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Crisis and Resilience Fund

In Milton Keynes, the fund helps residents who are facing a financial crisis by providing short-term support for essential needs. It can also help residents access advice and services to reduce the risk of future financial difficulties.
 

The fund runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. Support is discretionary, which means each application is considered based on the applicant’s circumstances and the evidence provided.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund has four key elements:

Crisis Payments

Crisis Payments may be awarded if you are facing a sudden and unexpected financial crisis that affects your ability to pay for essential needs. This could be due to an emergency expense, a drop in income, or a situation that places immediate pressure on your household budget and wellbeing.

Support may be considered for:

  • utilities such as water, gas, oil and electricity costs
  • essential household goods, such as basic furniture and white goods
  • food
  • essential living items, such as clothing, hygiene items and washing products
  • essential transport costs, such as repairing a car or bicycle, or help buying a bus pass
  • emergencies or disasters that cause severe damage to, or loss of, possessions or property, such as a serious flood, fire, gas explosion or chemical leak
  • accidents, health emergencies or mental health crises that lead to unplanned spending or increased costs
  • housing costs in exceptional circumstances where other housing support, such as the CRF Housing Payment or Homelessness Prevention Grant, cannot help.
  • essential furniture or appliances when moving into an unfurnished property, for example after leaving temporary accommodation, fully furnished accommodation, care, prison, or an abusive relationship

This list is not exhaustive. Each application will be considered based on the individual circumstances.

Crisis support is short term and focused on immediate needs. It is intended to help residents get through a difficult situation, prevent the situation from becoming more serious, and support them to get back on track.

Funded by UK Government

To apply for a Crisis Payment, you must:

  • be aged 18 or over, or 16 or over if you live independently
  • be a British citizen, or if you are not a British citizen, be receiving benefits or have immigration status that allows you to access public funds
  • be a settled Milton Keynes resident, have been placed outside the area by Milton Keynes City Council, or be moving to Milton Keynes, for example after leaving care or prison
  • be facing an immediate financial crisis
  • not have access to savings that could resolve the crisis
  • be able to provide evidence to support your application

You do not need to be receiving benefits to apply. Any benefits you already receive will not affect your eligibility for the fund.

  • Applications take a minimum of 48 hours to process and may take longer during busy periods.
  • You may be asked to engage with advice or support services, such as a debt advice agency, skills development support, charities or voluntary organisations.
  • If your application is not successful, we will still provide advice and may signpost you to other organisations that may be able to help.

If your application is approved, support may be provided through:

  • cash vouchers
  • food, energy or retail vouchers
  • payments made directly to suppliers for appliances or essential household items
  • payments made directly to providers once an invoice has been received

To apply for a Crisis Payment, complete the online application form. You will be asked about your emergency situation, household details, tenancy, income, bank accounts and savings.

As part of your application, you may need to provide:

  • a recent bank statement dated within one month of your application date
  • a tenancy agreement, if relevant
  • any other evidence needed to support your application, such as a utility bill or invoice

It is easiest to upload your documents directly to the form. If you cannot provide all documents when you apply, you may be able to save your progress and finish later, or provide the documents separately.

We will contact you with the outcome once your application has been processed.

If you need support with making an application, assistance is available at the Citizens Advice Bureau, local libraries, Children centres and Neighbourhood Support Services.  If you have an allocated social or support worker, they will also be able to assist in making an application.

If you have experienced a crisis event such as a fire, flood, accident, health or mental health crisis or you have been the victim of a criminal offence and need immediate assistance then you can contact the Welfare Assistance team on 01908 253040 where you can leave your details for a call back.

If you do not agree with our decision, there is no statutory right of appeal. However, you can ask us to look at the decision again.

You can ask for a reconsideration if:

  • you have additional information that may affect the decision
  • you believe information you already provided was overlooked or misunderstood

You can also ask us to explain how the decision was made.

The reconsideration will usually be reviewed by the original decision maker.

The Crisis and Resilience Fund will also help improve the financial resilience of residents. As well as responding to immediate financial crises, we may also offer longer-term support to help reduce the risk of similar crises happening in the future.

The council may offer resilience support as well as, or instead of, a Crisis Payment. In some cases, we may ask you to engage with this support as part of the support offered.

This support may include:

  • benefit checks to make sure you are claiming everything you are entitled to
  • budgeting advice and skills, including managing a household budget and planning for the future
  • energy advice, including how to make your home more energy efficient and reduce your bills
  • debt advice
  • help to find work or improve your skills to support better employment opportunities
  • help using online services
  • access to affordable credit and savings
  • community food aid alongside advice provision
  • housing support and homelessness prevention services

 

We will invest some of the Crisis and Resilience Fund into strengthening and co-ordinating local support available to residents. This work will improve access to advice, activities and early help in the communities where it is needed most.

This may include working with parish councils, GP practices and medical centres, schools, voluntary sector organisations, family centres and community partners to raise awareness of support, improve community engagement and help residents access joined-up services closer to where they live.

Planned activity includes local advice and life skills support, outreach through community and health settings, school-led support for families, a mobile early help hub, warm spaces during winter, extended holiday activities for low-income families who are not eligible for existing support, and projects that help children and families stay active, healthy and connected.

This work is intended to improve financial resilience, reduce isolation, support families experiencing hardship, and make it easier for residents to access the right support at the right time.

 

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