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Castle Point: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What Castle Point’s local crisis scheme covers, how to apply, and whether it was open when we checked.

Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 14 September 2026

Castle Point Borough Council runs its local crisis help as the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). It is a grant — not a loan: help with essentials, nothing to repay. This is a summary; Castle Point’s own page (linked below) is the authority and the current position.

What Castle Point’s scheme covers

Award: Amount decided by the Council within statutory limits
What you get: Paid with Housing Benefit, via BACS, or credited to rent account
Who qualifies: Must receive Housing Benefit and/or UC housing element
How often: Cash-limited annually by the Secretary of State
How to apply: Online application form on the council's website
Decision: Applicants informed within 5 days of the decision
You will need: Evidence such as proof of eviction action, domestic violence threat, health condition, agency recommendation
Not covered: Prior award for rent-in-advance/deposit within 52 weeks may see application declined
Funding period: Policy in force from April 2026
Government allocation: £168,531 for 2026-27

Castle Point Borough Council is one of 12 district councils in Essex. In a two-tier area the county council runs crisis payments and the district runs the housing side of the fund — rent shortfalls, a deposit, rent in advance. Essex County Council was allocated £16,866,968 for 2026-27; Castle Point Borough Council was allocated £168,531 of its own. If what you need is help with food or energy rather than rent, start with the Essex scheme.

What Castle Point itself says

Award. “The amount of any DHP award will be decided by the Council taking into account the above matters and limited to the statutory limits imposed”
What you get. “As a specific Housing Payments (DHP) (UC) award via BACS”
Who qualifies. “Housing Payments (DHP) will only be awarded to customers who receive Housing Benefit and/or the Housing Element within Universal Credit”
How often. “The amount of Housing Payments (DHP) that can be paid by an Authority in any financial year, is. Cash-limited by the Secretary of State”
How to apply. “A claim should be made via an on-line application form approved and available on the Castle Point Borough Council's website”
Decision. “The authority will inform applicants of the outcome of the application within 5 days of deciding on the claim”
You will need. “Proof of eviction action. Threat of domestic violence. Health condition. Recommendation from other agencies”
Not covered. “If the customer has already received a DHP for RIA/DEP within the last 52 weeks, the application may be declined”
Funding period. “comes into force from April 2026”

Quoted from Castle Point’s own page↗, checked 14 September 2026. Nothing on this page is paraphrased into a rule the council has not published. The government allocation is from Annex A of the Crisis and Resilience Fund grant determination 2026 to 2027↗.

Apply on Castle Point’s website

Applications are made on the council’s own site — this page collects nothing. If the link has moved, search the council site for “crisis and resilience”, then “household support”, then “welfare assistance”.

Open the Castle Point scheme page

Source: Castle Point Borough Council — Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). Opened 10 September 2026.

Where this money comes from

Central government funds it; the council sets the rules. A payment does not affect your benefits. How the fund works nationally.

Other help you may qualify for

Help with energy bills — grants and supplier schemes.
Eligibility checker — see what you could be entitled to.
White-goods grants — a broken fridge, cooker or washing machine.
Budgeting Advance or Budgeting Loan — interest-free from the DWP.

Not in Castle Point?

See the other councils we have checked, or find yours via GOV.UK’s Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗.

Outside England the scheme has a different name: the Scottish Welfare Fund in Scotland, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales, and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland.

Recently checked elsewhere: Chelmsford, Gosport, South Derbyshire — see all 141.

Find your council by postcode

Not in Castle Point? Enter a postcode and we will point you at the right council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund page.

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This page is independent. It is not run by Castle Point Borough Council, the Department for Work and Pensions or GOV.UK. Council schemes change without notice; the council’s own page is always the current position.