The British Red Cross Scottish Crisis Fund
Funded by the Scottish government and working through partners, we are supporting people in Scotland who are at risk of destitution.
What is the Scottish Crisis Fund?
The British Red Cross has a new Scottish Crisis Fund to support people at risk of becoming destitute, including vulnerable migrants and those who have no recourse to public funds.
Covid-19 highlighted the hardship that already exists in Scotland and, in some cases, made it worse. This project will provide targeted support to beneficiaries and work to develop longer-term solutions through the distribution of cash grants.
Funded by the Scottish government, we will work in partnership with a broad range of local authority and third sector partners to support those at risk of destitution. The grants are designed to complement, not replace, other kinds of support, working together to get someone out of crisis.
How do we identify people in crisis in Scotland?
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we developed the British Red Cross vulnerability index, which identified areas where Covid-19 caused the highest levels of need.
We will continue to build on this analysis with data collected from British Red Cross Scottish Crisis Fund referrals, encouraging specific organisations to join the fund, and facilitating a regular community of practice.
This means that referral partners can have thematic discussions arising from referrals.
How the fund will work
People who are eligible to participate in the fund will get a pre-paid card provided by our partner, Bankable.
Each cash grant will be up to a maximum of £300, paid in three-monthly instalments of £100 each. Families with children or other dependants can apply for up to six grants per household, for a total of £1,800 over the three-month period.
The pre-paid cards can be used online or in shops to make chip and pin or contactless payments. ATM withdrawals are limited to £35 for the lifetime of the card (14 weeks).
Who is eligible for the fund
To be eligible, people living in Scotland must be referred by one of our partners and meet the following criteria.
Be struggling to afford:
- food and toiletries
- somewhere safe to sleep
- access to a telephone and the internet
- fuel to keep the lights on, cook and stay warm.
Fall into one of the following at-risk groups:
- asylum seekers whose appeal right is exhausted and are not receiving asylum support or local authority assistance
- reunited family members experiencing delays in accessing support
- migrants with no access to support (such as survivors of trafficking or pre-asylum applicants)
- people who have been granted some form of leave to remain but whose support is delayed
- asylum seekers facing bureaucratic problems in accessing support
- migrants with leave but no recourse to public funds, who have no access to support and are in a crisis
- survivors of gender-based violence, including domestic abuse
- people facing homelessness or living in temporary accommodation
- people who have no recourse to public funds due to their immigration status.
People will not be able to take part in the fund if they have:
- paid employment of any kind
- a pension
- statutory support including Universal Credit, asylum support or other state-funded support
- voluntary sector grants or financial help
- financial help from family or friends
- income from savings.
People will not be able to refer themselves.
Download more information on eligibility
Partners in the Red Cross Scottish Crisis Fund
Our partners will meet certain criteria. They should:
- work in the community directly with at-risk individuals
- have an ongoing relationship with service users so they can refer them for support
- be willing to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to define our partnership
- have a feedback mechanism for service users
- have safeguarding procedures in place
- have data protection procedures in place.
Partners will use an online system called RedRose to apply for a grant on someone’s behalf. Applications are straightforward and only one page.
Each referral partner will have their own login and we will send guidance to partners on how to use the system with their login details.
You can read our information on partner eligibility requirements and our partner FAQs for more information about applying.
Contact us
To find out more about the British Red Cross Scottish Crisis Fund, and to register to become a referral partner, please email our team. We will reply to discuss next steps