Somerset Council Crisis and Resilience Fund Cover
What does the Crisis and Resilience Fund cover?
Crisis Payments
- Quick, accessible financial support for families and residents experiencing a financial shock or hardship.
- Delivered through a cash-first approach to ensure dignity and choice, with flexibility for vouchers or goods-in-kind where appropriate.
- Needs-based and person-centred, addressing immediate needs while identifying underlying causes to enable longer term solutions to also be identified.
Resilience Services
Wraparound support to prevent repeat crises, including:
- Debt advice and budgeting support.
- Income maximisation and benefits advice.
- Employment and skills pathways.
- Focus on building financial stability and reducing dependency on emergency support.
Community Coordination
- A joined-up local support landscape through collaboration with VCFSE partners.
- Our joint aim, working with our community partners, is to ensure every resident has access to the right support at the right time. Find out more about the support available in Somerset on our website: Cost of living support for Somerset residents
What crisis support is available now?
Support with food over the Easter holidays
Families of children who receive free school meals who are going to struggle with the cost of food during the Easter school break (3 April to 19 April 2026) can go to Citizens Advice Somerset’s Support service for help.
Using money from Crisis and Resilience Fund, Citizens Advice Somerset can provide supermarket vouchers for eligible households who complete their application form and provide relevant supporting evidence.
Please go to their website for further details, including eligibility information, and for the link to the form: Easter Holiday Family Support – Citizens Advice Somerset
Support with the cost of heating fuel
We are working with Citizens Advice Somerset to provide urgent financial assistance with heating oil costs for struggling households.
A dedicated phoneline has been set up for Somerset residents needing urgent financial assistance. Freephone 0808 278 7842, select option 3, leave your name and number and one of their advisers will call you back. To qualify, claimants must provide their most recent heating oil delivery invoice. The process to do this will be explained by the Citizens Advice Somerset adviser.
What preventative support is available now?
Through this funding, support will continue for residents who are struggling with the ongoing pressure of rising living costs.
Information about the support that is available in Somerset through this funding is available on our website: Cost of living support for Somerset residents.
Who has been appointed as the CRF Alliance Lead?
In our previous communications we let you know that were finalising new arrangements to appoint a strategic provider in Somerset’s VCFSE sector to deliver support using the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
The Alliance Lead will coordinate a multi-agency approach to deliver the Department for Work and Pensions’ Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) across Somerset. The Alliance Lead will work with other VCFSE partners to deliver on a collaborative framework between Somerset Council and VCFSE partners to deliver targeted support. The aim is to strengthen community resilience, provide crisis intervention, and ensure equitable access to support vulnerable residents with their wellbeing and financial resilience.
We are pleased to announce that following a competitive procurement exercise we have awarded the contract to Citizens Advice Somerset.
What other help is available?
Other help is also available during the Easter break such as the Happy Healthy Holidays (HHH) programme. Families with children eligible for free school meals can register for access to holiday clubs and camps. This Easter package also includes meals.
The next HHH programme, organised through Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP), runs from 3 April – 19 April 2026.
Families can also find support here:
The Council’s #Help4All scheme
Community Hubs network
Healthy Start – NHS – healthy food and milk