Home›Household Support Fund›Councils›Leeds

Leeds: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What Leeds’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

What Leeds’s scheme covers

Who qualifies

Leeds resident aged 16+, entitled to or applying for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, JSA, ESA, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Council Tax Support, with a qualifying crisis (e.g. loss of income, unexpected bill over £100, fire/flood/theft, fleeing violence) and less than £150 available

How often

One Crisis Payment per 12 months per household (with a limited exception for people leaving supported accommodation)

How to apply

Apply online, or by phone on 0800 953 2303 or 0113 376 0330

Decision

Aim to process applications within 4 working days

You will need

Bank statements showing current balance and last month's transactions, proof of identity, household details, income information, and evidence of the crisis (bills, evidence of income reduction, medical diagnosis, etc.)

Not covered

Not eligible for food or fuel support if you or your partner have £150 or more available to you

Government allocation

£12,937,865 for 2026-27

What Leeds itself says

• Who qualifies. “fleeing violence or the threat of violence”
• How often. “you or your partner if you have one, must not have received a previous Crisis Payment in the last 12 months”
• How to apply. “0800 953 2303 or 0113 376 0330”
• Decision. “We will aim to process your application within 4 working days”
• You will need. “Bank statements showing current balance and last month's transactions”
• Not covered. “You will not be eligible for food or fuel support if you or your partner have £150 or more available to you”

Scheme name from Leeds’s own page↗ and its application page↗. Not confirmed: the page did not load for our check on 10 September 2026, so nothing on it is quoted here. The government allocation is from Annex A of the Crisis and Resilience Fund grant determination 2026 to 2027↗.

Apply on Leeds’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”.

Source: Leeds City Council — Crisis and Resilience Fund. Opened 10 September 2026; page did not load, scheme name from the council’s page title.

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

• How much councils pay — the cheapest borrowing, capped at 3% a month.
• DWP phone numbers — which line to call, and for what.
• Borrowing while on benefits — what it costs and what it does to your award.
• Crisis Loans — what replaced them, and where to apply now.

Not in Leeds?

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: Leicester, Ribble Valley, Bassetlaw — see all 141.

This page is independent. It is not run by Leeds City 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.