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Liverpool: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What Liverpool’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

Liverpool City 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; Liverpool’s own page (linked below) is the authority and the current position.

What Liverpool’s scheme covers

Covers: Food and essentials; gas, electricity or water; clothing and hygiene; essential furniture or appliances; travel; phone or internet; rent shortfalls. Usually vouchers or payments
Status: not stated (confirmed 10 September 2026)
Funding period: CRF Policy 2026 published 27 July 2026
What you get: Usually a cash voucher or payment; sometimes goods or a direct payment instead
Who qualifies: Must be 16 or over, live in Liverpool, be on a low income and unable to cover essential needs; you do not need to be on benefits to apply
How to apply: Apply online, by phone, in person (One Stop Shops / Family Hubs), or via a support organisation
Decision: Urgent cases may be decided within 48 hours
You will need: Proof of ID, full household income/outgoings details, and recent bank statements, bills or benefit award letters as evidence
Not covered: Cannot be used for regular bills or as ongoing income, long-term costs, or costs already covered by other funds, grants or benefits
Government allocation: £12,071,972 for 2026-27

No stated limit on applications per year

Before you apply

Who can apply. Anyone aged 16 or over who lives in Liverpool, is on a low income and has no funds for essentials — you do not need to be on benefits
Use the right route. Online; freephone 0800 456 1523 or 0151 233 3053, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm; in person at One Stop Shops and Family Hubs
Check it is still open. not stated We confirmed this on 10 September 2026.

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

What Liverpool itself says

What you get. “We usually offer cash vouchers or payments. Sometimes we offer goods or direct payments, if they work better for you”
Who qualifies. “do not have enough money to cover essential needs”
How to apply. “call Freephone 0800 456 1523 or 0151 233 3053, Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm”
Decision. “Urgent cases may be decided within 48 hours”
You will need. “proof of ID; full details of your household income and outgoings; recent bank statements, bills or benefit award letters to upload as evidence”
Not covered. “The fund cannot be used for: regular bills or as an ongoing income; long-term costs; expenses covered by other funds, grants and benefits”

Quoted from Liverpool’s own 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 Liverpool’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 Liverpool scheme page

Source: Liverpool City 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

Budgeting Advance or Budgeting Loan — interest-free from the DWP.
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.

Not in Liverpool?

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: Maidstone, Rossendale, Braintree — see all 141.

Find your council by postcode

Not in Liverpool? 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 Liverpool 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.