The Crisis and Resilience Fund helps us support you to secure and maintain housing.
It is a government-funded initiative, further supported by us. We are responsible for making Crisis and Resilience Fund Housing Payments from the fund.
You can use the housing payments in various ways, including:
- short term help to cover rent costs that are not covered by other benefits
- payments towards moving expenses
- unavoidable advance rent charges
The scheme is not designed to provide long-term support for unsustainable housing costs.
All awards are discretionary. You are not guaranteed an award, even if we granted you one before under the same circumstances. An award might not cover the full amount requested.
The fund replaced Discretionary Household Payments and the Household Support Fund in April 2026.
Eligibility
We can grant you a payment if you live in Cambridge and are already entitled to either:
- Housing Benefit
- the Housing element of Universal Credit
If your household has over £3,000 in savings or assets, you will not usually be eligible.
Conditions
The scheme aims to help claimants become financially resilient and self-sufficient.
Awards often come with conditions that you must undertake to improve your financial circumstances.
These conditions might include:
- accessing other support services or debt advice
- increasing their income through extra or alternative work
- seeking alternative accommodation (such as via the Home-Link scheme)
- taking in a lodger
Apply
Contact us if you would like the form in an alternative format.
