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Homelessness

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Summary

The Housing Act 1996 Part 7 (as amended by the 2002 Homelessness Act) places obligations on the Council with regard to those homeless, threatened with homelessness or those in need of housing advice. The Council may meet its obligations in a number of ways:

In all cases where an approach is made the Council will be obliged to provide housing advice. This may help in preventing homelessness arising.
In particular cases the Council will be obliged to ensure accommodation is available for your use.

The Council will be able to provide you with assistance with securing accommodation within the private rented sector or with a local housing association.

A Housing Advisor will explain how the law affects you and the Councils responsibilities to you.

Eligability

One of the requirements to qualify for further help is that you must be homeless, or threatened with homelessness within the next 28 days. There must not be any accommodation anywhere in the world which you could reasonably continue to live in.

In order to qualify, you must be eligible for public funds - there are certain groups of people who are ineligible for homeless assistance in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. However, this does not prevent them receiving housing advice. Please contact the Housing Advice Section at Wellington House.

Links to opening times.

Who is homeless or threatened with homelessness?

Here are a few examples:

You have literally no accommodation or you have accommodation but you cannot gain access to this.
You have difficulties affording your current accommodation, whether rented or mortgaged.
You believe that you have to leave your accommodation and have nowhere to go.
You should not give up your accommodation without speaking to a Housing Advisor.
You are facing domestic violence, or the threat of violence.
You are sleeping rough.

Procedure

You will be interviewed initially by a member of staff at the Wellington House reception and if appropriate you will be seen by a Housing Advisor. We need to find out:

If you are legally homeless and if so, why you are homeless and;
whether you need support to help you find and stay in accommodation.

We may need to make further enquiries to determine the Councils full responsibilities to you and while we are making these enquiries we may be obliged to provide you with temporary accommodation. This could be in:

A self-contained furnished property; or
A refuge if required if you are fleeing domestic violence; or
A local bed and breakfast hotel.

In certain situations it may be necessary to offer you temporary accommodation outside the Borough. If this is necessary we will endeavour to keep the time spent in this accommodation to a minimum.

A permanent home.

When we have looked into your circumstances we will decide if you ''qualify'' as homeless. If you do qualify we''ll help you find a permanent home (furnished or unfurnished). We can get you assistance to ensure you claim the right benefits and obtain money advice. If appropriate, support can be provided in the early months in your new home to assist you settle in fully.

Help lines

(01226) 773870

Charges/Fees

No fees/charges for the Housing Advice Service but in certain circumstances where temporary accommodation is provided there may be a service charge for e.g. gas, electric and heating.

Method of Payment

A Housing Advisor will explain this to you at the time.

Opening Times/Locations

Please refer to the ''Associated Links'' for Area Office opening times.

How the customer can help

If you think there is a possibility you may lose your home, and do not have another home to go to, contact our Housing Advice section at Wellington House as soon as you believe that you may have to leave your accommodation. We may take action or give you advice to prevent you from leaving your home. For instance:

We may be able to negotiate with your landlord to delay or prevent homelessness.
We can call on trained staff who may be able to intervene on your behalf with Building Societies and provide debt counselling.
If your landlord is acting illegally we will liaise with him/her to prevent homelessness, but where this fails action may be taken against your landlord.
If you are living in poor conditions, we will liaise with your landlord and may involve our Environmental Health Officers to intervene on your behalf.

If you are homeless and in priority need, we will need to know why you lost your last permanent home - this may not be where you are now living. The Housing Act says that if you lose your last home because of something you did or failed to do, you may be ''intentionally homeless''. Some examples:

Voluntarily giving up your home when it would have been reasonable for you to stay there.
Failure to pay your rent or mortgage when you were able to do so.

If you are found to be intentionally homeless, we will only offer you accommodation for a limited period, usually 28 days, and provide you with advice to assist you in finding another home.

Application Form References

Homelessness application form to be completed during your interview.

Leaflets

Harassment and Illegal Eviction.
Applied for Housing?Homelessness and Housing Advice.
Private Rented Accommodation. Where to go? (For single persons accommodation).

Legislation

Housing Act 1996 Part VII (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) - this is the legislation that governs the responsibilities of the Council to the homeless and was brought into effect on 20th January 1997.

Websites

Please refer to the ''Associated Links'' for related websites.

Response times / next step

If you are homeless will we endeavour to interview you within one hour of approaching Wellington House.

From the initial contact the Council will try to conclude all necessary enquiries and make a decision in relation to your application within 33 days.

The first person you will see will be a Community Information Service Officer who will ask you questions about the circumstances which have led to you being homeless. You will then be interviewed by a Housing Advisor who may request that you provide certain documents. These may include:

Court Orders requiring you to leave your home.
Tenancy Agreements.
Proof of Identity.
Birth / Marriage Certificates.
Divorce Papers.
Proof of Pregnancy.
Proof of Income.

Failure to bring these documents will seriously hinder the progress of your case. As your application progresses you will be allocated a named caseworker who will be your contact person.

Out of Hours Procedure

If you become homeless and need assistance out of office hours you should contact our emergency Duty Team on (01226) 715656.If you need Housing Advice urgently you should contact Shelter Helpline on freephone 0808 800 4444.

Owner Officer Contact Details

Principal Officer Homeless and Housing Advice - (01226) 773870.

Additional Notes

Confidentiality
We will treat any information about you or your application confidential. We will only pass on information or make enquiries with your consent.

For more information about our privacy statement please refer to the ''Associated Links'' for related websites.

Distribution Points

Please refer to the ''Associated Links'' for link to your nearest District Office.

Frequently asked questions

What if I am homeless/threatened with homelessness?

The Council may have a responsibility to offer you accommodation either temporary or permanent.

To find out you will need to contact the Housing Advice Section who are based at
Wellington House, Wellington Street, Barnsley. Tel: (01226) 773870.
A Housing Advisor will give you advice and may be obliged to arrange temporary accommodation in certain circumstances. They will also explain the Councils responsibility to you.

You should not give up your right to live in your current accommodation before discussing it with a Housing Advisor. If you believe that it is unsafe for you to stay there you should contact a Housing Advisor immediately.