The Next Three Years - The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)
The Household Support Fund has been a lifeline for so many ever since the COVID pandemic generated an even greater need for crisis response at scale. With renewals often limited to just six months at a time though, the HSF has been difficult to plan for long-term - leaving councils struggling to plan impactful, long-lasting support for those experiencing poverty.
At Huggg, for years we’ve become used to seeing local authorities turning around high-volume application processes, often with only days to plan. But the HSF tornado dust may be about to clear. By contrast, the 3-year commitment of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) allows local authorities to create and deliver a 36-month strategy for the first time since 2020.
That means councils can plan to deliver the kind of support that sticks.
Longer Term Success
So what does that support look like? With the CRF guidelines still a few weeks off being released, it's hard to know for sure what will be included, but the hope is that it allows for a forward-looking and flexible approach. The longer timeline may provide a greater opportunity to deliver proactive education, counselling and advice; plus the resources needed for discovering, and developing responses to the root causes of poverty.
So we think whilst on-the-spot support, by way of vouchers or goods, will always be necessary - think free school meals vouchers and fuel vouchers in winter - the opportunities also exist for longer term success. Dare we say this approach might be what many organisations have been waiting for - a chance to do what they’re best at?
Money, legal, housing and debt advice - already being delivered as part of the HSF response - can now be offered proactively and with consistency over the timescales needed to make real progress. And charities who can deliver these types of services already have established partnerships with local councils and will likely be included in these long term plans.
Future Proofing Support Tools
So where does Huggg come in? We're committed to helping wherever possible in this next three-year journey. At some point in the next weeks and months the Crisis and Resilience Fund guidelines will be published. At that stage, we'll know the specifics and we’ll be ready to help councils and charities with their strategy.
For example we can:
- Structure your team - set up your Huggg wallets and teams so that your CRF fund can be divided safely and quickly.
- Train new staff members and teams - so you’re confident they can send vouchers or goods, even at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday.
- Data and reports - help you to set yourselves up for reporting success, so that the inevitable MI returns back to DWP are a breeze, not a tornado.
- Host introductions and discussions between fund managers in different local authorities.
- Explore all the options of support for your teams and charity partners - from food to cash; from beds to washing machines. We’re committed to helping you make the money go further!
We’ll be keeping our ears to the ground when it comes to the CRF guidelines. In the meantime, let us know how we can help with your long term planning to set you up for success.
Team Huggg.
