Ashfield District Council: Homelessness and Homelessness Prevention

Homelessness and Homelessness Prevention

If you are homeless now or in danger of becoming homeless, you should contact the Housing Options Section as soon as possible.

We may be able to prevent your homelessness by talking to your landlord or mortgage lender if you are in arrears. It is important that you seek advice as soon as possible. We can signpost you to the relevant support agency if we are unable to assist.

If you are under 18 or a parent of an under 18 year old, having problems living under the same roof, then we may be able to arrange mediation to restore harmony in your household.

If you have been served notice by your landlord, or find yourself threatened with homelessness, then we may be able to assist you find suitable alternative private rented accommodation utilising our Bond Guarantee Scheme. Please contact the Housing Options Section for further information.

We hold Drop-In Sessions to give advice and information on your housing situation. These sessions are held on Tuesday afternoons 2pm-4pm and Thursday mornings 10am-12noon at the Council Offices on Urban Road, Kirkby in Ashfield, Notts, NG17 8DA.

We also produce a Temporary Accommodation and Advice Guide with useful advice and contact numbers.

Whether you qualify for accommodation or not will depend on your individual circumstances. The council does not have a duty to provide temporary or permanent housing to all homeless people.

You will not be eligible for assistance if:

you are from abroad and subject to immigration control
you are from abroad and you are not habitually resident in the UK
you are a British citizen and you have not been habitually resident in the UK for a number of years

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the Housing Options Section. We will ask you to provide identification in the form of a passport, driving licence or birth certificate.

You may be considered to have a priority need if you:

are homeless because of an emergency (e.g. fire, flood)
have dependent children
are pregnant
are aged 16/17 years old
are aged between 18 and 20 and have formerly been in "Care"

You may also have a priority under the Homelessness Act (2002) if you are considered "vulnerable". To determine if you are vulnerable we may request information from other agencies including supporting letters.

To be provided with temporary accommodation you must be deemed to have a priority need.

You may be considered to be homeless if any of the following apply to you either now or in the next 28 days:

You and your family have nowhere that you can stay together
You no longer have a legal right to stay in your home
You have somewhere to live but cannot gain entry to it
You have fled your home through fear of violence
Your home is a caravan or boat and you have nowhere to legally place it and live in it

There may be other situations that apply to you which are not listed here. Each applicant will have individual circumstances that we will take into account.

Intentionally homeless

The council will not have a duty to provide housing for you if you are found to be intentionally homeless. You may be found intentionally homeless if you have deliberately done something or failed to do something which has caused you to become homeless. For example, if you lose your home because you did not pay your rent or mortgage despite being able to afford to do so.

We will always give you advice to help you find somewhere else to live.

Local connection

The Homelessness Legislation states that in most cases you should have a local connection in order to make a homelessness application. You will be considered to have a local connection if any of the following apply to you:

You have lived in the Ashfield area for 6 out of the last 12 months or 3 out of the last 5 years.
Your Mother, Father, Brother, Sister or adult children have been living in the Ashfield area for the last 5 years.
In some instances we may also consider permanent employment as a connection to the area.

If your local connection is based on your own residency within the area, we will need proof that you have lived at the addresses you give us. This may take the form of a tenancy agreement, utility bills or we can check our Council Tax records. Similarly if your family is your connection, we will need to be able to prove their residency in the area.

What happens next?

There is a set procedure that we must go through with you if you need to approach us for assistance:

Complete our "Homelessness Prevention and Housing Options Form" (please make sure your details are correct and that the application is completed in full).
You can complete this by calling into the Council Offices during the drop-in sessions mentioned above or we can post one to you for completion.
The information that you provide will be passed to a Housing Options Officer who will provide you with relevant advice and, if necessary, book an appointment for you to attend the office to complete Part 2 of the homelessness application.
If, when you complete your form, you have nowhere to stay that night, please make sure you tell us when you return your form. An Officer will then deal with you as soon as possible.
Please be aware that we operate an appointment system which may mean that if you approach us without an appointment and are homeless that night you will be asked to wait until a Housing Options Officer can see you or to return at a later time.

Homelessness Strategy

Ashfield's Homelessness Strategy 2008 - 2011

For further information on homelessness, please contact the Senior Homelesssness Officer on 01623 457260 or see Housing Options section for alternative contact details.

Further Information

This information does not cover every eventuality and if you need any further advice please contact the Housing Options section either by phone or by coming into the offices.