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Dudley: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What Dudley’s local crisis scheme covers, how to apply, and whether it was open when we checked.

Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 14 September 2026

Dudley Council runs its local crisis help as the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). It is a grant — not a loan: help with essentials, nothing to repay. This is a summary; Dudley’s own page (linked below) is the authority and the current position.

What Dudley’s scheme covers

Covers: A government-funded scheme to help with a financial shock and prevent repeat crisis; it replaces the Household Support Fund and changes Discretionary Housing Payments
Status: Launched 1 April 2026 (confirmed 10 September 2026)
Funding period: From 1 April 2026 (2026/27 allocation)
Award: Payment of up to £250 into your bank account; higher awards may be given in exceptional circumstances
What you get: Bank payment, food voucher, energy voucher (for those on a pre-payment meter), or white goods/essential furniture
Who qualifies: Single-person household income under £30,000 or joint household income under £40,000, or receiving a means-tested benefit (e.g. Universal Credit, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction); savings under £3,000
How often: You can only apply twice a year
How to apply: Apply online through the Crisis and Resilience Fund application form (quick code 425B8R)
Decision: Aim to decide within 48 hours once all required information has been given
You will need: Personal details including National Insurance number, and evidence of financial situation such as a recent bank statement showing at least one month's transactions
Government allocation: £4,902,327 for 2026-27

Before you apply

Use the right route. See the council's Crisis payments and further-help pages for how to apply
Check it is still open. Launched 1 April 2026 We confirmed this on 10 September 2026.

Only what Dudley states on its own page. Other councils ask for more — see what they have in common.

What Dudley itself says

Award. “a payment into your bank account of up to £250. Higher awards may be given in exceptional circumstances”
What you get. “white goods or essential furniture”
Who qualifies. “evidence of any savings accounts showing that you have less than £3000 in savings”
How often. “you can only apply twice a year”
How to apply. “Crisis and Resilience Fund apply here”
Decision. “We aim to make a decision within 48 hours once you have given us all the information we need”
You will need. “evidence of your financial situation, such as a recent bank statement showing at least one month's transactions”

Quoted from Dudley’s own page↗ and its application page↗, checked 14 September 2026. Nothing on this page is paraphrased into a rule the council has not published. The government allocation is from Annex A of the Crisis and Resilience Fund grant determination 2026 to 2027↗.

Apply on Dudley’s website

Applications are made on the council’s own site — this page collects nothing. If the link has moved, search the council site for “crisis and resilience”, then “household support”, then “welfare assistance”.

Open the Dudley scheme page

Source: Dudley Council — Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). Opened 10 September 2026.

Where this money comes from

Central government funds it; the council sets the rules. A payment does not affect your benefits. How the fund works nationally.

Other help you may qualify for

Eligibility checker — see what you could be entitled to.
White-goods grants — a broken fridge, cooker or washing machine.
Budgeting Advance or Budgeting Loan — interest-free from the DWP.
How much councils pay — the cheapest borrowing, capped at 3% a month.

Not in Dudley?

See the other councils we have checked, or find yours via GOV.UK’s Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗.

Outside England the scheme has a different name: the Scottish Welfare Fund in Scotland, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales, and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland.

Recently checked elsewhere: Durham, Lancaster, Tamworth — see all 141.

Find your council by postcode

Not in Dudley? Enter a postcode and we will point you at the right council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund page.

We look the postcode up with the free postcodes.io service to find your local authority. Nothing you type is stored.

This page is independent. It is not run by Dudley Council, the Department for Work and Pensions or GOV.UK. Council schemes change without notice; the council’s own page is always the current position.