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Household Support Fund — now the Crisis and Resilience Fund
Help from your council with energy, water, food and essentials. A grant, not a loan.
Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 9 September 2026
Household Support Fund
Crisis and Resilience Fund
GOV.UK now uses this name for the England scheme. If your council still calls it the Household Support Fund, or uses a local name of its own, it is the same kind of help.
It is help from your local council with essential costs — and it is a grant, not a loan. There is nothing to repay.
Two things most people do not expect:
- You do not have to be getting benefits to get help.
- If you do get benefits, a payment from the fund will not affect them.
Scotland and Wales run their own schemes under different names.
What happened to the Household Support Fund?
The Household Support Fund was money the government gave to councils in England to help households with essentials. It ran in a series of extensions from October 2021, each one announced separately.
| Period | Funding for councils in England |
|---|---|
| 6 Oct 2021 – 31 Mar 2022 | £500m (UK-wide) |
| 1 Apr 2022 – 30 Sep 2022 | £500m |
| 1 Oct 2022 – 31 Mar 2023 | £500m |
| 1 Apr 2023 – 31 Mar 2024 | £842m |
| 1 Apr 2024 – 30 Sep 2024 | £421m |
| 1 Oct 2024 – 31 Mar 2025 | £421m |
| 1 Apr 2025 – 31 Mar 2026 | £742m |
The DWP guidance page for councils, last updated 1 April 2026, lists no period after 31 March 2026. On GOV.UK’s page for the public, the England scheme is now described as the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Sources: GOV.UK — Household Support Fund: guidance for local councils; GOV.UK — Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗. Both checked 9 September 2026.
What the councils are doing now
GOV.UK stops at 31 March 2026. The councils do not. We opened the crisis-support page of the 20 largest councils in England on 9 September 2026, and every one of them now calls the scheme the Crisis and Resilience Fund. Eight state on the page that it runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029 — a three-year settlement replacing the six-month extensions the Household Support Fund ran on.
The money is settled; the doors are not. Surrey and Derbyshire had no application route open when we looked, Bradford’s crisis payments open “later in 2026”, and Bristol works only through schools and charities. Which door is yours depends entirely on your council.
Council by council: what each of the 20 covers, how to apply, and whether it was open →
Source: the 20 council pages, each linked on that page. Checked 9 September 2026.
What it can help with
GOV.UK lists:
- Energy and water bills
- Food
- Essential items
- Housing costs
Your council may also offer food vouchers for families during the school holidays. Councils decide their own schemes, so some cover more than this — a cooker, a bed, school uniform, help with broadband. Check what yours offers rather than assuming.
Who can get it
GOV.UK is explicit on both of these, and both are the opposite of what people assume:
Funding is aimed at anyone who’s vulnerable or cannot pay for essentials. You do not have to be getting benefits to get help from your local council.
If you get benefits, they will not be affected if you get a payment from the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
That second point matters more than it looks. Money you borrow counts as capital and can reduce your Universal Credit.
over £6,000 held → −£4.35 per £250
Money, savings and investments over £6,000 reduce your Universal Credit by £4.35 for every £250 held between £6,000 and £16,000. A payment from this fund does not do that.
If you qualify for both a grant and a loan, the grant is the cheaper option by a wide margin.
How councils actually run it
This is where the frustration comes from. Councils decide how to run their own schemes, so there are real differences in who is eligible, whether you apply at all and how, and who the money is given to.
- Some councils hand the money out through local charities and community groups rather than taking applications.
- Some limit households to one application a year.
- Some open applications only in certain windows, when funding is available.
None of that is published in one place, which is why “check with your local council” is not a brush-off — it is genuinely the only reliable answer.
How to find your council’s scheme
- Go to GOV.UK’s page Get help with the cost of living from your local council and follow it through to your council.
- On your council’s site, look for “crisis”, “resilience”, “welfare assistance” or “household support” — the name varies.
- If you cannot find it, phone the council’s main line and ask for the local welfare or crisis support team.
- If applications are closed, ask what else is available — food banks, charity grants and school-holiday food support are often run separately.
If you live outside England
| Nation | Scheme |
|---|---|
| Scotland | Scottish Welfare Fund — Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants |
| Wales | Discretionary Assistance Fund |
| Northern Ireland | Discretionary Support or a Short-term Benefit Advance |
GOV.UK also notes that a discretionary housing payment may be available if you live in Scotland or Wales.
Sources: GOV.UK — Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗; GOV.UK — Budgeting Loans: Other help you can get↗. Checked 9 September 2026.
Other help worth checking at the same time
- Budgeting Advanceinterest-freeIf you are on Universal Credit and the cost is a one-off item. Repaid from your award. Full detail
- Budgeting Loaninterest-freeThe same idea on Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Pension Credit. Full detail
- Council tax supportIf you are on a low income or certain benefits.
- Credit union loansIf you do need to borrow, interest is capped by law. Full detail
- Charitable grantsFor specific circumstances, and not repaid. Grants for white goods
What changed on this page
- Renamed on GOV.UK: the England scheme is now the Crisis and Resilience Fund. DWP’s council guidance lists no funding period after 31 March 2026. This page is re-checked monthly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Household Support Fund still running in 2026?
Under that name, no — councils say the last Household Support Fund period ended 31 March 2026. Under its new name, the Crisis and Resilience Fund, most of the 20 largest councils publish funding to 31 March 2029. Help with essential costs from your council still exists; what changed is the name and, in many places, how you apply.
Do I have to pay it back?
No. This is a grant, voucher or direct payment, not a loan.
Will it affect my benefits?
No. GOV.UK states that a payment from the Crisis and Resilience Fund will not affect your benefits.
Can I apply if I am working?
Yes. You do not have to be getting benefits — the test is whether you are vulnerable or cannot pay for essentials.
How do I apply?
It depends on your council. Some take online applications, some work through local charities, some limit you to one a year. Start from GOV.UK’s council page.
What if my council has no funding left?
Ask what else is available locally — food banks, school-holiday food support and charitable grants are usually run separately from the main scheme.
Is it the same as a Budgeting Advance?
No. A Budgeting Advance is a Universal Credit product that you repay from future payments. This is council help that you do not repay.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗. Checked 9 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Household Support Fund: guidance for local councils (DWP). Last updated 1 April 2026, checked 9 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Budgeting Loans: Other help you can get↗. Checked 9 September 2026.
- GOV.UK — Universal Credit: What you’ll get (capital rules)↗. Checked 9 September 2026.
This page is independent. It is not run by any local council, the Department for Work and Pensions or GOV.UK.