The Vicar’s Relief Fund (VRF)
Preventing and alleviating homelessness throughout the UK

The Vicar's Relief Fund (VRF) provides small crisis grants of up to £350 to support people who are at risk of, or currently, experiencing homelessness or are vulnerably housed, to establish and maintain their tenancies. Types of applications include funding to secure accommodation and to clear rent arrears following an eviction notice.

Who can apply

We only accept applications from paid frontline workers providing support to people who are experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing.

A frontline worker includes staff working in the Voluntary, Statutory and Public Sectors undertaking diverse roles including Resettlement or Outreach Workers, Supported Housing Officers, Mental Health Teams, Drug and Alcohol Support, GP’s, Probation, Social Workers, Prison In-Reach Workers, Police, Nurses, other Health professionals.

What do we provide grants for?

We will provide grants for:

- Accessing accommodation - rent deposits, rent in advance, admin fees, ID or temporary accommodation costs.

- Preventing eviction - rent arrears, service charge arrears, Debt Relief Orders and bankruptcy fees.

- Setting up home - household goods or moving costs.

How much can I apply for?

£350 is the maximum amount that we will issue to any one client in a 12 month period.

Please note: applications to clear a client’s rent arrears that do not include an official written notice of eviction/ termination of a license, will not be eligible for funding.

£250 for household items (carpets, fridges, cookers, washing machines, beds/ bedding) - this category has been suspended for the time being and we are hoping to offer it again from October 2017.

£100 for admin fees (letting agency fees)

£90 for ID - three types of photo ID (citizen card, passport, and provisional driving licence) and one type of non-photo ID (birth certificate) to enable clients to access accommodation.

£350 for anything else (Deposits and rent arrears)

How to apply

All applicants needs to individually register with the Vicar's Relief Fund before making an application.
Click here to register. 

When will I hear back from you?

We recognise the important impact of the speed in which we respond to applicants on their client’s welfare. We aim to provide you with a decision within 5 working days.

The Frontline Network and other funding you can apply for

In addition to the Vicar's Relief Fund, we have also set up St Martin's Frontline Network. We are keen to harness creative, solution-focused ideas that are coming from frontline workers and enable skills, expertise and experience to be shared across our Network. We are keen to support frontline workers creativity to support initiatives that can lead to and support better client outcomes.  Please click on the logo below to learn more and register:

See below for our other funding opportunities for registered Frontline Network members.

Click here to register for the Frontline Network

Click here to apply for up to £500 to organise a frontline worker event via our Events Fund

Click here to apply for £200-£10,000 and develop your creative, solution-focused ideas to support frontline workers and clients via our Ideas Board

Click here to share your News and Views from the Frontline.