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East Hertfordshire: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What East Hertfordshire’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

East Hertfordshire District 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; East Hertfordshire’s own page (linked below) is the authority and the current position.

What East Hertfordshire’s scheme covers

Who qualifies: Must get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit including an element for housing costs, and need extra help with rent
How often: Payments are usually awarded for short periods only
How to apply: Apply for housing payments via the online form
Not covered: Cannot cover ineligible services such as meals or water rates
Funding period: Fund available for three years, April 2026 to March 2029
Government allocation: £188,695 for 2026-27

East Hertfordshire District Council is one of 10 district councils in Hertfordshire. 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. Hertfordshire County Council was allocated £9,299,527 for 2026-27; East Hertfordshire District Council was allocated £188,695 of its own. If what you need is help with food or energy rather than rent, start with the Hertfordshire scheme.

What East Hertfordshire itself says

Who qualifies. “If you get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (which includes an element for housing costs) but need extra help with rent, you may be able to apply for a CRF - Housing Payment”
How often. “payments are usually awarded for short periods only”
Not covered. “It cannot cover ineligible services such as meals or water rates”
Funding period. “The fund will be available for a three-year period, from April 2026 to March 2029”

Quoted from East Hertfordshire’s own page↗ and its application 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 East Hertfordshire’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 East Hertfordshire scheme page

Source: East Hertfordshire District 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

Credit union loans — the cheapest borrowing, capped at 3% a month.
DWP phone numbers — which line to call, and for what.
Borrowing while on benefits — what it costs and what it does to your award.
Crisis Loans — what replaced them, and where to apply now.

Not in East Hertfordshire?

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: Eastleigh, Lichfield, Test Valley — see all 141.

Find your council by postcode

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

We look the postcode up with the free postcodes.io service to find your local authority. Nothing you type is stored.

This page is independent. It is not run by East Hertfordshire District 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.