Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)

Funded by the UK Government, the CRF has been set up to help people who are struggling with essential costs or who face a sudden financial crisis.

The CRF aims to provide short term support, while also helping to make people become more financially secure in the longer term.

This scheme replaced the Household Support Fund.

What can CRF help with?

The Crisis and Resilience Fund can provide support with essential needs, including:

  • energy and water costs, including heating, cooking and lighting
  • food and essential groceries
  • clothing, including school uniform and warm winter clothing
  • essential household items such as bedding, cooking equipment, white goods and other items needed to maintain health and wellbeing
  • housing‑related costs, such as help with a shortfall in rent, urgent housing expenses, or other costs linked to a sudden financial shock
  • costs that reduce risk of crisis or harm, such as hygiene items, cleaning products and basic home essentials
  • help to prevent future money problems, including support to get your finances back on track and access to everyday essentials

Support available in Solihull

You can access CRF support through the following local schemes and services.

Crisis Payments

Crisis Support can help to prevent problems from escalating and help people on low incomes who are facing unexpected financial difficulties. This may be due to:

  • a disaster, accident, health emergency or mental health crisis
  • domestic violence
  • replacement of an essential item, food and/or fuel
  • a short gap in regular income

Apply for Crisis Payments

Housing Payments

Housing Payments offer short term support to help manage housing costs during times of financial difficulties.

Apply for Housing Payments

Here2Help Advice Service

Our Here2Help Advice Service brings together a range of local organisations to provide free information and advice on topics including care, benefits and housing.

Here2Help Advice Service

Food banks and social supermarkets

Foodbanks

Foodbanks provide emergency food for people and families who are in crisis and do not have enough money to buy food. Foodbanks are intended to offer short-term help in an emergency.

Social supermarkets

Social supermarkets offer low-cost food and household items to help people make their money go further. They can be used more regularly by people on low incomes who need extra support with the cost of living.

Provided by:

  • Helping Hands (Christian Renewal Centre)
  • We Care UK
  • North Solihull Food Bank (Kingfisher)
  • Around Again Social Supermarket

If you are struggling to afford food, support is available.

Find a foodbank

Boiler servicing and repairs

Provided by Act on Energy

Eligible households can receive support to service or repair your boiler.

How to apply

For advice and support please ring the free Act on Energy advice line on:

You can find out more information on Act On Energy’s website.

Community Transport

Provided by VASA, Community Transport helps Solihull residents who find it hard to get to essential services because of:

  • mobility problems or a disability
  • living in a rural area
  • financial barriers 
  • other transport difficulties

Trained volunteer drivers provide safe, reliable, door-to-door transport to:

  • GP surgeries, hospitals and other healthcare appointments
  • wellbeing services
  • community groups 
  • support services

The aim is to help people stay independent, keep in touch with their community and get the support they need.

How to book

To find out about costs, availability and how to book, you can:

For further information on more support for households in Solihull please visit our other Here2Help webpages.

You can also find help to pay for school uniforms.

Additional support is available at the government’s Cost of Living Hub.

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