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DHP scheme changes

Support payments are changing from April 2026

From 1 April 2026, Discretionary Housing Payments in Brent will change.

From 1 April, 2026:

These two schemes will be funded by the UK Government, through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

You can still apply for the current schemes until 31 March 2026.

What this means right now

Nothing is changing yet.

  • Applications for the current schemes are still open.
  • Awards under the current schemes will be made, subject to funds being available in the annual budget to do so.
  • Payments you have recently been awarded will continue as agreed.
  • You do not need to apply again now because of this change. If you need help now, you should apply as normal.

The type of help available through the scheme may change slightly. We are still finalising how the new local scheme will work.

What happens if you have recently:

Received a Discretionary Housing Payment

Your current award will continue as agreed. We will contact you if you need to do anything.

From 1 April 2026, if your circumstances change or a previous award ends, you can apply for extra housing help through the new CRF Housing Payment.

Applied and are waiting on a decision

If you have recently applied for a DHP payment, your application will be processed under the scheme that is running at the time you applied.

All applications will be assessed by our team and you will be informed of the outcome 6-8 weeks after you make your application.

Been unsuccessful in a recent application

If you were not successful in a recent DHP application and your circumstances change in the future, you can apply under the new CRF Housing Payment from 1 April.

Asked the council to reconsider a DHP decision 

There is no right of appeal against a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) decision. However, if you believe the decision is incorrect, you can ask us to reconsider it.

If you have requested that we review a DHP decision before 1 April 2026, we will assess your request in line with the DHP policy that was in place at the time the decision was made. This means your reconsideration will be reviewed under the current DHP policy in place prior to the introduction of the new scheme.

Once we have completed the review, we will write to you to confirm the outcome. The decision following a reconsideration will be final.

Questions you may have

Below we have listed some Frequently Asked Questions about the new CRF Housing Payment and Crisis Payment schemes.

Why is this changing?

The UK Government is introducing a new national programme called the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

Councils across England will use this funding to provide local help through Crisis Payments and CRF Housing Payments. 

Do I need to do anything now?

No. You only need to take action if:

  • you want to apply for help before 31 March 2026, or
  • we contact you directly.

Will I lose any current payments?

No. Current payments will continue as outlined and agreed in your decision letter.

Should I apply now before the scheme changes?

Only apply if you need help now. There is no need to rush because of the change.

Will the new scheme still cover the same types of costs?

We are still designing our local schemes, but we expect the new scheme to cover similar costs to the DHP scheme. We will share full details on this website when the new scheme opens.

Will the eligibility requirements change?

We are still designing our local schemes, but we expect them be open to residents that are eligible under the current DHP scheme. We will share full details on this website when the new scheme opens.

Will the evidence requirements change?

We are still designing our local schemes, but we expect the evidence requirements to be similar to what is asked for under the current DHP scheme.

No award will be made if you have not uploaded the required evidence with your application at the time of submission.

We will share full details on this website when the new scheme opens.

When will more information be made available?

We will publish full details of the new schemes on this website when it starts on 1 April 2026.

Funding information

Crisis payments and CRF Housing Payments are funded by the UK Government through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which supports councils to provide local financial help to residents.

Last updated 24/03/26