Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) - Housing Payment
The Discretionary Housing Payment has been replaced with the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) - Housing Payment
Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) - Housing Payment
Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) – Housing Payments provide extra money when you need help to meet your housing costs.
Please do not apply for a Crisis and Resilience (CRF) Housing Payment if you do not reside within the Thurrock Area. You must make an application to the Local Authority that you reside in.
If you still need extra financial help with your housing costs you can apply for a CRF Housing Payment.
CRF Housing Payments are to help people cover the top up in their rent. You can also apply for a CRF Housing Payment for a rent deposit, but only if you can prove that the property that you are moving to will be financially cheaper for you to live in.
These payments are only short term and will cover your costs for only as long as we see they are needed. At the end of the award you can reapply for another CRF Housing Payment if you still require additional assistance.
Claiming a CRF Housing Payment
To claim for a CRF Housing Payment you must qualify for Housing Benefit or Housing costs with Universal Credit and get less than the full amount e.g. if a deduction is made from your Benefit for someone else living in your home, or the rent used in your Benefit assessment is less than the amount you must pay.
You cannot claim for a CRF Housing Payment if you were given notice of a change in legislation, which would result in a reduction of Housing Benefit or Universal Housing costs unless you can prove that:
- you have tried to change your situation
- you have had problems that has made it difficult to handle your shortfall
Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) Housing Payments policy
CHF Housing Payment is not a benefit, and the Council has a limited amount of money each year for those who need extra financial help. You do not have a statutory right to receive a payment.
You must make a formal claim for CHF Housing Payment before we can consider making an award.
Eligibility
We’ll look at your circumstances and decide whether your eligible.
- You must be in receipt of Housing Benefit from Thurrock Council or receive the Housing Cost element as part of your Universal Credit award to apply for a CHF Housing Payment.
Circumstances we will consider are issues such as:
- if you’re in danger of eviction and homelessness
- you’re undergoing life changing circumstances that significantly affect your household
- you or a household member has significant health problems which could increase living costs
Deposits and moving costs
A CHF Housing Payment may be awarded to help with a deposit and/or moving costs to support residents to move to more sustainable accommodation. This is to help prevent homelessness, but we will consider whether the new property is appropriate and affordable, therefore you must apply before you move.
Where this is the case, we will need to check if you:
- are due to have a deposit in respect of your existing tenancy returned to you.
- have been refused assistance from the Council through a rent deposit guarantee scheme or similar.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for a rent deposit by providing the following evidence by email to Benefitsevidence@thurrock.gov.uk after the online application process has been completed:
- official evidence from a landlord/letting agent that they have agreed to let the property to you and evidence of the costs of the rent deposit and ongoing contractual rent costs before you move, so that affordability can be considered.
- two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for moving costs by providing the following evidence by email to Benefitsevidence@thurrock.gov.uk after the online application process has been completed:
- three quotes from different removal companies are required. These must be official quotes (letterhead or digital document) from the removal company before you move, so that affordability can be considered.
- two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
Current rent costs or rent arrears
A CRF Housing Payment may be awarded for current rent costs if you are struggling to meet your current rental liability and Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing cost element does not cover your full rent costs (excluding ineligible service charges). Ongoing affordability will be considered before any CRF Housing Payment is awarded.
A CRF Housing Payment may be awarded towards rent arrears if you can provide evidence of how the arrears were built up and when, and you can show that you have been unable to meet your rent costs which has led to the arrears. Ongoing affordability will be considered before any CRF Housing Payment Housing Payment is awarded.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for a CRF Housing Payment for assistance with current rent costs or rent arrears by providing the following evidence by email to Benefits@thurrock.gov.uk after the online application process has been completed:
- if you are not a Council Tenant, you will need to provide evidence of your current rent costs and proof of any rent arrears and/or eviction. (Council tenants are not required to provide this evidence as it is held on our system for us to check).
- we may also ask you to provide two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
How to apply for a CRF Housing Payment
Before you submit your application, make sure you complete the form in full and provide all evidence needed (as indicated on the evidence checklist in the application form) to support your claim and avoid delay. If you fail to provide evidence needed in support of your application, your claim will be refused with no appeal rights.
You must give authority to act to anyone completing an application on your behalf.
Our welfare visiting officer can provide support to make an application only if the following circumstances apply:
- the applicant is disabled and
- is unable to leave the home as a result of that disability and
- is unable to complete the claim as a result of that disability and
- no family member, friend or other suitable person is available to assist the applicant.
- has any other legitimate barrier to the completion of an application requiring support.
If all of the above apply, then please email Benefits@thurrock.gov.uk advising you wish to make a Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment claim application and require assistance and why. Please include your name, address and contact details and reasons for applying.
CRF Housing Payment
There is no right of appeal against a CRF Housing Payment decision. You can however ask us to look at the decision again. If your circumstances change, you can reapply.
Housing Benefit
01375 652652