The Council will deliver a cash-first crisis payment scheme designed to provide timely financial support to residents experiencing a financial shock, while acting as a gateway into wider resilience support.
Planned activity for crisis scheme
The Council will deliver a cash-first crisis payment scheme designed to provide timely financial support to residents experiencing a financial shock, while acting as a gateway into wider resilience support.
Application methods
- Online application via a digital platform (with mobile accessibility)
- In- Person Supported applications through CRF Community Partners
- Referrals from CRF Community Partners, PCC Services Providers and NHS Partners
Accessibility
- In-person support via citywide CRF Community Partners.
- Multilingual support through commissioned partners.
- Online application designed with features to enhance accessibility.
- CRF Community Partners commissioned to support vulnerable groups. Including older people, those with disabilities, language difficulties or who live in rural communities.
Eligibility
- Resident in Peterborough
- Aged 16+
- Experiencing a financial crisis
- Savings of less than £1,000 (£5,000 if pensionable age)
Link to resilience
Income maximisation calculator will be built into crisis payment scheme applications. This will give all applicants an awareness of any benefits and wider support they may not be claiming.
This system will also identify people who may need additional financial advice and enable referrals to:
- Advice services
- Debt and budgeting support
- Employment and income maximisation services
- CRF Community Partner services
Those not eligible for payments are actively directed into resilience services Free school meal vouchers were provided during the Easter holiday period. Under the previous Household Support Fund arrangements these were delivered during every holiday period to all families on free school meals. As an interim measure this was continued in due to the Crisis Payment Scheme not being live; this provision has now ceased as the Crisis Payment Scheme is live.
Planned activity for housing payments
The planned activity will remain the same as prior years DHP policy. Please note that the policy is currently being updated in line with the transition from calling it DHP to HP. The expected expenditure is still aimed at providing financial support towards housing costs with the objectives as follows:
- Reduce the number of vulnerable households who are made or at risk of homelessness.
- Support vulnerable households in sustaining a tenancy to alleviate poverty and keep families together.
- Support vulnerable households in moving to more affordable housing.
- Ease the transition from claiming full Benefit to receiving partial Benefit after the move into work and support working households receiving partial Benefit to stay in work.
- Provide further financial assistance to household affected by welfare reforms.
The policy is also intended to support individuals and households who have limited capacity to improve their financial or personal circumstances. Funding awarded under this policy is strictly intended to contribute towards housing-related costs. Applicants who make frequent applications for HP support will be referred to the wider Crisis Payment Schene application process to ensure they receive the wider support they need.
Awards of HP will include assistance with:
- Shortfall in rental liability and amount of rent assistance through HB or UC
- Rent arrears
- Rent in advance and/or deposit to move to more affordable accommodation
Planned activity for resilience strand - reduced experiences of material deprivation
This strand will focus on proactive identification and early intervention to reduce both current and future experiences of material deprivation, using a data-led and community-based approach.
Targeting approach (Low Income Family Tracker)
The Council will utilise the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to identify households who are:
- Experiencing material deprivation or
- At risk of entering material deprivation due to low income or financial vulnerability
Targeted campaigns will be delivered through LIFT, enabling early engagement with households before crisis escalation.
Campaigns will focus on supporting individuals to maximise their income Support through Citizens Advice.
Households identified through LIFT campaigns or presenting through CRF will be referred into Citizens Advice services for tailored support. Citizens Advice will provide:
- Welfare benefits checks and claims support
- Income maximisation and budgeting advice
- Support to access grants and other entitlements
This ensures that material need is addressed not only through immediate support but through sustainable improvements in income and financial capability Support through CRF Community Partners.
CRF Community Partners will provide local, accessible support including:
- Provision of essential items (e.g. food, clothing, household goods)
- Practical support and crisis triage
- In-person assistance with applications and accessing services
Community partners act as trusted local access points, particularly for residents who are harder to reach or digitally excluded.
They will also provide warm referrals into advice services and wider CRF resilience support, ensuring a coordinated response Expected outcomes.
- Reduction in the number of households experiencing material deprivation
- Increased access to essential goods and services.
- Increased take-up of benefits and financial support.
- Improved financial resilience, reducing future risk of deprivation.
- Earlier intervention, preventing escalation into crisis support need.
Planned activity for resilience strand - reduced need for emergency food parcels
This strand will focus on reducing long-term reliance on emergency food provision through income maximisation, early intervention, and more effective use of community provision.
Income maximisation (LIFT and Citizens Advice)
• The Council will utilise the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to proactively identify households at risk of food insecurity and low income
• Increased Citizens Advice funding and triaging through Crisis Payment Scheme to increase income.
• This approach aims to increase household income and financial stability, reducing the need for repeat food parcel use.
Strengthening the role of CRF Community Partners
CRF Community Partners who distribute food will be supported to move beyond crisis provision and deliver wrap-around resilience support.
This will include:
- Income maximisation conversations at the point of food provision
- Supported referrals into Citizens Advice and other specialist services
- Assistance with applications (e.g. benefits, crisis payments, housing support)
- Signposting to wider financial resilience support
Approach
• Food provision will be used as a gateway intervention, ensuring every contact presents an opportunity to address underlying financial issues.
• Partners will be equipped and supported to deliver consistent triage, referral and engagement with wider services.
Expected outcomes
• Reduced repeat use of emergency food parcels
• Increased engagement with income and advice services
• Improved household income and financial resilience
• Earlier intervention to prevent escalation into crisis
Planned activity for resilience strand - increased access to appropriate and quality advice services
This strand will focus on significantly increasing access to high-quality, independent advice services, with a particular emphasis on strengthening provision through Citizens Advice and embedding advice within community settings.
Increased investment in Citizens Advice
- Increased funding will expand Citizens Advice capacity to deliver:
- Welfare benefits advice and claims support
Debt advice (including priority debts)
Housing and financial capability advice
Provision will be triaged through the Crisis Payment Scheme to improve efficiency of Citizens Advice work and enhance integrated work.
Role of CRF Community Partners
CRF Community Partners will be funded to increase local access points to advice, particularly for harder-to-reach groups.
Partners will:
- Provide initial advice and triage
- Support residents to access Citizens Advice services
- Offer assisted referrals and appointment booking
- Deliver in-person support for those who are digitally excluded
Advice services will increasingly be co-located within CRF Community Partners, improving accessibility and engagement
Expected outcomes
• Increased utilisation of advice services across the city
• Improved access for vulnerable and underserved groups
• Increased benefit uptake and successful financial outcomes
• Reduction in financial issues escalating into crisis
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Strengthens financial resilience through improved access to advice
• Reduces reliance on crisis and emergency provision
• Supports early intervention and prevention across the system
Planned activity for resilience strand - increased savings
This strand will focus on increasing household financial resilience by supporting residents to build savings, reducing vulnerability to future financial shocks.
Targeting approach (LIFT)
• The Council will utilise the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to identify households with limited or no financial buffers.
• Targeted campaigns will proactively engage households most at risk of financial instability, including those with fluctuating or low incomes.
• Campaigns will promote access to support that enables residents to retain more income and begin to build savings.
Support through Citizens Advice
Increased investment in Citizens Advice will support residents to:
- Maximise income through benefit uptake and financial entitlements
- Improve budgeting and money management
- Reduce unnecessary expenditure and stabilise household finances
This support creates the conditions for households to move from short-term survival to longer-term financial planning, including the ability to save.
Approach
Savings will be supported indirectly through:
- Increasing disposable income
- Improving financial capability
- Reducing financial pressures (e.g. debt, unmanaged expenditure)
LIFT identification combined with specialist advice ensures support is proactive, targeted and preventative
Expected outcomes
• Increased number of households able to build and maintain savings
• Improved financial resilience and ability to manage financial shocks
• Reduced reliance on crisis support due to greater financial buffers
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Strengthens long-term financial resilience
• Reduces repeat need for Crisis Payments
• Supports a shift from reactive crisis intervention to prevention
Planned activity for resilience strand - reduction in debt, especially priority debt
This strand will focus on reducing household debt, particularly priority debts, through increased access to specialist advice and early intervention.
Support through Citizens Advice
Increased funding will expand Citizens Advice debt advice provision, enabling residents to access:
- Specialist debt advice, including support with priority debts
- Negotiation with creditors and establishment of sustainable repayment plans
- Support to prevent escalation to enforcement action or eviction
Debt support will be delivered as part of an integrated financial resilience offer, ensuring that:
- Residents receive advice at the earliest opportunity
- Debt issues are addressed alongside income maximisation and budgeting support
Strong referral pathways from the Crisis Payment Scheme and Community Partners will ensure timely access to specialist advice.
Expected outcomes
• Reduction in levels of priority debt among supported households
• Increased use of structured repayment plans
• Reduced enforcement action and associated costs
• Improved financial stability and reduced risk of crisis
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Reduces underlying financial pressures that lead to crisis
• Supports tenancy sustainment and prevention of homelessness
• Builds longer-term financial resilience, reducing repeat demand on CRF support
Planned activity for resilience strand - Maximisation of individuals' income
This strand will focus on embedding income maximisation within the Crisis Payment Scheme, ensuring every resident interaction is used to improve household income and reduce financial vulnerability.
Integrated income maximisation within the Crisis Payment Scheme
The Crisis Payment application process will include built-in income maximisation checks, ensuring all applicants are assessed for wider financial support needs.
Better Off Calculator (digital access and integration)
• The Council will promote and embed the Better Off Calculator across its website and partner channels
Where possible, applicant information will be used to support pre-populated or assisted calculations, helping residents understand:
- Benefit entitlement
- Support Schemes
This supports a consistent and accessible approach to income maximisation at scale
Support through Citizens Advice
Increased funding will enable Citizens Advice to deliver:
- Welfare benefits checks and applications
- Support to maximise household income
- Follow-up casework for more complex cases
Referrals from Crisis Payments, LIFT campaigns and CRF Community Partners will ensure targeted access to specialist support.
Targeting through LIFT
The Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) will be used to identify residents who are likely to be missing out on income.
Targeted campaigns will proactively engage these households and connect them to:
- Crisis support where needed
- Income maximisation services and tools
This ensures support is data-led, preventative, and targeted at those most in need.
Expected outcomes
• Increased household income through improved benefit uptake
• Increased use of income maximisation tools and services
• Reduced financial pressure on households
• Reduced need for repeat crisis support
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Builds long-term financial resilience
• Reduces dependency on Crisis Payments
• Supports a preventative, system-wide approach to financial support
Planned activity for resilience strand - decreased need for crisis payments and housing payments
This strand will focus on ensuring that crisis and housing support act as a gateway to wider resilience services, reducing repeat reliance through early intervention and integrated support.
Crisis Payment Scheme as a pathway to wider support
The Crisis Payment Scheme will be designed as more than a financial intervention, acting as a key entry point into broader support services
All applicants will be:
- Take part in income maximisation calculations as part of the application
- Signposted or referred into appropriate resilience services, debt advice and budgeting support
Link between Housing Payments and wider support
Residents applying regularly for Housing Payments will be referred into the Crisis Payment Scheme.
This approach will:
- Connect them to income maximisation, debt advice and financial support services
- Connect them to CRF Community Partners
Expected outcomes
• Reduced repeat applications for Crisis Payments and Housing Payments
• Improved financial stability for households
• Increased engagement with preventative support services
• Reduced escalation into crisis situations
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Supports a shift from reactive crisis intervention to preventative, whole-system support
• Reduces long-term dependency on crisis funding
• Strengthens financial resilience across households and communities
Planned activity for community coordination strand
This strand will focus on strengthening and coordinating the local support system by investing in CRF Community Partners, enabling them to build on existing provision and shift further towards a resilience-based model of support.
Strengthening CRF Community Partners
Funding will be provided to voluntary, community and faith organisations delivering frontline support across the city
This investment will:
- Sustain and enhance existing provision (e.g. food, practical support, community services)
- Enable organisations to expand their offer beyond crisis response
Partners will be supported to evolve their delivery to include stronger financial resilience activity alongside existing support
Enhancing resilience-focused delivery
CRF Community Partners will be supported to integrate:
- Income maximisation conversations
- Advice and referral pathways (e.g. to Citizens Advice)
- Support with applications (Crisis Payments, benefits, housing support)
This will shift provision from predominantly emergency response to a more preventative, outcomes-focused model.
Improving coordination and referral pathways
Community Partners act as trusted local access points, ensuring:
- Increased identification of need at community level
- Warm referrals into appropriate services
- Stronger connections between crisis support, advice services and wider resilience provision
Bolstering community-level support
Investment will enable partners to:
- Reach vulnerable groups
- Provide accessible, locally delivered support
- Strengthen collaboration across organisations
This builds on Peterborough’s established voluntary sector to create a more integrated and responsive local support network.
Expected outcomes
- Increased referral of crisis support applicants into appropriate services
- Improved coordination between organisations and services
- Greater capacity within the voluntary and community sector
- Reduced demand for crisis support through earlier intervention Contribution to CRF outcomes
- Bolsters community-level support by strengthening local delivery infrastructure
- Improves access and engagement with support services
Planned admin spend
The majority of administration spend will fund core delivery capacity, including:
• Financial Inclusion Manager
• Financial Inclusion Officer
• Project Support role
These roles will support scheme delivery, partner coordination, case management, monitoring and reporting, and the development of resilience-focused activity across the system.
The Council has procured E-vouchers to manage the administration of the Crisis Payment Scheme, including application processing, assessment and payment delivery. This also includes funding for integration with the Better Off Calculator, supporting a consistent and embedded income maximisation approach within the application process.
Operational and delivery costs
A further allocation will support:
• Printing and communication materials
• Online systems and administration costs
• Advertising and outreach to ensure awareness and access
• Training for CRF Community Partners to support delivery of resilience-based interventions, including income maximisation conversations, referrals and application support
Dedicated funding will support evaluation of the CRF programme, including:
• Monitoring outcomes and impact
• Assessing effectiveness of interventions
• Informing continuous improvement across the three-year period
Contribution to CRF outcomes
• Ensures robust administration and delivery of the Crisis Payment Scheme
• Strengthens system coordination and partner capability
• Supports data-led decision making and continuous improvement
• Enables a shift towards preventative, resilience-focused delivery
Further information
We will implement a dynamic and responsive financial management approach to ensure the allocation remains sustainable across the funding period.
This will include:
• Regular review of Crisis Payment award levels to ensure appropriate and proportionate support
• Periodic review of eligibility criteria, including the application of savings thresholds, to ensure funding is targeted at those most in need
• Ongoing monitoring of demand, spend and application trends to enable timely adjustments
This approach provides flexibility to respond to demand while maintaining financial control and ensuring funding is available throughout the three-year period.
How will you ensure all eligible individuals are targeted?
We will combine data-led targeting, community-based delivery and coordinated communications to reach all eligible individuals.
This will include:
• Working with CRF Community Partners, who specialise in supporting a wide range of communities, to reach residents who may not engage directly with council services
• Delivering communications through multiple local authority channels and across council services to maximise reach
• Utilising the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) to proactively identify and engage low-income individuals and families who may be experiencing, or at risk of, financial hardship
• Ensuring strong referral pathways between council services, partners and frontline staff to identify need early and connect residents to support
This approach ensures coverage across both digitally engaged and harder-to-reach groups, reducing the risk of exclusion.
What checks are in place to verify the identity and eligibility of residents?
Eligibility will be confirmed through a combination of:
• National Insurance number verification
• Proof of address, supported by local authority records where available
• Identification documentation where required
For applicants requesting a second payment within a 12-month period, additional verification will be required through:
• An assessment by a CRF Community Partner or designated service provider, evidencing ongoing need and engagement with wider support
These measures ensure appropriate use of funds while maintaining a proportionate and accessible approach.
If working in collaboration with Third Party Organisations (TPOs), how will progress be monitored?
We will implement robust performance management and monitoring arrangements, including:
• KPIs embedded within grant agreements with all funded organisations
• Standardised reporting templates capturing activity, spend and outcomes
• Client surveys and feedback mechanisms for individuals accessing CRF Community Partner services
• Regular review and performance discussions to ensure delivery remains aligned to CRF objectives
This ensures transparency, accountability and continuous improvement across the partnership model.
Does your Authority have a separate local welfare assistance scheme and, if so, how does this tie in with your CRF delivery?
No. The Council does not operate a separate Local Welfare Assistance scheme.
The CRF therefore acts as the primary framework for both crisis support and financial resilience activity, enabling a fully integrated approach that combines:
• Crisis Payments
• Housing Payments
• Resilience Services
• Community-based support
This ensures a joined-up, consistent delivery model with clear pathways for residents accessing support.