Harrow Council's Cabinet has approved the allocation of a £10.3 million fund to support low-income households over the next three years. The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), provided by the Department for Work and Pensions, aims to assist households facing financial shocks and build community resilience.
The fund, totalling £10,366,389.93 over three years (2026-2029), will support a range of initiatives. This includes ring-fenced funding for housing support (formerly Discretionary Housing Payments) of £773,000 per annum. The remaining approximately £2.7 million per year is available for crisis payments and resilience-building activities.
Key initiatives include a crisis payment application scheme, housing payment support, rent arrears assistance, and the continuation of free school meals during holidays. Councillor Stephen Greek, Portfolio Holder for Performance, Communications and Customer Experience, commended the balanced approach to immediate support and long-term resilience.
Crisis Payment Scheme Details
Eligibility for the Crisis Payment application scheme is broadly in line with the previous Household Support Fund (HSF) application scheme. It is open to all low-income households in the borough who are experiencing a financial shock or immediate hardship. Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Harrow, have limited disposable income after essential living costs, and demonstrate an immediate need for support that cannot be deferred. Repeat applications are permitted in exceptional circumstances, and applications from individuals with No Recourse to Public Funds may be considered if there is a genuine welfare need and no alternative provision. Awards are discretionary and subject to available funding.
Applicants will need to provide proof of address and identity, at least 3 months of bank statements, and information on household composition. They must also agree to comply with reasonable conditions, such as engaging with advice agencies, and allow the council to follow up on the award for evaluation and referrals to resilience services.
For the 'Crisis Payment' scheme, residents will be able to access it throughout the year via telephone or in-person. Eligible residents will receive cash payments directly.
Housing Payment Support
For 'Housing Payment' (previously Discretionary Housing Payments), residents must be entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing element, be responsible for rent payments, and need more financial help with housing costs. Applications for Housing Payment will be considered for various situations including shortfalls due to welfare reform, rent restrictions, household income levels, non-dependant deductions, rent deposits, rent in advance, removal costs, and essential household items.
The application process for both schemes is detailed in Appendix A (CRF Policy Document) and will be available on the council's CRF webpages.
Specific Funding Allocations (Year 1: 2026-27)
Indicative allocations for the first year (2026-27) are as follows:
- Crisis Payment application scheme: £69,000
- Council Tax support: £80,000
- Housing Payment (DHPs): £773,000
- Rent arrears: £100,000
- Free School Meals during school holidays: £1,403,500
- Supporting care leavers: £25,000
- Homelessness prevention outreach programme: £405,000
- Supporting Adult Social Care clients with debt reduction/financial resilience: £504,000
- Supporting families experiencing Domestic Abuse: £0 (allocated for Years 2 and 3)
- Resident engagement: £75,000
- Capacity building for VCFS: £50,000
- Expansion of Holiday Activities and Food programme: to be evaluated for the 26/27 academic year
- Programme oversight: £105,000
Domestic Violence Funding
Councillor David Ashton, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Highways, clarified that the domestic violence funding was a top-up to existing council provisions and that the timing was aligned with a new contract. Councillor Pritesh Patel, Portfolio Holder for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety, further elaborated that the rationale for allocating funding in years two and three, rather than year one, was to coincide with the new contract for domestic abuse services, which is set to begin on 1 April 2027. This funding will specifically be used to fund an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA).
Projected Impact and Sector Feedback
The CRF aims to support low-income households facing financial shocks and build community resilience. While Councillor Greek commended the balanced approach, John Higgins, representing the Voluntary Sector, endorsed the fund's potential but expressed disappointment regarding the allocation for community coordination and the potential for increased demand on VCS services without additional resources.
The Cabinet approved the receipt of the grant and the proposed approach for its allocation, with the Strategic Director for Resources and Innovation, in consultation with Councillor Greek, authorised to approve the final details of the delivery plan. Further details can be found in the Public reports pack Thursday 09-Jul-2026 Cabinet.
