The fund replaces the Household Support Fund and will provide £10m a year for the next three years to ensure people in financial crisis get help quickly, simply and with dignity.
Poverty is of the city’s most urgent and deep-rooted challenges, with around one in four Sheffield residents currently living in poverty.
A simpler, more accessible support system
The CRF will focus on making support easier to access and more effective, with key priorities including:
- Cashfirst crisis payments, giving people the flexibility to meet their needs in the way that works best for them
- A ‘no wrong door’ model, allowing residents to get help online, by phone, or through trusted places such as Welcome Places, Family Hubs and libraries
- Income maximisation support, which currently delivers an average of £2,628.50 extra income per household each year
- Better coordination between the Council and voluntary and community organisations, so people are supported quickly and without unnecessary barriers
These improvements respond to challenges identified in an independent evaluation of Sheffield’s cost-of-living response, which found ongoing issues such as stigma, confusion and the emotional burden of navigating complex systems.
“Too many people in Sheffield are living in poverty. The Council is committed to tackling poverty so that we can provide immediate support to residents, but also work with them to build ways out of poverty. The Crisis and Resilience Fund is a major step forward – it will enable us to get help to people when they need it most – quickly, fairly and with dignity. It will help us to remove barriers that hold people back and make the system easier to navigate.
This new approach is grounded in what residents have told us, and it will help us provide support that is not only practical but compassionate, so people can move out of crisis and towards stability”
Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council
Listening to lived experience
The updated approach also reflects recommendations from the Sheffield Poverty Truth Commission, which highlighted the need for more compassionate, dignified and person-centred services. Insights from residents with lived experience will continue to shape how support is designed and delivered.