Emergency Assistance Fund

Financial help for people impacted by crime

The Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF) is open to people affected by crime across Scotland who are in urgent need of financial help as a direct result of crime. Accessible to people with no alternative funding options, the EAF covers various essential goods and services.

To apply, you must already be receiving support from VSS or another organisation. Other organisations can also apply on behalf of someone they are supporting. Please read the below 'How can I apply?' section for more details.

Please note, we cannot provide assistance with the EAF through our helpline or messages to our online chat.

How can I apply?

To apply to the Emergency Assistance Fund, you must be already receiving support from VSS or another organisation.

If you are being supported by VSS

Speak to your VSS support worker who can discuss your application and help you submit it.

If you are not currently receiving support from VSS but would like to apply, please fill out the form linked here: Request Support | Victim Support Scotland

If you are being supported by another organisation

If you would like to apply, please speak with your support worker, who can discuss your circumstances and submit an application for you.

If you are not currently receiving support from another organisation, and would like to request support from Victim Support Scotland, please fill out the form linked here: Request Support | Victim Support Scotland

Support organisations can apply to the EAF on behalf of someone who has been impacted by crime. Please click the below link to fill out a form.

Please note, this application form is not for individuals to apply on their own behalf.

Apply as an organisation

Everything you need to know about the EAF

The Emergency Assistance Fund is available for specific costs and items following a crime. It is not a compensation fund.

VSS will arrange for the direct purchase of goods and services on behalf of the person affected.

Examples of what the Fund can cover include:

Emergency household goods
Food, utility or clothing expenses
Costs to repair or replace damaged property or goods
Contributions to funeral costs
Moving costs
Travel costs to a place of safety
Security equipment costs

You may be eligible for support from the Emergency Assistance Fund if:

You are able to demonstrate a financial need that has occurred as a direct result of crime
The request for financial support relates to an urgent and immediate need and is considered essential
You have no other source of funds (either through your own means or by accessing other support agencies/funds) to pay for items requested.
You are resident in Scotland.*

*Note: If you are not resident in Scotland but have been bereaved by a crime that happened in Scotland, you may still be eligible for support.

To apply, you will need to provide your support worker with:

Access to your financial information (income, benefits, expenditures)

Details of items you’re applying for, including quotes for items over £1000.

Once an application form has been submitted you will receive an email with your reference number. Please quote your reference number in any future correspondence. Any goods or services awarded will be provided directly to the person affected.

Please note, we cannot accept calls relating to EAF through our helpline or online chat. To get in touch with a member of staff regarding an application, email: eaf@victimsupportsco.org.uk

Watch this video for a quick explanation of the EAF

People we’ve helped

The Emergency Assistance Fund has helped thousands of people affected by crime cope and move forward. Read some first-hand accounts below.

Annie’s story

Victim Support Scotland began helping Annie* when she applied to the Emergency Assistance Fund (EAF). After separating from her partner, Annie moved with her children, aged 2 and 6, to temporary accommodation due to overcrowding at her family home.

Anna’s story

Helena* was fatally stabbed by her husband, leaving their three children as witnesses to the horrific event. Helena had no family in the UK except for her cousin, Anna*, who lived in England

Read all stories

Thank you so, so much. VSS has been absolutely brilliant in supporting me through the ordeals I've endured. You have been the only ones there for me, listening when no one else would. There were times I questioned my own sanity and thought it was all my fault, but your compassion has shown me that it is not.

EAF recipient

Thanks to the support from VSS, I was able to navigate an incredibly challenging time. Their dedication and assistance helped me understand the justice system, handle my financial obligations, and emotionally cope with the loss of my daughter. I will never forget the compassion and guidance they provided. I will never forget you and everything you have done for me.

Family supported by SFBC

I genuinely have no words to express both my own and my family’s gratitude to you for the support provided to us all throughout this very difficult period. So I will simply say ‘thank you’, from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you so much. You don’t know how much it means to us to have this help, especially when we are going through this painful journey.

Helena

Thank you so much! It has been the hardest time, but you've taken so many worries away. We are starting new beginnings after 32 years of hell. I’m ready to open up and start healing, and so are my two children. We laugh together now, something we weren’t allowed to do before. Thank you all so much

Annie