What will happen?
The first step is usually to call your local council's homelessness service. If you need to contact them during the evening or at weekends, the switchboard will give you an emergency number.
The local council has to accept an application for help from anyone who appears to be homeless or is likely to become homeless within 28 days. They also have a duty to help the homeless and they will make enquiries to see if you fit into the group of people they must provide housing for.
The four stages of this test are:
- Do you qualify for help?
- Are you homeless, or threatened with homelessness within 28 days in England and Wales or 2 months in Scotland, according to law?
- Do you have a priority need?
- Are you unintentionally homeless?
The local council will also assess whether or not you have a local connection with your area, for example if you have family in the area.
Your local council should start your homelessness application as soon as it knows you are a homeless person. If the council won't let you make an application, ask for written reasons. A homelessness officer or housing adviser should interview you the same day, or the next working day if you apply after office hours.
At the end of the interview you should know what the local council is going to do next, who is going to contact you and by when.
In England and Wales the local council will then make enquiries to help it decide what legal duty it has to help you. This should be within 33 working days, but this doesn't always happen.
In Scotland, the local council should give you a decision on whether you qualify for permanent accommodation within 28 days. In the meantime they should offer 'suitable' temporary accommodation.