What changed
The Household Support Fund (HSF) ran from 2021 in a series of rounds. Its final round ended on 31 March 2026. Many guides and old council pages still talk about "the Household Support Fund" — but for help from April 2026 onwards, the scheme you want is the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
The new fund does the same core job — central government gives money to councils, who hand it out locally to households struggling with essentials — but it is designed to last longer (the government has said 2026 to 2029) and to be more stable than the short, repeating HSF rounds.
If your council page still says "Household Support Fund"
Some councils keep using the old name for a while, or use their own name like "Welfare Assistance", "Hardship Fund" or "Cost of Living Support". They all mean the same kind of help. If you find any of these on your council's site, that is the right place to apply.
What it can help with
Each council decides exactly what its scheme covers, but help commonly includes:
- Food — supermarket vouchers, food parcels, or referrals to a food bank.
- Energy — help topping up a prepayment meter or paying towards a gas/electric bill.
- Water — help with water bills or a referral to a water social tariff.
- Other essentials — sometimes white goods (cooker, fridge), beds, or emergency cash for a specific crisis.
- School holiday support — some councils give food vouchers to families with children on free school meals during the holidays.
It is usually a one-off or short-term award to get you through a crisis — not an ongoing payment. That is why it is worth pairing it with a full benefits check (below), because ongoing entitlements are often worth far more over a year.
The Housing Payment — it absorbed Discretionary Housing Payments
The Crisis and Resilience Fund did not only replace the Household Support Fund. From 1 April 2026 it also absorbed Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in England, which ended on 31 March 2026. The same help is now the fund’s Housing Payment strand.
Same help, same rules, new name
The Housing Payment is a rename and a fold-in — not a cut. The qualifying criteria are the same as the old DHP: you must already get Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. Your council still decides whether to award it and how much, and councils were told to maintain existing spending levels using their previous DHP allocations as a guide.
It can help with:
- A rent shortfall — the gap between your housing support and your actual rent (for example if you are hit by the benefit cap, the bedroom tax, or a Local Housing Allowance rate below local rents).
- A rent deposit.
- Rent in advance if you need to move.
- Rent arrears in some cases — your council decides.
Many councils still label the form “Discretionary Housing Payment”, so search your council’s website for either “Housing Payment” or “Discretionary Housing Payment”. Awards are discretionary and set locally, so there is no fixed national amount. Scotland and Wales still run DHPs under the old name, unchanged.
Read the full guide — Discretionary Housing Payment / Housing Payment →
Who can get it?
Each council sets its own rules, but the fund is generally aimed at:
- Households on a low income or facing financial hardship
- People on means-tested benefits (Universal Credit, Pension Credit, etc.) — though many councils help people not on benefits too
- Pensioners on a low income
- Families with children, especially those on free school meals
- Disabled people and unpaid carers
- Anyone hit by a sudden emergency or crisis affecting their ability to afford essentials
You usually do not have to be on benefits to qualify — if you are struggling to afford food or energy, it is worth applying.
How to find and apply to yours
- Find your council. If you are not sure which council covers you, enter your postcode on GOV.UK's "find your local council" tool (or use SortedUK's local finder).
- Search for the scheme. Search online for your council name plus "Crisis and Resilience Fund", or "household support", or "hardship fund" — for example "Birmingham City Council hardship fund".
- Read the eligibility on your council's page and gather any evidence they ask for (proof of income, benefits, ID, a recent bill).
- Apply the way your council says. Some take direct online applications; others give the money out through referrals from Citizens Advice, a food bank, a school, or a social worker.
- Can't find it or no internet? Phone your council's main number and ask for the team that handles "cost-of-living" or "welfare" support. Citizens Advice (0800 144 8848) can also help you find and apply.
It can run out — apply early in need
Council funds are cash-limited and some pause applications when the budget for that period is used up. If you are struggling, apply as soon as you can rather than waiting. If your council's fund is closed, ask them what else is available — they often have other welfare or emergency schemes.
If you need help right now
While you sort out the Crisis and Resilience Fund, these can help faster:
- Universal Credit advance / budgeting advance — if you have a UC claim, you can ask for an advance to tide you over (repaid from future payments).
- Your energy supplier's hardship fund + the Priority Services Register — British Gas Energy Trust is open to customers of any supplier.
- Water social tariff — often cuts the bill by 50% or more on a low income. Ask your water company.
- Food bank referral — usually through Citizens Advice. See find a food bank.
- A full benefits check — you may be missing ongoing money worth far more than a one-off grant. Check your benefits or run the money scan.
- Debt help — if bills are mounting, free FCA-regulated advice from StepChange 0800 138 1111. See debt help.
Free UK support
- Citizens Advice — 0800 144 8848. Free help finding and applying to your council's fund, plus a full benefits check.
- Your local council — the team that runs cost-of-living / welfare / hardship support.
- Turn2us — free grants search + benefits calculator.
- StepChange — 0800 138 1111. Free FCA-regulated debt advice.
- Samaritans — 116 123, free, 24/7, if it is all feeling like too much.