Apply for the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)

The Crisis and Resilience Fund can provide urgent, short term financial help if you are struggling to afford household essentials.

The fund covers:

  • gas, oil and electricity bills
  • essential household goods, for example basic furniture and white goods
  • food
  • essential items, for example hygiene items and washing products
  • essential transport-related costs such as repairing a car or bicycle or help buying a bus pass
  • digital and connectivity essentials such as broadband or phone bills
  • disasters, which are nornally unforeseen and result in severe damage to, or loss of, possessions or property (for example, a serious flood or fire, gas explosion, chemical leak)
  • accident, health emergency, or mental health crisis, leading to unplanned spending or incurring increased expenses

This list is not exhaustive.

If your application is approved, we may provide financial support in the following ways:

  • Cash first*
  • paying suppliers directly (for example, for energy bills)
  • issuing vouchers for food and other household essentials

* We are working to find the best provider, so this option is not currently available now. We will update the website when we have resolved this.

How to apply

You can apply:

  • by phone (we will provide a contact number once the process has been finalised)
  • online
  • in person at a Community Hub or at Hounslow House

To apply for a grant, you must:

  • be a Hounslow resident
  • be over 16 years old and living independently of parents or carers
  • have not received help from the fund within the last six months

You do not need to be receiving benefits to apply. Any existing benefits payments do not affect your eligibility for the fund.

We will accept one application in the financial year. If you need further help, you will need to approach the relevant organisation who may refer you for further assistance under CRF.

When you apply online, you can apply for either the CRF or the Council Tax Support (CTS) Hardship Fund.

  • CRF: Provides short-term financial help for a household and we will refer you to other organisations that can assist you further with the difficulties you are facing.
  • CTS Hardship Fund: Assists those affected by changes to the CTS scheme made in 2025/26. This fund is also available in 2026/2027 to help those with Council Tax arrears due to the change in scheme.

Please note:

  • you cannot apply to both funds at the same time
  • processing takes a minimum of 48 hours and may take longer during peak periods
  • when we process your application, you may be required to engage with any of the following:
    • debt advice agency
    • skills development
    • other charities of voluntary agencies

Start your application

Privacy notice

When processing your application, we may think it will be beneficial for you to work with a debt organisation or similar. Our Privacy Notice explains who we work with and who we can share information with and why.

After you've applied

We will review your application and let you know if it's been approved.

If you cannot apply online yourself

You will need to ask someone for help. You can:

  • ask a family member, friend, neighbour, or support worker to help you complete the application or apply on your behalf
  • ask your carer to help you complete the application, or to apply on your behalf
  • visit your local library, where you can use one of their public computers or access free Wi-Fi to use your own device

You can also seek help and advice from:

If you need further assistance, you can email us at cscenquiries@hounslow.gov.uk.

Fraudulent claims

If you provide false information you may face prosecution and have to repay any funding issued.

Funded by UK Government logo

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