis and Resilience Fund depends on your needs. We will decide what support we can give you after we review your application, supporting documents and talk with you.
Resilience services
We will help you contact local services. They can give you advice based on your needs. This will help you manage your money and avoid future problems.
We can connect you with services who can help with:
- what benefits you can claim and how to get them
- how to budget and manage your money
- debt advice
- energy and other bills
- housing information and advice
- employment, skills and training support
Crisis payments
If you qualify, we may give you a crisis payment. This payment is short-term help if your household has a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income. The government calls this a financial shock.
Examples of a financial shock include:
- a sudden loss of income or cut in your working hours
- an unexpected essential bill or expense
- a big life event, like someone dying or losing their job, that causes immediate money problems
Crisis payments can help in an emergency. They are not a regular source of income.
To qualify for a crisis payment you must:
- live in West Sussex
- be responsible for household bills, either on your own or with someone else
- have had a financial shock or sudden loss of income
- have a low household income
If you get a crisis payment we will put you in touch with resilience services. They can help you avoid future financial emergencies.
If we cannot give you a crisis payment, we will look at your situation and decide what support may help. This may include help from resilience services.
We do not automatically provide supermarket vouchers or food support.
Crisis and Resilience Fund housing payments
Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) Housing Payments were previously called Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). Although the name has changed, your local district or borough council still runs the service.
If you need help with housing costs, or advice before applying, contact your district or borough council. They can:
- tell you if you can get support
- explain how to apply
- give you information about the support you can get in your area
Heating oil support
People are facing high heating oil costs. The government has given us limited extra funding to help those most in need.
You may get support if you:
- use oil as the main way to heat your home
- have a low income
- are having difficulty affording heating oil
- are at risk of running out of heating oil
We will talk to you to find out if you can get this support.
4 Contact us
To get support, complete our online form and attach your proof of identification, proof of address and any supporting information. If you do not attach these, we will not be able to process your application.
For help filling in the form or attaching your documents, phone 033 022 27980.
Lines are open 7 days a week between 9am and 5pm. On bank holidays, you can call between 10am and 2pm.
Privacy notice
You can find out how we use and manage your personal data on our privacy notice.