Homeless FAQ
What if you decide I am not homeless?
If your caseworker decides that you are not
homeless or threatened with homelessness according to the legal
definition, we will do everything we can to try and stop you
becoming homeless. We will tell you what you can do to protect your
rights to stay in your home. They can all try to help you stay in
your current home by sorting out any problems you have there. We
will also give you advice on the housing option available to
you.
What if you decide I am not eligible for assistance?
The government has decided that some asylum
seekers, some people who are subject to immigration control, and
people who are not usually resident in the United Kingdom are not
eligible for housing accommodation or assistance. This may mean
that we cannot do anything for you under homelessness legislation
even if you are homeless and have children. You may not even be
allowed to put in an application on the housing register. Please
talk to your caseworker about this. They will explain how it
affects your housing application and what help you can get.
What if you decide I am intentionally homeless?
If you are homeless through your own fault,
we have no duty to find you long-term accommodation. We will only
help you by giving advice, assistance and short term accommodation,
if you need it. We will talk to you about other housing options you
have.
If you accept that I am homeless and a priority case, what
happens?
We must help anyone who is homeless,
eligible for assistance, in priority need and not intentionally
homeless to find suitable accommodation. Unfortunately housing
association tenancies can only be offered to people who qualify for
the housing register and this can take a long time. You can get
copies of the housing register scheme and an information leaflet
from Housing Services. In the meantime, we may arrange bed and
breakfast, Hostel or other temporary accommodation. We recognise
that bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation is not ideal and we
will try to find you suitable alternative temporary accommodation
as quickly as possible. Due to the extreme shortage of all types of
accommodation, we regret that bed and breakfast accommodation may
be some distance away from South Staffordshire.
What can you do for me if you do not accept that I am priority
homeless?
We understand that everyone who approaches
us has some form of housing problem. We will do all we can to offer
you housing options. You will get a letter outlining your housing
options. This could include the private rented sector.
What can I do if I am not satisfied?
We do our best to give as good a service as
possible but we cannot always help everyone in the way they would
like.
All clients of the housing services section
may use the council’s formal complaints procedure.
How to Complain
If you have a complaint, please speak to the
officer dealing with your application. If your complaint is not
settled to your satisfaction, you can register a formal complaint.
For more information please contact the housing services team.
How can I help you?
We will try to give you the best service
possible, within our resources and legal duties, but regrettably we
cannot provide a home to everyone who applies to us. Please show
courtesy to our staff. If a customer abuses or harasses a member of
staff in any way, including using offensive language, we will stop
dealing with them. Please keep these notes for reference. Your
caseworker will also explain the application procedure to you.
Please ask her/him to explain anything you are unsure about.
Contact
Housing Operations
Telephone: (01902) 696507 / 696509
Email: homes@sstaffs.gov.uk