West Northamptonshire Crisis Resilience Fund: What It Covers and How to Apply

What the Crisis Resilience Fund Is

On 1 April 2026, West Northamptonshire Council replaced Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) with the Crisis & Resilience Fund (CRF) Housing Payment. The payment can help residents entitled to Universal Credit housing costs or Housing Benefit who face a rent shortfall — typically because of the under-occupancy charge (bedroom tax), the benefit cap, or a gap between Local Housing Allowance rates and private rent. In specified or temporary accommodation, residents who would otherwise be entitled to UC housing costs may also qualify for further help.

The CRF is managed under WNC's Crisis & Resilience Fund policy and applications are made through the council's benefits portal.

What It Covers

CRF Housing Payments may help with eligible rent and housing-cost shortfalls, as well as certain one-off costs such as rent in advance, deposits, or removal costs. Typical situations where the fund helps:

• The bedroom tax reduces your Universal Credit housing element below your actual rent
• The benefit cap limits your total benefit income, leaving a rent shortfall
• You're in private rented accommodation and the Local Housing Allowance rate doesn't cover your rent
• You're facing homelessness or at risk of losing your tenancy because of rent arrears related to benefit shortfalls

The fund can make a one-off award or provide ongoing support for a fixed period.

What It Does Not Cover

This is where confusion typically arises: CRF Housing Payments cannot be used to pay Council Tax liability. They cover housing costs only. Residents who need help with their council tax bill have two separate routes:

1. Council Tax Reduction (LCTRS) — the means-tested scheme that reduces your bill by up to 80%
2. Exceptional Hardship Fund (EHF) — discretionary credits for residents already on LCTRS who still can't afford the 20% minimum payment

The EHF/CTHP and CRF Housing Payment are separate assistance routes with different eligibility criteria. WNC provides a combined application form for Housing Payments and Council Tax Hardship Payments (CTHP).

Who Can Apply

To qualify for a CRF Housing Payment, you must:

• Be entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit with housing costs towards rent. This includes specified or temporary accommodation cases where you would otherwise be entitled to UC housing costs and need further housing assistance.
• Be experiencing a shortfall between your housing support and your actual housing costs
• Live in West Northamptonshire

The fund is discretionary — there's no automatic entitlement. WNC assesses each application on its circumstances, looking at your household budget, the reason for the shortfall, and whether other options are available.

Processing Times

As of 23 October 2026, WNC was processing CRF Housing Payment applications submitted from 13 October 2026. As of 26 October 2026, WNC was processing LCTRS applications submitted from 17 September 2026, so you shouldn't wait until the situation is urgent.

Applying for Both

If you're on a low income and struggling with both rent and council tax, you may need to apply for two things:

1. Council Tax Reduction — through WNC's eClaim form
2. A CRF Housing Payment and/or Exceptional Hardship Fund / Council Tax Hardship Payment (CTHP) — through WNC's combined Housing Payment and CTHP application form (the CTHP requires an active CTR claim)

Each has its own evidence requirements. For council tax specifically, our West Northamptonshire Council Tax Reduction guide covers the complete LCTRS and hardship fund application process, including evidence checklists and worked calculation examples.

See more England guides →